#The Latir Peak Wilderness

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The Latir Peak Wilderness, near Questa, Taos Co, NM. Photo: Louie Gonzales (July 24, 2023) :: [Robert Scott Horton]

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"Deep down, I don't believe it takes any special talent for a person to lift himself off the ground and hover in the air. We all have it in us - every man, woman, and child - and with enough hard work and concentration, every human being is capable of the feat. You must learn to stop being yourself. That's where it begins, and everything else follows from that. You must let yourself evaporate. Let your muscles go limp, breathe until you feel your soul pouring out of you, and then shut your eyes. That's how it's done. The emptiness inside your body grows lighter than the air around you. Little by little, you begin to weigh less than nothing. You shut your eyes; you spread your arms; you let yourself evaporate. And then, little by little, you lift yourself off the ground. Like so."  - Paul Auster

[whiskey river]

[adventurealldays]

[thewildernesscoach]

Pics from backpacking the Latir Peak Wilderness, Taos and Wheeler Peak in “The Land of Enchantment” 9/22-26.

#peakbagging

[adventurealldays]

[adventurealldays]

[adventurealldays]

[adventurealldays]

[adventurealldays]

[adventurealldays]

[adventurealldays]

[adventurealldays]

What are your favorite wilderness areas/forests etc to hike/backpack in New Mexico? I am passing through Northern NM soon and want to do some backpacking or camping!!

The Pecos wilderness and the Latir Peak wilderness! In the Pecos I recommend Nambé Lake, or Katherine Lake if you’re up for a longer hike, both easily accessible from the Ski Santa Fe parking lot. In the Latir Peak wilderness I love Heart Lake as a trip, lots of possible extensions from there too, need vehicle clearance to get to that trailhead. I haven’t backpacked these, just day hiked but people also camp at San Leonardo Lakes in the Pecos, I’ve heard it’s not always safe to leave your car there overnight, I did see some window glass in the parking area :/ The Rio Santa Barbara in the Pecos is a good trailhead too, lots of trip options from there.

Nambe lake

Heart Lake

[nmnomad]

📷 Featured Photographer 📷 @johnsow30 - "360 panorama from the top of Latir Peak, 12,708 feet. What an amazing hike, it may be my new favorite. A 14 mile loop hike. Many more photos to come I'm sure, once I get to editing. Took this with my phone." (at Latir Peak Wilderness) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2J4KRmnEQN/?igshid=1pf7cy4k9p6tv

[nmnomad]

📷 Featured Photographer 📷@johnsow30 - "Heart Lake." . #VisitTaos @taostourism (at Latir Peak Wilderness) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2UM0-HHcya/?igshid=1lbpg78ccts5b

[nmnomad]

Bighorn sheep grazing at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, near Taos. Amazing to see them up close. Formidable horns! The bighorn sheep population numbered 1.5 to 2 million at the beginning of the 19th century. Today, less than 70,000 remain. Adult Rocky Mountain bighorn rams weigh 160 - 250 pounds, and occasionally obtain 300 pounds. The ewes typically weigh 115 - 200 pounds. Rams typically live 9-12 years, while ewes usually live 10-14 years. In the late 1800s, hunting, competition from livestock grazing, and diseases introduced by domestic livestock devastated bighorn populations. New Mexico’s bighorn sheep locations include herds in: Dry Cimarrón, Latir Wilderness, Wheeler Peak Wilderness, Rio Grande Gorge, Pecos Wilderness, Manzano mountains near Albuquerque, and San Francisco River and Turkey Creek in the Gila Wilderness. (at Rio Grande Gorge Bridge)