A bit of a photo post here documenting a trip I took with my dog to summit Clara Peak in the Jemez Mountains. It was a lot of fun for both Bonnie and I.
The Mission
Our goal was to summit Clara Peak, west of Española, NM, and have a picnic lunch (me: Subway — Bonnie: traditional kibble). At the top of the peak are the ruins of an old fire lookout tower/station. More information on that here, but it was apparently built in the early '50s and demolished in the '90s. I did a little research, and it seemed like a good day trip with some lightly challenging off-road driving that Shirley (my 1999 Suburban) would definitely be able to handle. We set off so that we arrived at the Española Subway right as they opened their doors, then continued west and up into the foothills.
The Drive
Mostly mild and sandy dirt roads with a few steeper sections — no big deal until about 1/2 mile from the summit. The last stretch got a bit more serious, with some big rocks, a very narrow trail, ruts, and babyhead cover. Shirley made it without issue in 4-Low, and it was just difficult enough to be exciting. Bonnie did great in the back, eventually figuring out that sitting or lying down was better for the bumpy ride than trying to stand and balance. She really seemed to love it, though.
The Summit
It was a really great view and neat to walk amongst the tower ruins — perched atop a really tiny little peak area. Unfortunately, Bonnie and I were not the only ones who liked the summit, I guess: the whole area was absolutely swarming — to a ridiculous degree — with these little gnats/flies. We quickly scoped out the area and then retreated back to the truck, which was by that point covered in thousands of the little guys. Awful place for a picnic, so we retreated down from the top in hopes that some of the nice areas I saw on the way up would be fly-free…
The Lunch
HA! Nothing really too exciting to talk about here. We both ate and enjoyed the lack of insects in a meadowy area surrounded by trees. Walked around a little bit and just enjoyed the scenery. After that, we just headed back the way we came — uneventful, but we did get a wild view of the Frijoles Fire on the way down. The wind was calm and the fire was at its peak, so it made for some scary-looking smoke columns on the other side of the valley.
Overall, it was a really fun day! Bonnie was tuckered out and slept hard most of the way home. She doesn’t get out as much as I would like, so I am glad I took her and want to do it again soon!
