So, I made it back from my backpacking excursion. It was, well, nothing in life is ever what you expect, right? Seriously, I had a good time, but there were a few mishaps. The first trail I took dead-ended after maybe 1/2 a mile, so I marched back down to the camping area (I was the only one there,) to puzzle over my map. I found a trail on the other side of the road, and saddled up my gear again. I walked for quite a while, and the trail was pretty nice. It headed up toward a peak (Capilla Peak, if that means anything.) The trail turned to switchbacks after a couple of miles, and I continued for a while. Eventually I realized that I would have to backtrack if I was ever going to find a place to camp. I ended up setting up camp maybe a mile from the trailhead, and within sight of the trail. I wasn't too bothered by this, though, because I hadn't seen anyone else all day. I set up my spiffy tent (it was easy to set up on my own,) and unpacked some of my gear. Then I took a nap. I think that was the best part of the day. I attempted to make dinner the stove, which turned out to be sort of a pain. I kept having to blow out the pinhole. I eventually got it to work, though. By 5:00 it was dark, so I retired to the tent to read my book. I think I went to sleep around 7:30- I had exhausted everything I brought to do and I was pretty tired.

This morning was the best part. It was sunny and peaceful, and the light was just peeking over the edge of the canyon. I made oatmeal and coffee on the stove- which worked better now that I knew its quirks. I packed up my stuff, (marveled at the fact that all of these things fit into a single pack that I had carried on my back,) and hiked the short distance back to the campground. It was too early to just drive home, so I visited the Salinas Pueblo Missions at Quarai and Abo. I drove north through a whole lot of nothing (New Mexico really is big) and through the bosque in Belen and Los Lunas. (Nice drive. There was hardly anyone else on the road, and the sun was shining. I'll bet there are a lot of roads like that in NM, and I miss them because I spend too much time on the freeway.) Then I got on the freeway and came home. And that was my weekend. I'd give it an 8 out of 10. I do want to go solo backpacking again, but next time I'll pay better attention to the terrain. (Note to self- steep slopes do not make for good sleeping.)

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