Mesa Alta Base Camp Weekend, November 12-14, 2022

With winter rolling in, we gathered up our cold weather gear and to–do list, hoping to cross a few more tasks off before snow takes hold.

At the top of the list was looping our architect friend Chris into the conversation regarding the potential for building on the property. Friday night he and Stefani came over to our house with really big printouts of the survey, and Kevin and I pointed out landmarks, elevations, utilities and other infrastructure. Through the course of the conversation, Chris affirmed that the site Kevin, Deana, and I scoped out, with its gentle grade toward the county road and views of both Mesa Alta and Cerro Pedernal would be a prime location for building. Also of note, we now know that the mountain in the distance is, in fact, Cerro Pedernal, or Flint Hill, named for the rich deposits of obsidian around it. It is featured in many of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings; her ashes are even scattered on top. We had erroneously been referring to it as Table Mesa, which is much further north and not visible from our property…. As is often the case with our pals, the conversation also led to a rather impassioned discussion of pooping in the woods. Are we considering a septic system? Composting toilet? Vault toilet? Luggable Loo? Lincoln box? How many and who will be using it? I pitched my version of the CDT motto, “Hike your own hike” as “Poo your own poo”. It didn’t seem to resonate with anyone else…

Saturday morning we packed the truck and headed north, full of good intentions but also a bit weary as both of us had been suffering from a mild stomach flu the past couple of weeks. Expectations were moderated by sympathy. The county road was, first the first time since March, not a fetid bog. A few weeks earlier, I had called Rio Arriba Roads department, and low and behold, and actual person answered the phone and put in a work order to repair the wash out! That had yet to happen, but all the same we were able to easily drive up to the stretch gate on dry, hard packed caliche. I was determined that on this last campout of the year, we would sleep on our property rather than in the National Forest, so we parked the truck in the cleared area and deployed.  

As we set up, we noted prolific cow tracks- the bastards had got in! The tracks were concentrated under the pinon at one corner of the fence, which made me wonder if after decades of seasonal migration, they were somehow habituated to this spot. Maybe they home in on the scent of ancestral poo? I spent some time on that… It could also be that local ranchers had taken to stashing their cattle on the property while they rounded up strays. And thanks to us, the fence was more intact than ever, perfect for keeping their herd penned up! As we were setting up camp, a stock truck rolled up and two riders from Los Duranes Ranch in La Jara saddled up, rode by, and asked if we had seen any strays- they had been looking for 4 or 5 head for the past several weeks. They asked where we are from and if we are the property owners. Maybe word will get out that this parcel now shall be occupied by humans, not bovines. How did the cows get in? Turns out it there is a breach near the washed-out section of road, where all the posts have fallen or could be easily pushed over due to the saturated soil….

We spent the rest of Saturday crossing things off the list… re-securing the northern span of fencing, rolling up extra barbed wire, and planting cattail seeds. Oh, and pinon grilled filet mignon.

Sunday’s “To-Do” list was hiking south on the CDT, with the goal of identifying the intersection of the CDT and the Armijo Route of the Old Spanish Trail. The trail rolled out gently in front of us and we strolled through majestic ponderosa for miles, spotting turkey tracks in the snow, and, unexpectedly, mushrooms in November!

Winter weather rolled in Sunday night, and we tucked into the truck for an evening of movies while the wind howled. So grateful for our winter worthy gear! We awoke to a couple inches of snow and spent the morning sipping hot coffee, digging ourselves out of the snow, and breaking camp. We then headed to the Coyote Ranger District Headquarters and presented Ranger Eric with our laundry list of inquiries. We found out where to obtain water year-round, what permits are required for firewood and rock gathering, and most importantly, the free, public Wi-Fi password for those Who. Just. Can’t. Go. A Day. Without. Email or Facebook.  

Last on our list was driving out through Abiquiu, to stop and get a sense of Bode’s as a resupply destination for longer visits. It did not disappoint, a country general store with modern sensibilities- chicken feed AND wine!  We wrapped up the weekend feeling like we had a scaffolding for necessities- water, WIFI, provisions- in place, as well as next steps for 2023. We hope to purchase a toy hauler that can accommodate our tools, including a chipper shredder that will enable us to turn slash into top dressing to add organic matter to heavily impacted areas. It will also hold surplus our gear, as well as an OHV, useful for hauling rocks and firewood, and which will serve as a sag wagon for expeditions.

We also plan to start bring both vehicles up in the spring so that we can fully deploy our camper, and still run around fetching water and supplies for longer stays. There is a possibility of adding the Riana campground to our list of resources, as there are showers available there, as well as water. Between now and then, we are hoping for a couple of day trips for cross country skiing and snowshoeing.