This is gonna be a tough one……..tough to hold down to manageable size.  This was one of the most enjoyable hikes I’ve ever been on, and I’ll prob’ly go back for more……..after the weather warms up next spring.  Took over 200 pics this day.
 
Last Saturday, after attending to chores, (laundry) I jumped into Der Bug and ran the 25 miles south to the turnoff to Lake Cochiti, about 1/3 of the way to Albuquerque.  After a few miles, just before the lake, I was treated to a preview of what was coming.  These bluffs are about 600 feet high…………

 
 
I was mildly surprised at the number of people there, (little did I know) but took off up the trail anyway.  Sign says it’s 1.3 miles to the end, and 1.1 miles for the “Cave Loop,” which I found to meet the main trail farther up.  Going along, the number of these “hoodoos” increased rapidly.  Never seen any quite like this before………..
 
 
As you progress, the trail narrows……….

 
 
Shades of Ladder Canyon, eh ??  Only MUCH more so.  This is really something………….

 
 
In some places, even skinny (??) Lar had to turn sideways to get thru.  This was fun……..

 
 
Signs repeatedly warn you to Get Out Fast if a thunderstorm comes along.  Flash flood danger is very real here.  Then, come around one more corner, and there’s the Tent Rocks……………

 
Around the next corner, probably my favorite view in the canyon………….

And, about 200 yards farther along, as you climb a steep, very rough ascent, an entirely different view.  Looks something like that village in Turkey, doesn’t it ??  Cappadoccio ??  (sp ??)………

 
 
These spires are weathered out of the volcanic tuff blown out of Vallez Caldera 1.6 & 1.2 million years ago.  It just keeps on getting better, except for the crowds.  On the narrow trail, this got to be a real pain, in places the dust was choking, and the early teen kids have absolutely no manners………….

 
 
Even little kids and old farts like me enjoy this hike.  The surprising crowds on Mt. San Jacinto last August didn’t even come close to this……and it was like this the whole way.  Never mind, as I climbed the perspective changed.  These spires are about 90 feet high……………

 
 
Continual new angles, and different lighting kept the camera busy, and soon, a look down showed the trail I’d just come along - way below…………

 
 
The trail is a “J” shape, doubling back along a ridge after you climb out of the canyon.  Here, from the end, is the parking lot and beginning of the trail at center right.  I would guess about ¾ of a mile away and 600 ft lower.  The dust trails give an idea of the steady traffic on the dirt road.  Amazing………..

 
 A closer look shows the faithful “Der Bug” waiting patiently for me to return……….
 
 
Returning to the bottom, I took the right fork to the Cave trail and soon saw the signature cave………..

 
 
A closer look surprised me (it shouldn’t have) with the trademark smokey ceiling that I’d last seen at Bandelier National Monument last weekend.  100’s of years ago, this was a family’s home…………

 
 
Signs prohibit taking anything from the area.  A joke.  The big thing is “Apache Tears,” little polished chunks of obsidian - volcanic glass - that are found in the sandy washes.  Whole familys were more focused on the ground in front of them than the wonders above them.  Not a tear to be found.   However, ol’ Lar found a side canyon hidden in the brush and explored.  By the time they get this far, the kids are worn out, and most of the parents, too, so there were many Apache Tears to be found.  Here’s a good example……….

 
 
Farther up this side canyon, I came to a 6 ft high barrier.  Being stub-bourne and all, I climbed it, expecting another slot canyon…………Nope.  It made a sharp left just above my head and ended, so I climbed back down, set the camera on a rock, set the self timer and took a self portrait of the ol’ Lar at the end of this trail….but not yet his own…………….
 
 
When I came back toward the main trail, I could see other people heading back to the parking lot.  Out of 20 or 30 people, not one looked up or around to see me approaching.  Sad.  Back out to the parking lot now, and a look back at the top of the cliff I’d looked down from so recently.  Tent Rock Canyon (??) to the right……….

 
 
A closer look (aren’t 10X zoom lenses fun ??) shows the people still up there enjoying the view………..
 

 
  Many families go up there frequently and have picnics at the top.  What a great way to spend just ½ day, eh ??  I would guess the total length of the combined hike to be a little over 3 miles.
 
I’ve gotten so much into this story-telling mindset that on recent hikes, and especially this hike, I found myself formulating the story, taking pictures to match, and a grin on my face as I went along.  It certainly gives a different perspective, and I believe I see far more than if I was just walking without purpose.
 
Sorry for the length of this one, but shortening it was more than I could do.  It could easily have been 3 times as long.  This was one of the favorite hikes of my career.  I marveled all the way up & back.  What Fun ! ! !                         Lar.
 
Larry Bourne
Santa Fe, NM
www.gogittum.com
 

Posted: August 31st, 2009 under 06 New Mexico, 06-11-25 Tent Rocks.
Comments: 1