Pecos Wilderness 1999

When: May, 1999

Crew: Charlie, Beka, Ryan, Erica, Lorraine, Me

Summary: Our planned trek started at Holy Ghost campground, but a stop at the Pecos Ranger station confirmed our fears that snow might be a problem. The rangers recommended going to the eastern part of the wilderness, where there was less snow. We quickly planned a new route, starting from the Iron Gate campground.

Charlie and I had been to Iron Gate before, on a day hike, so we didn't pay much attention to the trail on the map, and led the crew down the only trail we knew was there. After a mile or so, it dawned on us that we weren't hiking in the right direction. The map, compass, and GPS revealed our error, and we were forced to turn around. I wore the compass as an albatross around my neck for the remainder of the trip, a reminder of my fallibility. Some good did come from our mishap, when we encountered a herd of elk on the way back to Iron Gate.

The extra few miles made it a long day to Mora Flats, where we camped for the night. The next morning was cold, and we stayed in our sleeping bags a bit longer than we should have. We ate breakfast and packed up, and started out for Pecos Falls.

Rio Valdez was swollen with runoff waters, and the trail crossed it at least five times. We spent a great deal of time looking for safe places to cross, once getting out our bear rope to fashion a sort of hand rail. We used this to keep our balance as we walked across a fallen tree, several feet above the rushing water.

At another crossing, Beka soaked herself and her pack falling into the frigid creek. We barely managed to get her pack off her shoulders and pull her out before she was swept away.

When we came to another crossing, we couldn't find a safe place to cross. We wandered off the trail, until we found a spot that was narrow enough for me to jump across. Charlie and Ryan threw the packs to me, and then everyone else jumped across, and we headed through the brush to find the trail again. As with the previous crossings, we lost a lot of time.

As the afternoon wore on, we climed out of the canyon and startled another elk herd on the side of the mountain. We climbed higher and began to see patches of snow. When the sun started to set, Ryan and Charlie went on ahead to try and find out how far away we were from the Pecos Falls. They hiked close to a mile, and still couldn't find the trail intersection we were looking for. Furthermore, the snow got deeper and less patchy, and it looked like we were sure to have trouble if we continued.

Spirits were low as we made camp. Beka and all her gear were soaked, and we were all exhausted from crossing the river so many times. There was no flat place to put the tents, and the temprature was getting colder by the minute. We decided to eat the next day's lunch for dinner, so we didn't have to cook, and all crammed into one tent to try and keep warm. It was a horrid night, and no one got any sleep.

The next morning, we packed quickly, eager to get away from "Slanty." We decided to forego Pecos Falls, and headed instead for Beatty's Cabin. We stopped along the way and cooked an excellent lunch, what should have been the previous night's dinner.

Luckily, we didn't have to cross the creek before turning on to the trail to Beatty's. The trail was steep, but dry, and the sun warmed our frozen bones. We found an excellent spot to camp at Beatty's Flatts, and Beka began to dry her things in the warm sun.

The next day, Lorraine, Beka, Charlie, and I set out to see Beatty's Cabin. Ryan and Erica set out for Pecos Falls, using a different trail than we had tried two days before. We all had a good day, and met back at the camp for our last night on the trail.

We hiked out over Hamilton Mesa the following day, only a moment ahead of a coming storm. The view was beautiful, but the charcoal thunderheads kept us moving quickly. We made it back to Iron Gate, tired, but happy.

Other: Pecos Wilderness Waypoints