On a bright Monday morning myself, our program director Dr. Albert Mitugo and four soon-to-be OA trip leaders piled into our beloved van Rafiki and headed west for Taos New Mexico. Along the way, we sampled some of the local cuisines before arriving at our first camp for the night. The next morning, we had a quick backpack packing course before we loaded up and drove to the sparkling Cabresto Lake at 9,255 feet. On the shores of the high mountain lake, we got out our maps and went over the plan for the next five days. Once we were satisfied with our preparedness, we set out into the wilderness on what would be the first of four breathtaking hikes through Carson National Forest.
A couple hours and about two miles later we reached our first backcountry campsite. Still full of energy from the relatively short hike and excited for the next few days we decided to swim in the creek next to our camp. The cold mountain water rushing over us was exactly what we needed. After drying off and changing we prepared a pasta and sausage dinner before heading to our tents for the night. Wednesday morning brought forth beautiful mountain sights and sounds as we geared up for a longer hike that day. Once we had purified two liters of water for each of us, we were ready to take on the next four miles that Bull Creek Trail had in store for us. This was the toughest hike for some of us. Heavy backpacks, thin mountain air, and dizzyingly steep trails formed a trifecta that proved to be challenging but doable. With our legs feeling like jelly, we arrived at our third camp in the early afternoon. Having made great time, we had all afternoon to set up hammocks, read in the sunlight, and explore our new surroundings. Mountain meadows sprawled around us as we relaxed, recovered, and prepared for an even longer hike the next day.
After another restful night, the six of us prepared for what Albert had dubbed “up and over day” a seven-mile stretch of trail where we would traverse the Latir Mesa. On Thursday shortly after leaving camp, we hiked up above the tree line headed for our highest altitude of the trip at 12,500 feet. With large sections of trail missing, we followed a string of rock cairns along exposed ridges that granted us 360-degree views of the wilderness around us, seeing all the way down to the plains far below. This was my favorite hike of the trip; we went from the dewy dense forest to sweeping barren peaks and back down again cheering each other on the whole time. We arrived at our camp next to Heart Lake and cooked up some chicken quesadillas before heading to bed early that night looking forward to an easier hike the next day. Friday morning rolled around, and it was time for our four future leaders to prove themselves by hiking out on their own. After a thorough emergency procedure class by Albert, he and I departed on our own leaving the rest of the group at camp. Having given ourselves a two-hour head start we set out on the 5.5-mile return hike to Cabresto Lake that was thankfully all downhill. Once we spied the familiar shimmer of the lake through the trees we knew we were almost there.
Upon the arrival of the others at the van we headed back down the mountain and into the village of Questa where we enjoyed a delicious meal of burgers and fries from the local joint Wildcat’s Den. With our stomachs full we slept briefly at our first camp again before beginning the drive back to Dallas. Serene winding mountain roads eventually gave way to rigidly straight and flat highways as we made ground towards Dallas. We debriefed quickly back at SMU and went our separate ways all looking forward to that first shower after a long trip and the semester ahead.
Diego Olson, SMU Outdoor Adventures Trip Leader.
