Getting Greener in the Burn

HighDesertWalker

HighDesertWalker

Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
1,357
Haven't been hiking much lately due to all the wind and rain we've been getting. Meanwhile I've been playing racquetball for fun and conditioning. Before I started playing again a couple of months ago it had been 23 years since I last engaged in any sport that required running. That's a long layoff (associated with a back injury in 1985) and it was not easy starting back up again at age 63. I've had a couple of minor injuries, but muscle memory is gradually bringing my game back. Loads of fun.

But there was a gap in the weather last week, so I was off to the Quemazon trail in the Jemez Mtns. As always, Dingus tagged along.

dinguscairnju7.jpg


The burn in this area occured in the year 2000, and the only thing left standing was a stick forest of dead and blackened Ponderosa pine. Now the pine is beginning to make a come back, but it will be a long time before we have a forest here again.

newponderosapineoy6.jpg


The Aspen is growing back much more quickly than the pine:

aspenqn8.jpg


There's a lot of Mountain Mahogony in the area, but it's just beginning to green up:

mtnmahogonysg2.jpg


Other than that, we've got some grasses coming in, and one species of yellow wildflower:

yellowwildflowershr3.jpg


It was very hot, so Dingus found himself a spot in the shade of an Aspen when we broke for lunch:

dingusinshadeqc3.jpg


I carried a hydration pack with a Sierra cup to water Dingus, a carbon fiber trekking pole and a BRKT Aurora:

geardinguszl0.jpg


We've still got snow in the Sangre de Christos on the other side of the Rio Grande:

viewjb3.jpg


It was a good day. Looking forward to still greener hikes later this year.

Cheers,
 
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Great pics do you see very many rattle snakes when you are out and about in your area?
I really think you need a bright Orange handle knife I could hardly see that knife and handle.LOL LOL
Take care and thanks for sharing the pics.

Bryan
 
Love your pics, HDW. My wife and I get out to that part of the country whenever we can. If it was up to me, I'd live there, but the wife loves the green mountains of home and I agree they aren't so bad!

Keep the pics coming, takes me back to all the vacations we've done there.
 
sicily02 said:
Great pics do you see very many rattle snakes when you are out and about in your area?
I really think you need a bright Orange handle knife I could hardly see that knife and handle.LOL LOL
Take care and thanks for sharing the pics.

Bryan
Click to expand...

We have a lot of Diamondbacks and Prairie rattlers down at lower elevations, especially along the Rio Grande. I don't take Dingus down there after temperatures warm up. I've never seen a rattlesnake at the higher elevations we hike during summer.

Never have gotten around to having Dingus "snake proofed" in Phoenix, but now effective vaccinations are available, so he is going to the Vet soon to build up an immunity.

I do need an orange handle one of these days. I actually walked off and left my knife in a tree once. Had to hike all the way back to retrieve it. :o

Cheers,
 
They do say " Nature always finds a way ! " your pics prove that !!!

Love seeing your pics with your dog, keep em coming !!!!
 
Hey HDW,

Thanks for the pictures. It's always nice to see other parts of the world especially when you're never going to see it in person. What state is that in?

Doc
 
mapper66 said:
Love your pics, HDW. My wife and I get out to that part of the country whenever we can. If it was up to me, I'd live there, but the wife loves the green mountains of home and I agree they aren't so bad!

Keep the pics coming, takes me back to all the vacations we've done there.
Click to expand...

Thanks mapper. I've been through the Carolinas on vacation, and I can appreciate your wife's fondness for the green mountains. Beautiful country! :thumbup:
 
HDW looks like its coming back to life. Dingus looks good out there. That knife needs some looking after. Looks like it might get lost.
 
pitdog said:
They do say " Nature always finds a way ! " your pics prove that !!!

Love seeing your pics with your dog, keep em coming !!!!
Click to expand...

Yep, nature's slow but sure. After eight years the tallest new pine is about 5'. It's like, well, watching the grass grow. ;)
 
DOC-CANADA said:
Hey HDW,

Thanks for the pictures. It's always nice to see other parts of the world especially when you're never going to see it in person. What state is that in?

Doc
Click to expand...

Ditto on the joys of seeing other parts of the world Doc. I've never been to Canada, but I've sure seen a lot of great pics on WSS. :thumbup: I'm located in northern New Mexico within the southernmost reaches of the Rocky Mountains.
 
bearthedog said:
HDW looks like its coming back to life. Dingus looks good out there. That knife needs some looking after. Looks like it might get lost.
Click to expand...

When I got interested in BRKT knives I selected green canvas micarta scales on each A2 blade that I bought. The color was sort of a flag for the type of steel. Got to be careful about setting them down in the grass though. :o

The only bright handles I have are on the mora 510 (carbon steel) and 545 (stainless steel), which are red and blue respectively. Couldn't even lose the 510 in the Grand Canyon. :p
 
Nice to see the area rebuilding itself. great pics HDW. What do you mean by snakeproofing your dog? Ive never heard of that........
 
Great pictures. Not looking forward to the coming heat. We had a frost warning last week when I went camping. It didn't come out that cold, but it did knock back the black flies somewhat! I like the desert landscape you have there with the scrubby vegetation all around. I'm not fond of real desert though as was the case in outskirts of Dubai - where it was mostly a bunch of sand dunes.
 
bearthedog said:
What trips do you have planned next HDW?
Click to expand...

We'll be going back to the Grand Canyon in November. Not sure whether or not we'll take the same route as last time though (South Kaibab to River Trail to Bright Angel Trail.).

Training will be different. Seeking more variety, we'll be climbing 13,161 ft Wheeler Peak near Taos, the trail to Lake Peak in the Sangre de Christos above Santa Fe, and the La Luz Trail to Sandia Crest in the Sandia Mtns above Albuquerque. Also plan to hike in to the Stone Lions Shrine and Painted Cave in Bandelier Natl. Monument. These are both long back country treks.

What do you have planned this year?
 
j williams said:
Nice to see the area rebuilding itself. great pics HDW. What do you mean by snakeproofing your dog? Ive never heard of that........
Click to expand...

Snakeproofing consists of placing your dog on ground containing defanged rattlesnakes, and applying a correction with an electric training collar anytime the dog approaches one of the snakes.

Here's a snakeproofing school in Phoenix:

http://www.snakeproofing.com/?gclid=CO6y9f-LwpMCFQH0IgodOlpRDA

Downside is that the training must be repeated periodically (yearly).

The alternative is to use a vaccine. Here's the best known vaccine manufacturer:

http://www.redrockbiologics.com/

They've got a great pic of a worried Weimaraner. The vaccine is given twice in two months during the first year and then a booster is given yearly for as long as the dog will be exposed. The advantage of this approach is that the vaccine can be administered by you local veterinarian.
 
Thats a great idea for any dog thats a regular into the bush....I like the idea of doing both the training, and vaccine. Kind of redundant, but gives the owner some peace of mind............
 
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