Cruces Basin not-so-difficult backpack

I would like to announce a two or three-night backpacking trip into Cruces Basin for July 10-13. While this is not a difficult backpack in terms of the difficulty of hike, participants should have some previous backpacking experience. Cruces Basin is pristine wilderness located west of San Antonio mountain near the New Mexico/ Colorado border. We’ve been a few times before, and it is well worth going back. This trip will be a mellow adventure with a short hike to our camp followed by hikes to explore the Basin. We can break into groups for day hiking, with options for those that want to adventure out further and those that want to do shorter day hikes. There have been previous trips into Cruces Basin by the Mountaineers, all of which have been a great time. This is a trip that offers options for all ages. Day outings can range from a splash in the nearby stream to an ambitious hiking loop that connects the valleys and cruises the ridgetops, with big views to the high points of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. There are options for fishing in the several small streams.

As in previous years, we will make a short hike (~2 miles) into the Basin and set up camp. I am hoping to camp at a little meadow under a rock wall where we have camped before. I will leave Los Alamos on Thursday morning,  July 10, with those who prefer the 3-night option. With a good start, we would be in camp by lunch. Persons preferring the 2-night option can travel 24 hours later, arriving in camp by Friday lunch or not much later. They will be considered on their own until they sign into the Mountaineers trip upon their arrival in camp. From our base camp, we'll spend Friday and Saturday heading out for day hikes to explore the canyons, streams, and meadows of the Basin. We will pack up Sunday morning, heading for Los Alamos to arrive perhaps by dinner time. Please e-mail Bill to express interest or learn more. This trip is available to up to 10 participants. I do not expect to coordinate cooking, except that persons who are successful fishing might cook up and share trout with the larger group.

I will consider dogs based my judgement of their suitability for this trip.