On the Lookout

I didn't do any wandering to speak of this spring. I usually stick fairly close to home during fire season, since there may not be much time to evacuate critters and valuables if a wildfire threatens the neighborhood. This season, I had a special opportunity to stay in one place and watch the world around me.

I volunteer for the USFS at our local District Office. I heard that they had no plans to staff any fire lookouts this season, even though two lookouts are still fully equipped. So, I talked to the Fire Prevention Officer and volunteered my services as a fire lookout. It's something that has been on my bucket list, and here was a perfect opportunity. I then convinced a friend and fellow volunteer to join me in this endeavor so the lookout could be staffed almost every day. The FPO and Fire Management Officer decided that we should staff the lookout closest to the urban interface (such as it is here), which happens to be a fifteen minute drive from my home. So, I didn't have to camp at James Ridge Lookout. I commuted.

James Ridge Lookout is a 7 foot by 7 foot Aermotor LX-24 cab on a 62 foot tower. It was first erected near the Mayhill Ranger Station in 1935, but was relocated to James Ridge in 1967. It has a view of the northern part of Sacramento Ranger District and the southern part of the Mescalero Indian Reservation.

Inside are the usual tools: an Osborne Fire Finder, a radio to send in my weather and fire reports, binoculars, weather instruments, maps etc.

The north window of the lookout had a bullet hole in it. A lot of splinters of glass had to be cleaned up from the cab.  The bullet then passed into the ceiling, but didn't exit - at least we think it didn't because it never leaked during rain. It took a while, but by the end of fire season the pane was replaced. The first replacement shattered when they tried carrying it up the tower stairs unprotected. The second time, it came up in a protective box.

After only a few days in the lookout we had our first fire. It was down on the southwest end of the district, far from James Ridge. I heard chatter on the radio for about a half hour before I could see smoke rise over Pumphouse Ridge. It was named the Benson fire, which was a misnomer, because it was on Joplin Ridge and nowhere near Benson Ridge. It was human caused - an unattended campfire.  It turned out to be the largest fire of the season in our district, and was just shy of 100 acres in size. Really, we had a very light and lucky fire season!

About a month into fire season, four forest service green vehicles rolled up and parked at the lookout. I had no idea what was going on, although I had heard on the radio that someone was driving up to James Ridge. It turned out it was the Pike, Colorado Hotshots who were on fire detail in the area, and they were just out for a joyride and a view of the countryside from the lookout. Good guys.

In late May, we had a light rain with cool temperatures, and I got a photo of some waterdogs - patches of condensation that can be mistaken for smoke. Often after a rain there will be phone calls to 911 or the sheriff or the District Office from concerned folks seeing smoke that turns out to be water dogs. They dissipate differently than smoke, and to me, their edges look fractal, where smoke is more "puffy". It will dissipate, then recur. I've learned that you want to watch a suspected smoke for a few minutes to see if it "puffs" repeatedly.

Most days, the routine was quiet and regular. Open up and check in with Dispatch at 8 am. Collect weather data - rainfall amount (if any), wet and dry bulb temperatures, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, cloud cover and visibility (how clear the air is based on how far you can see). Radio in weather reports at 9 am and 1 pm. Scan for smokes every 15 minutes and catch up on reading in between scans or listen to baseball on internet radio (yes, being near the urban interface there was good cell signal). Watch birds and other forest critters. Watch the changing shadows on the landscape. Watch the aspen stands turn green. Be friendly to any visitors that show up. Clean the windows or the cab. Check out with dispatch at 5 pm and lock things up.

Wild turkey visiting the tower

Even though these days were pleasant and peaceful, there is no denying that I looked forward to sighting a smoke, just for the adrenaline rush. I just wanted the smoke to be small and stay small. And I did see a few before the season ended. One was very far away on the north end of the Mescalero Reservation. I was surprised I was the first to see it, and it had already grown to ten acres by the time I did. Eventually, the Black Forest fire grew to about 100 acres, but that was because the BIA crews managed the fire to get rid of some slash in the area, so let it grow in a controlled way.

Just before the summer monsoons hit in full force we had our most dangerous weather - thunderstorms with lightning, but little rain. On June 30, we had a "lightning bust" and about six small fires started on the district, all within a few hours of each other in late afternoon. I turned in two that were very close to James Ridge. They were between one and two miles away. All the fires stayed small, thanks to favorable weather, but there were crews scattered all over the district chasing down these small starts.

Here are the two starts near James Ridge. I could see the base of the Walker fire and watched it glow as it consumed brush well into twilight.

Not long after the lightning bust and one more nearby start caused by a landowner leaving a brush pile he was burning unattended, the monsoons started in earnest and soon the fire danger was low and fire season was over. By mid July we cleaned the lookout for the last time, covered the Fire Finder, powered down the electronics and said good bye to James Ridge Lookout. We've already been asked if we want to come back for next fire season.

Agua Chiquita

I took a drive down FS 64 in the lincoln National Forest to see how Agua Chiquita was doing in this prolonged drought. This rito has a two mile stretch that is designated as a wildlife improvement area, and funds from several sources (including Trout Unlimited) have been raised to introduce Rio Grande Cutthroats there.

The road is one of the best maintained gravel roads in the Lincoln NF.  It sees a lot of traffic, since it passes through the tiny villages of Sacramento and Weed. It was also chock-a-block with hunting camps, since there were 1,500 deer permits issued in the Lincoln for November 10-14.

Before dropping down into Agua Chiquita Canyon, you drive through the Scott Able fire burn scar. This fire occurred in 2000, and more than a decade later, the main vegetation is still just grasses.

Scott Able burned areas

This was the first big fire I experienced after moving here. It roared down the canyon in one night, reaching Sacramento and Weed and burning homes. It didn't get much press because it happened at the same time as the big Cerro Grande fire that burned neighborhoods in Los Alamos. I remember watching the smoke and flames from Apache Point Observatory that first night.


The drought has hit Agua Chiquita pretty hard. The protected area is the only section with any water  until you get close to where Agua Chiquita joins with the Rio Peñasco (all private land).  The protected area is fed by two springs. I can't imagine it will be able to support too many trout. Still, it is a pretty area, even when the grass is dry and the stream is iced over.

Nogal Canyon and Nogal Peak

This weekend was set aside for wilderness inventory in New Mexico's White Mountain Wilderness. I met up with the other volunteers at the end of FS400 at the north end of the wilderness. This is one area that did not burn in this year's Little Bear fire.

Our campsite, with Nogal Peak as the backdrop.

On Saturday we headed up to the end of Nogal Canyon. There was a depressing number of invasive musk thistles in the canyon. They tend to be where human and livestock impact is heaviest. We logged their locations, but there were too many for our little group to eradicate on this trip. A little over a mile into the wilderness there is a junction of three different trails where the group split up. Once we got into these less travelled areas we saw only a few thistles. From then on, we mostly logged points of interest, old campsites and social trails. We had a great hike.

Heading up the canyon

The view west near the junction of trails. The dark streak in the distance is Valley of Fires, one of the youngest lava flows in the continental U.S. Just under the widest part of the lava flow is the village of Carrizozo.

Our assigned trail took us south, where we got some views of the part of the wilderness that burned. The green grass that grew during monsoon season softened the visual impact of the fire. Many areas in the distance where you see grass are burned. The fire went all the way to the ski runs of Ski Apache in the distance, and ran off to the left out of the frame.

A zoomed in view looking toward some burned areas

We were not in an area with many aspens, but we did come across a stand of maples on the road back to camp.

We enjoyed a tasty dinner, thanks to the GIS expert and leader of the group, some great conversation around the campfire, and then headed off to sleep.

The next morning (Sunday) broke clear and windy.

We all decided to hike to the summit of Nogal Peak. It isn't the highest peak in the area at 9957 feet, but it is the highest point in the north part of the wilderness and gives good 360 degree views. Besides, the trail to the summit had not been added to the inventory, so it was a mix of work and play.

On the way to the peak, looking toward the Capitan Mountains in the distance.

The view from the summit. South is left, west is right. Off in the distance is the north end of White Sands as well as Valley of Fires.

Here is the panorama broken into two pieces, so you get a little more detail.

The view to the east. In the distance on the right are the Capitan Mountains.

The Nogal Peak marker

After eating lunch at the summit, we headed back to the trailhead.

Looking down on Nogal Canyon where we had hiked the day before.

Tired, we rested a bit at the trailhead, then said our good-byes and headed for our homes scattered across New Mexico. If the weather holds, we will be back here again next week to complete the inventory of the northern trails of the White Mountain Wilderness.

Three Rivers Campground - West-side Gateway to the White Mountain Wilderness

I've been trying to fit in as many camping trips as I can before winter hits, but my September trips took a big bite out of my travel budget. That meant choosing a nearby destination for my latest trip. I decided to head over to Three Rivers Campground at the southwestern edge of New Mexico's White Mountain Wilderness. From there I could take some day hikes into the White Mountain Wilderness.

Campsite 8 has the best views of both the Tularosa Basin and the mountains near Sierra Blanca. I was glad to see it was empty, and even had a beautiful example of New Mexico's state flower,  Aluminum budlightium var. NFL.

Here is the view to the east. The high point has no name that I know of. Hiding behind it is Lookout Mountain. The campground is in the piñon-juniper zone, but the hikes all head uphill to intersect with the Crest Trail, so you climb into the pine-oak belt and the fir-aspen belt, and finally up to the spruce-fir belt. The trails climb an average of 1,000 feet in elevation for every mile travelled.

The same view at sunset.

Looking west, in the direction of the Tularosa Basin.

There's nothing better than enjoying sunset by a campfire.

The campground is right at the edge of the wilderness.

My first day hike was up the Dry Canyon trail. Before you start the climb, you cross Three Rivers canyon. The river would just be a creek anywhere but in the Southwest. Anything that flows year-round deserves to be called a river here.

As you start the climb out of the campground, the view of the Tularosa Basin opens up. The little strip of white in the distance on the left is the northern edge of White Sands. It was a hazy day, and warm for October.

At the lower elevations, there is a lot of Prickly Pear cactus.  The tunas were ripening and there was a lot of evidence along the trail that the local bear and raccoon populations were feeding heavily on them. Tunas are pretty tasty.

By the time you get into Dry Canyon proper, the views close in. I didn't take many photos at that point, mainly because I was just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Katie-the-collie and I didn't make it all the way to the Crest Trail. We did a 6.5 mile round trip with an almost 3,000 foot elevation gain. I'm not in the greatest shape, but I guess I'm a little more fit now than I was before this hike. We climbed quite a ways past the rock outcropping in the following photo.

Along the way, in the pine-oak zone, I saw a lot of this plant. I think it is a variety of White Clematis, but don't know for sure. Any experts out there who can confirm this identification?

After making my way back down the canyon, there was time for dinner, a refreshing beverage and a small campfire before bed. I slept well. Being tired will do that - or maybe it was the beverage.

Dry canyon is the one at the left side of the following photo taken from the campground. You can also see that the aspens are reaching their peak color in the heights. Weather permitting, I will be up at the higher elevations of the wilderness in about a week. I hope the aspens will hold their color until then.

The next day Katie and I took a less strenuous hike on the Barber Ridge trail. This trail runs north along the edge of the wilderness for a while before turning east to climb up to the Crest trail. We only did the north-south section as far as Goat Canyon. The further out you go, the less developed the trail, and some sections are pretty rocky. It amazes me that horses can get through some of these trails, but obviously they do. The part of the trail we were on stayed in the piñon-juniper zone.

Another view toward the "Tulie" Basin, with White Sands off in the distance.

Along the way, a Rainbow Grasshopper posed for a picture. She was about two inches long.

A nice place where Katie and I stopped for a snack.

We arrived back at camp in the afternoon, in time to listen to the Giants game on internet radio. There were cell towers off in the distance on a ridge, and I was amused that I had much better cell signal at the campground than I get at home. I'm guessing that the towers mainly serve the military installations out in the basin. I don't think they would be placed there for a few ranchers and campers, but who knows?

The last time I was at Three Rivers CG, I had just adopted Katie and it was her first camping and hiking trip. Every time we went by the empty campsite we stayed at then, Katie stopped and wanted to investigate. I swear she remembered the area and the previous trip. That was quite a while ago, too.

The next day it was time to head home to take care of some chores. The round-trip only took about seven gallons of gas, yet it was far enough away that I had the feeling of being "elsewhere". Three Rivers made for a nice little autumn getaway.

Hiking in My Backyard

Katie the collie and I went hiking today with a neighbor and her dogs. We went just down the road from where we all live to a trail in the Lincoln National Forest. While hiking we had some visitors.

I knew there were wild horses wandering the Lincoln NF, but this is the first I've seen them so close to where I live. Cool.