Advice on New Mexico Peaks

[Swithich]

I'm moving to New Mexico from Washington State in a few weeks. Is there anything I should know about hiking, scrambling, or climbing in New Mexico? Are snakes an issue? Etc...

-Swithich

[John Kirk]

What part of NM? As far as advice, I'd stick to higher peaks in the Sangre de Cristos in the summer unless doing most of your hiking in the early AM or unless you really like heat and snakes. That being said, it is a spectacular winter playground to avoid snow and cold (snakes not really a factor then).

[abarnhart]

+1 on what part? I have a brother in NM who would enjoy another hiking partner and has some decent familiarity with his area.

[Swithich]

Albuquerque, I'm going to be a student at UNM.

-Swithich

[TWorth]

The Jemez has a lot of good bushwacking and a couple standout peaks like this one:

http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Cl ... p?Id=11765

Urban hikes in parts of Abq and Santa Fe are going to be far more hazardous than any of the peaks, John has lived in Abq, could probably tell you which hoods to avoid.....

[Swithich]

Ya I'd appreciate a quick rundown on Albuquerque if anyone has one. I've been there twice, but I've never lived there and I do hear there are some pretty rough spots.

I'm actually headed down there tomorrow to find housing. So sooner rather that later might be better.

I'll probably just stick close to campus my first year. More expensive, but probably safer while I get the lay of the land (in theory I'm only there for two years anyway to get a master's degree).

Really any advice is welcome.

-Swithich

[davebobk47]

I just moved out of ABQ in May If you look me up on summitpost.org (username is davebobk47) I own a lot of the pages for the Sandias which will be plenty close for you. Not sure if you climb or not but I'd recommend learning trad as there are lots of great trad climbs in the Sandias and not so much for sport climbing. Definitely check out some of the other areas- Jemez, Manzanos, Sangres, Magdalenas. Sangres are the most similiar to CO but some of the other areas futher south offer excellent snow-free hiking and climbing when the Sangres are buried. If you're interested in being on a SAR team check out Cibola SAR (cibolasar.org), I enjoyed my time on the team and its a great way to learn the area. If you have any questions feel free to PM me, I can talk plenty about NM mountains.

[davebobk47]

As far as places to live... as a student I would totally stick around campus, the Nob hill area is awesome (I prefer it over downtown but then again I'm old). Also get a bike, probably a cheap one, ABQ is a great city for biking and living around campus you could get everywhere on bike just as easily as in a car.

[drdickie]

I spend my summers in Taos, and do most of my hiking within an hour's drive of Taos. I've only encountered a snake on a trail once this year (out of several dozen excursions). Compared to the Pacific northwest most parts of the state are dry, so you need to carry a lot of water. If you're ever in the Taos area during the summer, look me up. You can find contact me through Peakbagger. Dick Oestreicher "Drdickie"

[Swithich]

So my plan is to get the peaks near to Albuquerque quickly. The other two I'm looking at are Sierra Blanca Peak and Wheeler Peak. I'm planning on working on these two lists http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Content/customlists.php?lid=327 and http://www.listsofjohn.com/PeakStats/Content/customlists.php?lid=325. There are a number of peaks near Taos on the 500 foot list. At this point it is all about how much free time I have. I'm planning on 20-30 hours of studying a week for my masters. Plus I'm teaching a class which will easily absorb another 15-30 hours. Also over the next two weeks I actually have to design and write up the material for the class I'm teaching. So the next two weeks are going to be busy.

My current hope is to go rock/mountain climbing (hiking/peakbagging) once or twice a month on weekends (preferably day trips on Saturdays).

Oh and I don't think I can do the SAR thing with my schedule. It is going to be a chore just leaving Albuquerque a couple a times a month (just to keep myself sane).

-Swithich