And now back to something right in front of my own eyes. I thought everybody waiting for a summit vista in the current FotoFeed series could use a preview, so this is more or less what it looks like from the south side of Gallegos Peak (see here).
How it looks from 10,000 feet
That may be Jicarita Peak, or Jicarilla, with the Truchas Peaks barely visible off to the right. The reason I don’t know is that nobody else does, either. There are so many mountains, unless someone points authoritatively and says “THAT’s Gallegos!” or such-and-such, one rarely learns the names. When you see a map, only selected peaks are noted. Yes, I have topo maps too, but coordinating with photos which suffer from “squashing” makes it hard to pinpoint these things. [The mountain in the background was MUCH closer and steeper in real life.] If I had gotten out my compass and the topo map when I took that picture, then I’d know. I didn’t, obviously.
I took this shot from a huge open meadow on a slope so steep that I could hardly stand upright — that’s the kind of shock that drives home that you’re in the mountains! The other “shock” was that I was able to hike 2,500 feet up and back without collapsing. In fact, when I consider that I put myself into a state of highly elevated heart rate for five full hours straight, I think I deserve a pat on the back. No chest pain, no passing out, no nothing except preternatural exhaustion. Not that I expected any cardiac or pulmonary symptoms, but if something ends up killing me soon, it won’t be my heart or lungs. (Blood pressure this afternoon at Wal-Mart, 91/62 with a pulse rate of 61. The latter is high for me.)
Such beautiful, sacred, unspoiled country… it still exists, muchachos, and there are secrets in the high country (or maybe just the one, but it’s a monster). I need this more than money or faith. It puts me in touch with something long forgotten but bigger than everything we bitch and moan about.
For me at least, it’s the only way home.
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There’s an interesting website called heywhatsthat.com that will build a 360 silhouette panorama for any spot in the US and name all the high peaks, giving distance to and elevation of each. It works in conjunction with google earth (maybe that doesn’t work on a mac, yet, though) to allow you to flip to an aerial view. I picked a spot on the North Mesa near Blueberry Hill road and got a nice way to reference exactly what I was seeing. Just thought it might interest you.
Oh yes, Google Earth works great on Macs! I’ll give that URL a shot.
Are you located here??? I know several oldtime Taoseños who can’t name a single mountain in these parts except the big one.
I only wish we were located there! Some day! my wife and I tell ourselves. We are located in your old stompin’ grounds in Austin, but we make it out there fairly often. For our 30th anniversary we gave ourselves 30 days in Taos.
BTW, in your recent pix, Nancy thinks the RED flowers are Penstemon, the orangy-red are Indian Paintbrush, and the purple are probably Larkspur. Yellow is unidentified.
There really is no feeling comparable to being up in the mountains, away from the noises of the world, and having a clear view for miles. Sadly, new coal fired power plants are threatening this experience – including the proposed Desert Rock plant, proposed for the Navajo Reservation. Coal plants emit, among other air pollutants, chemicals that contribute to ground level ozone, or smog, which spoils views like the one you saw.
There has never been a more important time to stand up against the development of more dirty coal. New coal plants that are built will operate for approximately 50-60 years, adding carbon dioxide, mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and other small particulates to the air we breathe. In addition, coal plants use massive amounts of water – an average 1,500 MW plant uses 10 million gallons per day – that the arid West simply cannot afford to lose. New technologies have eliminated the need for new coal plants, and it is possible to meet the energy needs of the West through energy efficiency measures, renewable energy and, if absolutely necessary, new coal technologies like IGCC with carbon capture.
Stand up and show the utilities that you do not want or need a new coal fired power plant.
Here are five things you can do:
1. Submit comments to the BIA and tell the agency what you think about proposed Desert Rock coal-fired power plant (Must arrive by August 20th).
2. Encourage your friends, neighbors and family to write a letter too.
3. Attend a public hearing and bring two people with you. The more people that attend the meeting the stronger the message will be to the BIA that New Mexicans don¢t want Sithe’s dirty coal plant.
4. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper, a blog, or a list-serve expressing your concern about the proposed Desert Rock coal plant.
5. Demand national legislation that would move the entire country away from coal.
Check out http://www.sanjuancitizens.org/air/desertrock.shtml to get the schedule for the public hearings and find out more information about Desert Rock. Protect the air we breathe and the earth we depend on by making your voice heard!