Just got back from the NM portion of the Guadalupes.
Day 1: Left town around 7 and drove out to Big Canyon Ridge where the boys and I tossed out the tent and went to sleep.
Day 2: Awoke to temps in the mid 30's. Went for a short hike with the boys in some of the upper regions of the South Fork of Big Canyon, cooked some oatmeal for breakfast and drove another quarter mile out to the trailhead. The Big Canyon Ridge Trail is an old jeep track following the level ridge out to spectacular views of the Guadalupe canyon country. The trail is exceptionally easy walking, perfect for my 2 and 3 year olds. Forest cover is predominately ponderosa, Alligator Juniper, pinyon and some white pine. Occasional Douglas firs.
We walked about seven tenths of a mile before setting up camp on a shelf overlooking the spectacular Middle Fork of Big Canyon.
We spent the rest of the day exploring and playing. Took advantage of the calmest winds I've ever had in the range to build a fire. Built a "fireplace" with a couple of large slabs of limestone propped up on stone "legs", surrounded by a small windbreak. I was able to build a relatively large fire without even browning the vegetation beneath. After breaking it apart the next day you coudn't even see where it had been built.
Day 3: Morning brought clear skies and a temp in the upper 30's. The boys were wide awake at 6 AM, so we rolled out of the tent, built a fire and watched the sun rise.
We took our time heading back to the truck (all backpacking with toddlers and preschoolers can be classified as "taking your time"), making it back around noon.
We drove FR 307 on our way back, winding in and out of Dark Canyon. It was probably the roughest Jeep track I'd ever been on. The truck performed great. Had to activate the rear locker to climb on particularly loose area of rock. Got back home around 7 PM.
