On Sunday October 6, I walked solo up Wheeler Peak. It is the highest peak in New Mexico at
13,161 feet (4011 meters). There are two
trails to take to the peak: The Bull or the Woods Trail and the Williams Lake
Trail. Through a bit of serendipity, I
took the trail less traveled. I was very
happy that I did.
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| A View from Wheeler Peak looking toward Mount Walter |
The Bull of the Woods Trail is the trail less traveled. I took this trail because it started from the
parking lot of the Alpine Village Suites in the Taos Ski Valley where I was
staying. It is the longer of the two
trails by about 2 miles and start about 800 feet lower in elevation. On the day of my walk, everyone else decided
to use the Williams Lake Trail.
There was a point about three-quarters ways up the mountain
that I realized that I was the only person on this trail today. I was walking on a series of switchbacks up to
the ridge that would lead to the peak.
It provided a wide open vista. I
could look back and see the entire area I had been walking through all
morning. I could look forward and see
the ridgeline to Wheeler Peak.
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| The View Looking Back |
I was alone in this spectacular wilderness. It was dead quiet. The wind was calm. There was not a cloud in the sky. The sunshine was filling me with warmth on this
chilly day. I felt serene and
peaceful. I had a sense of euphoria
knowing I had this beautiful place to myself.
It was a spiritual experience.
It is not often one gets away from everything and can just enjoy being
in the moment in nature.
The Bull of the Woods Trails offered other gifts. It is the more scenic of the two trails by
far. During my first rest stop an hour
into my walk a pair of Gray Jays flew and dance around me before they landed on
the opposite end of the log I on which I was sitting. Near the half way point, I came across a
flock of long horn sheep on a sloping field.
They were about 300 yards from the trail. I got a good view with my binoculars. About a half mile further, a coyote crossed
my trail about 200 yards in front of me.
I was a bit bewildered as to why there was no one else on
this trail on such a beautiful day. It
was only when I reached the summit that I would learn the answer about the
trail less traveled.
At the end of my walk I had a euphoria that lasted weeks. I also had a pint of Oktoberfest beer at the
Bavarian Lodge. A perfect day!
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The Details:
My walk started at 6am, an hour before sunrise. My first 30 minutes were in darkness. It was like walking through a tunnel made by
the forest. Only the light from my
headlamp provided illumination. I was
alone in a void. I was a bit anxious,
By 6:30am the first twilight was visible. The void was changing into a forest. 10 minutes later I could turn off my
headlamp. Sunrise was at 7am.
At 7:15 I took my first rest stop on a log. I was no longer alone. A pair of Gray Jays danced around me. They
landed on opposite side of the log I was on.
I was able to take their picture.
The morning started out dark and cold, 26F degrees, but with the
daylight and the company of the gray jays I was starting to feel warm and
happy.
I was still in the shade of the forest and the mountains. It would be another hour before sunshine
would touch my face. It really hadn’t
been too cold in the area yet this fall.
The small pond I came across had just a glaze of ice on it. This was at the Bull of the Woods pasture. The ice would probably be gone later in the
day.
Past the pond I climbed a hill that lead to a
ridgeline. On the ridgeline I had a view
of the Red River Valley on the left and the Taos Ski Area on the right. This was also the first point on my walk where
the sunshine shone upon me.
Past the ridgeline I came to more woods. On the other side of the woods there was an
open sloping field. On the far end of
the field was a flock of big horn sheep grazing. Unfortunately they were too far away to get a
good picture. I just sat in the field
for a few minutes to watch the sheep. I
took out my binoculars for a better look.
I was in full sunshine and the suns warmth felt good.
I continued on. The
trail then went over a hill (Frazer Mountain) and down the other side. At this point it started descending into La
Cal Basin. Near the beginning of my
descent I saw a coyote cross the field about 200 yards in front of me. He seemed oblivious to me which suited me
just fine. I watched him for several
minutes until he went out of site. He
looked like a magnificent animal with his golden coat and easy gait.
Going down to La Cal Basin took me back below the tree line and
along a stream. Going downhill was not
what I wanted to do since I was past the halfway point to the peak. I also had thought I somehow took a wrong
turn. It was however a good change of pace
and it wasn’t long before I started climbing again and above the tree
line.
I now found myself in the wide open area going back and
forth on switchbacks that would take me to the final ridge going to Mount
Walter and onto Wheeler Peak. It was at
this point looking across wide open country that I realized how alone I
was. I could see a long way back. There was no one else on the trail. It was such a beautiful without a cloud in
the sky. I thought surely there would be
someone else on the trail.
Being alone in such a beautiful place also gave me a feeling
of freedom and serenity. I had escaped
the world and its problems. I could just
enjoy the moment looking out at the world’s beauty. It is transcending moments like this that
make going into the wilderness a joy and provides refreshment for the soul.
I pressed on. I
passed a mountain lake. I came across
100 yards of trail with snow on it. I
finally came around a turn where I could see Wheeler Peak in the distance and
the last push up the trail to Mount Walter.
On Mount Walter I finally saw other people coming up the
Williams Lake Trail and then turning away from Mount Walter to make the final
climb to Wheeler Peak. After being on the
trail for 4.5 hours by myself, it was good to see other people and my final
goal in sight. I walked down the trail into
the saddle between the two peaks, past a large cairn where the Williams Lake
Trail intersects and onto the final climb to Wheeler Peak.
I met many people on the peak. I spent about thirty minutes up there. I took some pictures. I had someone take a picture of me. I took some pictures of others. After a snack and some water, I started back
down. I decided to take the Williams Lake
Trail back. It was the trail everyone
else took. It was shorter and more
direct: the reason everyone selected the Williams Lake Trail to get to the
peak. As a bonus, the Bavarian Lodge was
near the trail head.
The Williams Lake Trail descended directly into the Taos Ski
Valley. There were mountains on both
sides. It didn’t have the wide open
vistas like the Bull of the Woods Trail.
It was much rockier. There were
many people to see and talk to. It was a
far different experience than the Bull of the Woods Trail.
About 2/3 of the way down, the trail goes near Williams
Lake. I took the 5 minute side trip to
see the lake. It was worth it. From the lake one can see Wheeler Peak and
people going along the Williams Lake Trail.
From the lake it was a little over 2 miles through the woods
to the Bavarian Lodge. When the lodge
came into sight I had sense of accomplish and a warm feeling one only gets from
a day in the wilderness. I rewarded
myself with a pint of Oktoberfest at the lodge.
It was a great day and still early enough to do something else. Total time of my trip was 8 hours and a
distance of 14 miles.
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