A Day Off

Today (June 11) was some time to recoup and get ready for my crew tomorrow. Not sure I really needed it, I'm itching to get the crew, but I guess it's better than another work day. Though the two work days I've had were not terrible, and didn't last the whole day.

Unique sunset yesterday.

Most of my training crew are already on the trail or were picking their crews up today, so I was flying solo for the day. Even my tent mate was leaving with his crew at 1:00 p.m., so he was frantically getting his pack and gear ready in the morning (when I was trying to sleep a bit later, but that's ok, I'm sure I'll return the favor some day!).

I did have some items to purchase, so decided to bite the bullet and head into Taos for part of the day and hit the Walmart. There are some small shops in Cimarron, including a Family Dollar that is popular, but the thought of getting some distance from basecamp was somewhat appealing. 35 miles as the crow flies, 55 miles as the road goes, and 90 minutes as the speed limit allows. Up some small ranges, winding through the Carson National Forest. Actually not a bad drive, peak height was something like 9100 ft, which is higher than my Tooth of Time trek. Wish I had had a car for part of that hike.

Taos is a nice little town. There is an old square with lots of little shops, souvenirs, artwork, antiques, some small cafes and shops (Rocky Mountain Chocolate Co anyone?); easy to walk around and just get the vibe. There is the more commercial section with the Walmart, gas stations, fast food and everything else a weary traveler might want, but not nearly as nice. All of the buildings in that first area, including many of the homes in and around, are of the Pueblo Style architecture, very pretty. But they all seem similar and are painted the same color (dirt brown?), so I guess it's the Taos equivalent of the McMansion neighborhoods that are popular? 3 styles and you can have any color you want as long as its Pueblo brown.

So much character.

Sean suggested that I have pizza at Taos Pizza Out Back, and it seemed like a great idea. I thought it was Taos Pizza Outback, as in "a remote or sparsely populated region", which Taos definitely is. But no, it was literally "out back". It sat behind another small building which was known as "Taos Cafe Up Front". Gotta love places that advertise truthfully, it was out back. And as you can see from the pictures, it was a bit out there too. Not sure why there was what appears to be a rocket or missile in the yard, but since it wasn't ticking, I wasn't worried. It was quiet at lunch, so a nice place to relax. I hear it gets very crowded at times and there isn't much parking out back, or out front either.

Missile Out Back, Literally.

Quick update on my trek, I was hoping to have a day off after I leave my crew to climb one of the peaks in the area, but I've been tagged as an Alternate for the day after my hike in. Essentially this means that I need to be ready to get any crew if another Ranger has to drop, or, and get this, be ready if an advisor from a crew has to come off trail. If this happens and this puts the crew below the minimum number of advisers, then a Ranger who is older than 21 steps in, not as a Ranger, but as an advisor, so the crew can stay on trail. This is called "Rent a Ranger". As one of the few that meets the age criteria, I guess I'm on deck. Turns out this happens quite frequently during the summer, go figure.

In my free time (should I actually get some!) I'm trying to figure out if I'm gonna focus on hiking, summiting, or axing, but that's a post for another day!