It was a quick stroll over to Caballo Mountain's true summit,
and I made my way back down to the floor of the drainage.
The reascent was not to be scoffed at.
| A trip to Santa Fe has become a fall tradition, and is a welcome change in the weather. Aside from a lot of good food, the hikes available in the area are very enjoyable. I set out from the ski area at about 9:00 am, rather late. An open meadow after the first mile or so had me surprised when I saw yellow aspen leaves still clinging on. The trail seems to meander along endlessly before there are views of peaks to the west. 12 miles round-trip and a significant elevation loss before the ascent of Caballo Mountain proper make for a tougher outing than one would expect for the area. After a lot of somewhat minor ups and downs, the true drop finally occured. A nice view of Caballo Mountain is afforded from a ledge just before dropping down to the drainage below. |
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| The floor of the drainage was a flat, quiet and peaceful area, a short respite from its steep sides. The ascent of the southwest slopes of Caballo was a bit taxing, being rather steep for a while. Just before reaching the plateau-like upper reacehs of the mountain, another meadow was a nice contrast to the dominating trees. The entrance back into the trees to the County highpoint is a bit of a bushwhack. Judging by my GPS, the county line was a bit more to the south than the actual county fence-line, which I eventually found (photo below). |
It was a quick stroll over to Caballo Mountain's true summit, and I made my way back down to the floor of the drainage. The reascent was not to be scoffed at. | |