hunter4life Report post Posted June 16, 2008 I just got back from a weekend backpacking trip that my wife and I (and the dog) went on to climb some peaks and get out of the heat for awhile. The trailhead where we started. It is car accessible, so 38 mpg on the highway in the Corolla was great! The biggest ram we saw on the trip. I digiscoped a few pictures and just used the 4x camera zoom and a little cropping in some. Bighorns are pretty tame at times and this guy just mozeyed up pretty close to us. I wish I had a bigger zoom on the camera for the pictures that are too close for the spotting scope and too far for the camera zoom. Two little guys who were hanging out with the big one. A herd of some younger and medium sized rams. Ewes and lambs. These were the only two lambs we saw, so maybe they are just starting to have them. Elk calf. We saw lots of elk (cows and calves) and I found this little guy stashed for the day. He was lying there very, very still and counting on his camouflage to keep him hidden. Overall it was a good trip and I bagged two more peaks that I had never climbed before, Pecos Baldy at 12,500 and East Pecos Baldy at 12,529. My wife made it up Truchas Peak for her first time, which is the second highest in NM at 13,102. The dog was very well behaved (she was wearing an E-collar) and did not chase anything that I didn't want her to. This time of year with all the newborn lambs and calves around it is essential to have the dog under control at all times. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted June 16, 2008 Cool pics ! Sounds like fun. My wife suprised me the other day by mentioning she would like to do some backpacking, so we may be planning an adventure like yours. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jamaro Report post Posted June 16, 2008 Awesome Stuff... Great Job.. Jason Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SilentButDeadly Report post Posted June 16, 2008 awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted June 16, 2008 Way cool! Scottyboy will enjoy this when he sees it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kilimanjaro Report post Posted June 16, 2008 very cool climb!! I climbed Wheeler a few years back, and we saw a handful of sheep up there as well. Beautiful country up there for sure! Did you see any marmots?? We saw some once we were above 12K.. I dont have any climbing plans for this summer (going to Africa hunting), but in Jan, we are headed south of the border to Puebla, Mex. to climb Mt. Orizaba. For those not "into" climbing, its the 3rd highest peak in all of North America. It towers above the Mex countryside at 18,500 ft. Should be fun!! thanks for sharing the great pics!! Sure beats the 110 heat here!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunter4life Report post Posted June 16, 2008 Scottyboy, we saw dozens of marmots. As soon as you get close to treeline in the Pecos or by Wheeler you start hearing the marmots whistling their alarm calls. The one small alpine mammal we did not see was a pika, which is unusual because I have usually seen them in past trips. That Mt. Orizaba climb sounds like it should be fun. It is always neat to see how your body will respond to that kind of altitude. Hiking up at 13K and 14K feet I usually feel pretty good. On Kili I really noticed the elevation once we got to 16,000ft. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
parothead Report post Posted June 16, 2008 Great pictures!!!! Very cool trip! Thanks for sharing it with us Travis Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
