Tag: NNML

• NNML 2026 Day 11, June 28, Sunday
• Start S3 mile 42 Rio Vallecitos
• End S3 mile 74 past Lagunitas Campground
• Miles walked: 32

I try walking a bit faster today, to improve options for the following 2 days. You may learn more later.

The route climbs up high on single-track to get off of a road, through fir and aspen and meadow. The air is cool, strong gusting winds.

Hopewell Lake is surrounded by fisherfolk. I do not see anyone catch anything

I see a couple of mountain bikers come down to the CDT trailhead above the lake, in a hurry. Could this be Race the Divide, an annual race on the Great Divide Trail, the mountain bike version of the CDT?

The route now has large grassy areas, alternating with forest, which sets a pattern for the day.

The CDT goes along the Tony Marquez Trail for a spell. My Trail Group will do some work on Tony Marquez later this year.

The trail is 2-track turning to 1-track on old roadbed closed to vehicles. I notice an unusual amount of young spruce and fir, among the dying old fir trees. Did all this start naturally, or is it part of some forest remediation?

I meet a couple of section hikers with a small dog with the trail name Speed Bump.

In wide open space, near a ranch called the Yonderosa, I catch a tail-wind and make good time.

Daniel is the fifth mountain bike racer I meet.

I get water at the Rio San Antonio, though there are many cows in the watershed. Then I start up a ridge overlooking the San Antonio, which continues for miles of controlled grade, with magnificent views.

I meet my ninth and tenth racers just below Lagunitas Campground. Most of the racers seem a little dazed, too exhausted to chat for long.

Lagunitas Campground is so peaceful, with several small lakes.

Another narrow ridge awaits, this time with loose sand and narrow tread.

Walking started at 5:30 AM, and finally ends at 8:30 PM, a long and full day.

Finished audiobook Dispatches From the Ruhr, by Ernest Hemingway. He is a journalist for the Toronto Star, reporting from French-occupied Ruhr Valley in 1923.

• NNML 2026 Day 10, June 27, Saturday
• Start S3 mile 18
• End S3 mile 42 near ford of Rio Vallecitos
• Miles walked: 24

A morning cloud makes a last rumble of thunder. The day is cooler due to yesterday’s storm, and a breeze assists.

The route goes through a maze of Gambel oak in a squiggly line– apparently intended as a fun challenge for hikers.

I do like the mixture of thick forests and wide open grassland.

In another thick forest ferns make an appearance.

Along a ridge, I hear the whistling call of elk, and then spot a large herd. I am not used to them calling in daylight– something may have upset them.

I meet Lady Unicorn and Firecracker, heading to Ghost Ranch to end their trip.

The white streaks of aspen stand out in forest views.

At Upper Canjilon Lake several people are fishing, and conifers reappear.

Aspens hide for the rest of the day, after Canjilon.

Eventually I cross Rio Vallecitos, and camp nearby to enjoy sound of the water.

I did meet a CDT hiker with his dog at the river, but he moved on just as I got to the water, and we did not stop to chat.

Finished audiobook Nine Sci-fi Stories, by Poul Anderson.

• NNML 2026 Day 9, June 26, Friday
• Start S3 mile 0, Ghost Ranch
• End S3 mile 18 near Mogo
• Miles walked: 18

I walk out of Ghost Ranch early, to take advantage of the cool morning.

Navigating out of the box canyon is confusing for me, but I eventually get it. After 4 hikes out of Ghost Ranch, I still tend to make a wrong turn when exiting.

My climb out of Yeso Canyon is hard for me. My pack seems heavy, and my energy is low, and I have to rest frequently. It already seems too hot.What is going on? Too much town food and rest? Something else?

The day starts cloudless, but around noon clouds appear and soon thunder grumbles in the distance. Clouds fring welcome shade.

Rain begins, just as I am filtering my water for the day, at mile 15, and lasts about an hour. The temperature drop is sudden, and now I have to hike just to stay warm.

The soil changes to black, and sticky from the rain, like clay. Trees change to skinny aspen, all with damaged bark. Is that from antlers?

Conifers disappear, and grassland dominates. Is the change in soil connected to lack of conifers? Along with aspen, we also get thick stands of Gambel oak, trying to grow taller than a shrub.

I get a second wind, and start to hike faster.

Around midnight, a large group of ATVs come by, with revving and latin music coming from speakers, and colored lights,  and so much revving. Why would people be out partying on such a wet, cold night? I guess it is a Friday night.

Finished audiobook On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, by Henry David Thoreau.