7-Year-Old's First Backpacking Overnight

B

Bob W

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Dec 31, 2000
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The Valle Vidal is a special unit of the Carson National Forest. Located approximately sixty miles from Raton and 30 miles from the nearest pavement, it's 100,000 acres of near-wilderness. The highlights are the wildlife, Little Costilla Peak, and historic sites.

Seemed like just the place to take Little Bob for his first overnight backpacking trip. Backpacking in the Valle Vidal is simple, you start walking. There are no formal hiking trails, no signposts, and no registrations or fees. A couple of things to keep in mind, vehicles parked overnight must be in one of their designated areas, and no camping is permitted within a half-mile of any road - trying to prevent roadside "camping," which has negatively impacted most of the national forests around here. Don't want to hike, no problem; there are multiple developed campgrounds in the Valle Vidal.

If anyone is familiar with the Valle Vidal, we parked at Ponil Creek and hiked about two miles south, camping on the eastern slope of a small ridge overlooking Hart Canyon. The area was burned by a serious forest fire at least ten years ago, and we camped on the edge of the burn area and a small stand of survivor trees.

At sunset we climbed a hill for views of Little Costilla to the WNW and Baldy Mountain, located to the SW on the Philmont Scout Ranch.



Looking north-ish up Hart Canyon.



Sunset







After a night of rain sprinkles, meteor showers, lightning, coyotes howling, owls calling... I was glad to see everyone still here in the morning. :)



With a monsoon season this year that won't stop, the mountain meadows and valleys are knee-high with wildflowers and grasses.









It's not trick photography or Photoshop work, the New Mexico sky really is this crisp and clear most of the time. :thumbup:
 
awesome job. They will remember that forever
 
I shouldn't tell you guys my kid's secret, but he still uses a comfort blanket at home. I asked if he wanted to take it backpacking, and he said "No, it would be embarrassing if a bear saw it."

I also had a tent and set it up nearby in case the weather went to heck in the middle of the night - at that elevation you never know. It did start sprinkling, which woke us both up. I asked if he wanted to move to the tent, and he said "no, tents are for sissies," and buried himself further in the sleeping bag.

That's my kid. :thumbup:
 
Awesome , making memories he will be looking back on for rest of his life
 
Beautiful country and a nice post. That is about the age that I was when my Dad first took me overnight camping. I am 70 now and will always remember that first camping trip.
Bill
 
very cool thread. i'm sure it will be a fond memory for you both, in years to come. thanks for sharing.
 
His first camping trip was to a biker rally in Durango, Colorado. Got himself quite a reputation.

 
Come see it for yourself if you haven't already.

Raton had a few early showers that the surrounding areas didn't get, so a very small radius around us was green while Cimarron, Wagon Mound, and Clayton were dead brown until the monsoons started. And once the monsoon season started, it seemed to go and go and go this year. Caused some flooding, and I bet a lot of the best topsoil from the overgrazed ranchland washed away.
 
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