Two Steps Back
Monday, May 20th, 2024: Hikes, Pinos Altos Range, Southwest New Mexico.
I hadn’t hiked in two weeks, since my epic hike in the desert did some sort of damage to my right knee. Despite daily icing, it was recovering very slowly, and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. So I decided to try it out on a nearby trail with moderate distance and elevation.
This is a ridge trail that climbs the east end and follows the ridge west for 6-1/4 miles to an abandoned stock pond, at an average elevation of 8,400 feet. Much of the forest had burned in June 2020, and I’d hiked the full length afterward, in September of that year. But by the following September, regrowth of annuals and shrubs had made the trail virtually impassable.
Because it’s close to town, I figured it would be a high priority for the new trail crews, and I was right. It had been cleared last October, but since it traverses the steep north slope, it accumulates and holds deep snow, and the lack of tracks showed that I was the first hiker on this trail since the snow finally melted a month ago. A bear had preceded me, probably late yesterday.
The temperature started out in the 60s and climbed into the 80s by afternoon. The flowers and pollinators were outstanding, and I was surrounded by birdsong the whole way, but could seldom find the singers. I did spot a brown creeper but it was moving too fast to photograph.
I didn’t really expect to make it all the way. My knee seemed to be doing okay but as usual there were too many steep sections. There’s a rock outcrop with a nice view about a mile from the pond, and that’s where I turned around, strapping on my knee brace for the return.
With my knee stiffened by the brace it was much harder to walk, and the pressure of the brace meant I couldn’t tell how my knee was doing. I found out when I got back to the vehicle – not well. I’ve been lucky with my knees in the past, but those days are probably over.
