Las Cruces: Pine Tree Loop Trail at Aguire Springs

 From February 2022

When I camped at Aguire Springs in 2018, I saw the loop trail that went up behind the campground.  Due to the warm weather, I didn't feel like I could leave Elvis,the old service dog, behind in the Scamp and also didn't think he was up for the rigorous hike.

This time, with Julia and Callie, the same concerns were not present.  At much higher elevations than our other hikes in the Las Cruces area, the challenge turned out to be intermittent snow and ice. 

 

Pine Tree Loop is about a five mile hike.  It took us over two hours with a total ascent of 1247 feet, finishing at 6778 feet.

This is a beautiful hike, and our favorite in the Las Cruces area.

Alligator Juniper

 

The air smelled so clean and fresh.  I leave some trails, thinking "done this, don't have to come back."  As we left that day, I was thinking,  "I want to hike this again and again."

Eastward Bound to Texas

I woke early on Tuesday morning and drove from Tucson to Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Las Cruces is on the list of places that Julia and I want to check out to see if we want to live there someday.  It ticks a lot of boxes:  university town, close to the mountains, diverse population and culture, no snow in the city but winter sports available only a few hours away in the mountains.

I wasn’t going to have time to do much more than drive around, walk around and stay at an RV park in town, so I bailed on that plan.  I drove through town via Hwy 70 and then kept on going until I reached a road sign for Aguirre Springs, a BLM campground.

The road in was steep and windy, but the payoff was amazing. Why would I want to stay at an RV park when I could stay here for $7/night.  The place was practically deserted without any generators and no lights to mar the night sky.

I listened to the early election results on NPR and then went to bed early.  This morning, I drove to Lubbock, Texas, passing steep snow-capped mountains in New Mexico, and then cotton fields/oil wells in Texas.  I’m using my Passport America at an RV park in Lubbock for half the regular rate.  I’m also taking the time to start winterizing the Brew Hut with hard freezes and snow expected where I am headed for the weekend.