Sunday Burro Hike - Blue Dot down to the Rio Grande & Back - 9:00 Start Time
Details
DON'T FORGET TO "SPRING FORWARD" BY TURNING YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD ONE HOUR BY 2:00 AM SUNDAY MORNING/SATURDAY NIGHT!
AND HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY :)
PLEASE NOTE 9:00 START TIME! BRING PLENTY OF WATER, THIS IS TYPICALLY A WARM AREA, & THE 2ND HALF OF THE HIKE IS THE CLIMB BACK UP! DUE TO VERY ROCKY DESCENT, WE PROBABLY WILL NOT NEED OR WANT TO USE SPIKES FOR THIS HIKE.
Blue Dot trail in & of itself (without including Red Dot trail) will be short in distance, but a rugged excursion from the rim to the bottom of White Rock Canyon, in Los Alamos, a gorge cut by the Rio Grande through lava flows that originated 2-3 million years ago. The trail drops about 800 feet in less than a mile, so hikers need to be accustomed to a steep & rocky descent & ascent, including large steps up & down, potential scrambling at times. Some sections will have difficult footing, so be sure to have sturdy boots, bring poles, be prepared for a trail not well maintained in its condition. Also, the climb up will be the 2nd half of our hike. I consider this hike to be Moderate Plus, due to terrain. The hike itself is only about 2 1/2 miles down & back; we will add some mileage with a walk not far above the river at the bottom, bringing our RT distance to about 5 miles. Our turnaround point is a great spot, a waterfall into a pool of water! We'll hang out there for our mid-hike break, food, Intention Circle. There are great views of Buckman Mesa, Otowi Peak, & the Sangre de Christo Mountains along our descent.
Drive time is about 50 minutes each way.
Burro Hikes are for experienced hikers, acclimated to altitude here. They are considered Moderate overall by our standards, usually 4-7 miles in distance, on designated trails, unless otherwise specified. Newcomers are welcome; prior to your first hike with my Group, please test your fitness by timing yourself hiking up & down Atalaya, which you should be able to do comfortably in 3 1/2 hours or less, starting at Wilderness Gate or Staircase, using Steep Route Option (5 miles RT). If you have any questions about Atalaya, or about my hikes in general, please feel free to text me.
Ronnie Chafel 617-331-1838
Non-aggressive, well mannered dogs are welcome on my hikes.
We meet at the DeVargas Mall parking lot, in the back of the lot, behind the stores; please park in a lane near the bowling alley, but not right up against the mall wall. We carpool together to all THs. Please offer your driver $5+ to cover gas expense for this hike. If you are running just a few minutes late, please text me, as we like to leave promptly from the Mall. If you text me, we'll wait up to 5 minutes for you.
PLEASE be considerate of those on Wait List and sign off hike as soon as you know you cannot attend, preferably 24 hours in advance of hike if at all possible. PLEASE DO NOT NO SHOW! Repeated No Shows have consequences.