A Burrow for the Weary

This stand of the Cibola National Forest sits west of the Plains of San Agustin, in which you will find The Very Large Array. Driving west from Socorro, you will rise from the Chihuahuan Desert into high elevation grasslands with some isolated high mountains supporting forests of pine. You will pass through Datil, which has a general store offering some basic food items and bulk water (dispensed at 25 cents a gallon). A developed campground sits near here as well. But you know I prefer the wilderness!

Many times, I have stopped here to have peaceful rest from more chaotic weeks. When I was in the Sawtooth Mountains, I deeply enjoyed a trek into the wilderness where there were no developed hiking trails. Scaling small mountains and to the base of Monument Rock, I found some lovely vistas. I also found some deposits of sand, and rock faces with pale colors. There is an interesting contrast of grassland fields and pine-laden mountains here. I have plucked out some pine nuts and ate them here, and they tasted just as good as the pine nuts I can get from the store.

Davenport Canyon has a road that leads directly into tall ponderosa pines, if the small pinyon and junipers are not your thing. For car camping, Davenport Canyon offers cooler high elevation weather in the summer with shade from tall trees and surrounding hills, and is a fantastic option when I just need to rest.

It was in these mountains that I learned how to wash clothes in a bucket with biodegradable soap. The trees allowed me to string up some paracord to hang clothes on, which is a luxury not found in the deserts. Which is to say, I have enjoyed the peace I found here long enough to need to do laundry.

This region feels almost like another home for me. The small mountains can be scaled during day hikes, and the high elevation brings comfortable weather. It's a relaxing experience that I think about quite often, long after being there.