Day 190 – Jemez Mountain Trail – Part 2

Day 190 – Jemez Mountain Trail, June 5, 2011

After another night in the forest, I was bound and determined to get to Jemez Falls.  The only way I knew how was to walk through the closed campgrounds or go to the East Fork Trailhead.  I thought the walk through the campground would be shorter for Petey, so I chose that route which ended up being at least 1.5 miles on a paved road before we got to the short trail.  Coming from the East Fork Trailhead probably would have been only slightly longer and much prettier.  Oh well, that’s how it goes with limited knowledge of the area.  The falls were of the peaceful type as the Jemez River gracefully splashed between jagged rocks.

After visiting the falls, we made a short stop at Battleship Rock where I chatted with three young girls working as rangers for the summer educating visitors on the nearby water shed.  One of the girls had graduated school while the others were still attending college studying environmental science, Spanish, and adventure activities.  The young lady who was attending school in Prescott, Arizona is spending next semester in the Grand Canyon and getting credit for it.  Why didn’t I think of that?

Petey and I are off to visit Buck and Kelly in Santa Fe for a few days before heading back north into Colorado for the next month.  ETB