December 12 Hike

Bob Merkel writes:

We didn't want to do this hike during mosquito season but that's long past. The Save Our Bosque Task Force has developed, over the past few years, a very pleasing hiking/biking/horseback-riding trail along the west side of the river that runs all the way from San Antonio to San Acacia. There are about fifteen picnic areas with concrete picnic tables and firepits along the way. There's even a handicapped-accessible section of it between two of the picnic areas.

This is a hike of 3 miles or so that will be one-way with a convenient short car shuttle. The starting point for the hike will be at the "Sandbar" picnic area a couple of miles north from the east end of Otero Street and the ending point will be Escondida Bridge. The road along the Low Flow Conveyance Channel is "smooth" gravel but high clearance vehicles will be helpful.

Let's meet at the Socorro Public School admin. bldg. on Franklin St. at 9 am as usual and dressed for the weather, whatever it might be that day.

November 8 Hike

Because of a conflict I have on Saturday November 7th, I'm planning a hike on Sunday, November 8th, at Bosque del Apache (the following weekend is just before the Festival of the Cranes). In the last several months a good deal of work has been done in the vicinity of the boardwalk on the Marsh Loop in the Refuge. I want to start and end at the boardwalk parking area, follow the trail beyond the boardwalk, up to an elevated site that overlooks a wonderful recently-flooded area that's been hosting all sorts of waterbirds, and around a loop back. It's a great opportunity to see some of the winter wildlife that the Refuge is famous for.

We'll meet at 9 am at the Socorro Public Schools Admin. Bldg. parking lot on Franklin St. to carpool down there. Bring binocs if you have them. Unfortunately, the now-famous Buckhorn in San Antonio is closed on Sundays but we should be finished in time for lunch back home. Bob

October 10 Hike

Bob Merkel writes:

This past Saturday, Debby and I hiked up to a wonderful and bizarre area beyond Johnson Hill northeast of Escondida. Part of it is covered with a layer of gypsum rock on which only some very specialized plants will grow. I'm attaching a photo of our "Chimney" destination, some pronghorns we saw, and two of the plants.

This place is so interesting I want to take folks there next month. Let's meet at 9 am Saturday, October 10th at the Socorro Consolidated Schools parking lot on Franklin Street. Water, snacks, sun protection, etc. are recommended. I also plan to show you a VERY funky abandoned house on the way back.

Bob

July 11 Hike

Bob Merkel wrote:

Sort-of halfway up the road from Water Canyon to South Baldy in the Magdalenas there is a side road right by a hairpin turn. It leads up a hill (we walked it a couple of years ago) and then, past a gate, to old abandoned mine operations. Looks like about 1-1/2 miles and 400 feet elevation change (a little below 8600 feet) in the woods. I don't even know what was mined there: Smithsonite? Galena?

Anyway, that's where we're going on Saturday, July 11th. Leaving at 8 am from the Socorro Consolidated Schools offices on Franklin Street.

June 13 Hike

Bob Merkle writes:

Hike for Saturday morning, June 13th. Meet at 8am at Socorro Schools Admin. Bldg on Franklin Street. High clearance helpful but I'm figuring we park without going into the very sandy arroyo bottom. Bring hat, water, sun protection, etc. and be prepared for some scrambling - we have not visited this specific part of the canyon before. The destination is ~500 feet vertical higher than the parking area.


I've been wanting to explore a couple of the high places capped with volcanic rocks (containing crystal quartz and chalcedony in voids) on the north side of Nogal Canyon near San Antonio. Also, in 2 weeks there may be a good display of wildflowers in the canyon.

Bob

May 9, Chupadera Peak

Lise Spargo writes:

I will meet anyone who wants to do the entire hike at the school district office as usual, but at 8:00 rather than 9:00.? We want to beat the heat if we can. We can carpool down to the trail head which is on highway one just north of the Bosque visitor center.? There is a sign for the trail head on the road where you turn west and go in about a quarter of a mile on a dirt road to the kiosk and parking area.? The drive takes about 30 minutes so we should be able to start the trail by circa 8:30.? For those who prefer a shorted hike, you could meet us where the trail crosses under I-25 at about 9:30.??Bob says the trail passes under the highway just south of mile marker 133 and there is enough space to pull cars off the
shoulder.

June 6, Full Moon Bike Ride

Bob Merkel writes:

Please consider putting the evening of Saturday June 6th on your calendar for another Full Moon Bike Ride at Bosque del Apache.

Our using the tour loop road is approved by the Refuge manager. Meeting time of 8 pm at the Visitor Center parking lot is a few minutes after moonrise and a few minutes before sunset.

April 19 Hike

Vanetta writes:

With the weather the way it was, the hiking group did not take the planned Quebradas hike April 11, but plan to do this April 19.

We will meet at SCS Admin building, at 8:00am, bring the usual!

We are looking for a May hike leader. You Las Cruces folks, interested in taking us up on the Organs?

Vannetta

Two upcoming events

Bob Merkel writes with news of two upcoming events.

Saturday March 7: CHUPADERA MINES. If you Google "Socorro manganese mines" you'll turn up information about the area we're planning to explore more next month. The manganese was a critically important metal used to harden steel and the mines were active during WW II and, I understand, into the 1970s. We can start at 9 am from Socorro Consolidated Schools Admin. Bldg as usual. High clearance vehicles needed to reach the start point for this hike. (btw daylight time starts March 8th - the next morning)

Wednesday April 8: FULL MOON BOSQUE BIKE RIDE. It is OK for us to ride the Tour Loop but manager Tom Melanson recommends stay in groups and watch for Mt. Lions! Yes I know that the full moon is April 9th but, trust me, there's better early evening moonlight on the 8th assuming the skies are clear of clouds. Also, April should be pre-mosquitoes.

February 7 Hike

Next Hiking First hike will be on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. Meet as usual 9 am at the Socorro Public School Admin. offices on Franklin Street with water, snacks, etc. etc.

This hike will be aimed at three interesting spots in the northern Quebradas are a that are pretty close to one another. It will also be a circuit route of maybe 3 miles total, instead of an out-and-back hike.

I've been wanting to find an intriguing fossil locality (trilobites?) that Mike Bilbo told us about. Where I THINK it is will be the first destination. The other two spots are a rock arch in a narrow canyon and a spring called Ojo de Amad
o . . . both on the way back to the Quebradas Byway.