A perfect end to a life-changing trip.
We left Albuquerque early for the long road to the Santa Fe National Forest and took our time along the way. We stopped in another small town to do some slugging around and shopping. By now we were all exhausted and had seen just about every tourist town in Northern New Mexico so we mostly just relaxed and enjoyed some low-key time at coffee and gift shops.
After a couple hours of beautiful New Mexican desert flying past us in the windows we finally entered the forest and started the long journey up winding roads into the mountains. Tall Pines and a rippling river entertained us the entire way up, and only a stop for far too much firewood gave us a break from the curves.
Eventually we reached our campsite, the last location before National Forest ended and the Pecos Wilderness Area began. We set up camp and soon got to exploring. A few of us went up one of the hills next to our site to find a good look out and take stock of how far we had come in those three short weeks. I can still remember sitting there thinking “in a couple days I’ll be back home sitting in my kitchen typing away about this moment”, and now, here I am. After a few existential hours we headed back down and joined the rest of the group for dinner and card playing for the rest of the evening.
In the morning we awoke and decided to go for a long hike up the trail we had found next to our camp. The next day seven of us set off, and were soon trailing far behind Jeff, who apparently decided to sprint up the mountain. We took our sweet time, stopping for pictures and sidetracking on different trails. We lost two people to naps and reading back at camp, but soon found ourselves at an incredible place atop the mountain.
There were enormous boulders lying everywhere at the peak and we climbed to the highest ones to take in the best view. We could see rolling hills of green trees, snow-peaked mountains in the distance, and behind us the seemingly endless Pecos Wilderness.
Being from the suburbs of Chicago I had never experienced a wilderness area before, but it is basically an area with little or no significant impact by human beings in the way of infrastructure like roads or pipelines. It’s really incredible to know that we still have “wilderness”, at least in name, around these days. As I grew up the focus always seemed to be on technology, what’s new, what’s next, how far can we push the human mind upward and onward. I love the idea that there is a still a place that will challenge you on some of the most basic principles of finding food, water, and shelter. There is so much to be taken for granted in our fast paced society today and sometimes it takes something as simple as being in the “wilderness” to realize just how temporary those comforts are.
I know there is much debate on the idea of true “nature”, but I know for a fact that I experienced a truly incredible natural place with simple wonders waiting everywhere we went. Pecos, The Santa Fe National Forest, and New Mexico in general are all places I plan to some day revisit, but my first impression was so overwhelmingly amazing that I wonder if my return trip(s) could possibly be as fulfilling. The winding roads away from camp at 7am and the long 14 hour drive filled my mind with reminiscing about the countless memorable times I shared with my trip mates. I could not have asked for a better experience in my three weeks in New Mexico. Life changing seems like too small of a phrase to sum up the way I changed during my time there, and I can only imagine what lies in store for my return. New Mexico quickly became home to me and my trip-mates, and I know we’ll all miss it, but it will always be there, in some places changing every day, and in others staying the same as its been for thousands of years.
Connor Corley.
