NM Adventure Series

There was more to see at Kelly, but the day was getting away from me and I had to move on to make the summit of Withington. I approached the mountain from the SE taking FS107 to FS330. This allowed me to approach on south facing slopes/ridges, which seemed prudent after some local intel revealed that there were long, steep patches of road still covered in ice and hardpack snow on the north side of the mountain.

The ridge between North Baldy to the left and South baldy to the right.



It was good to get some dirt under the tires.



Anyone seen the movie "Ferdinand?" Straight up real life Ferdinand, right here.



The wide open spaces in southern NM are breathtaking, and make for good spots to document a rig "as it stands today".







This tree had a trunk 3 feet in diameter. I'm not sure what species of tree it was, but this was a cool tree.





Only in NM do you see this kind of weird s*&t in the middle of nowhere. This reminded me of some kind of sacrificial ritual.







Starting the ascent.



This area has seen a lot of fires, which has left behind some interesting skeletons of trees.



First big views to the southeast.



Crossing the ridge you can start to see big views to the south.



All of a sudden, it feels like Colorado. This approach to the summit was awesome because it puts you on the spine of the mountain range at 9,500+ for over 10 miles, with huge views and high elevation the whole time.



Views opening up to the west, with eroded volcanic soils down in the canyons.

 

We didn't make the summit until about 5pm, by which point it had clouded up and the air had become perfectly still. There was not a hint of wind, and the silence was as profound as I have ever experienced. It was pierced only by the occasional bird call and the sound of my dog's paws in the dirt.



Not a bad spot for a sandwich.



The view from the sh$tter was satisfactory. I wouldn't mind pinching a loaf here every morning.





View to the north with Sierra Ladrones in the distance and the Sandias beyond.





Pit bull muscle!





It is hard to grasp via photos just how vast and empty these open spaces truly are... This is one of the main reasons why I live in NM.





I'd crash here.



I didn't take any pictures coming down the north facing slopes of Withington because the reports were accurate and the top section was dicey. It was covered in hard pack and sheet ice and I had to concentrate to keep the rig from sliding off the narrow shelf road and into the trees.

What was once a bad ass rig now slowly rusts on the plains of south central NM.



I caught a piece of the VLA on the way out and played with some of my cameras "fancy" shooting modes. Really it just adds effects to the pictures.





All in all, a great day, and I will definitely need to plan another trip to see the things I missed.

 

More sights to add to a future trip! Thank you for sharing.

 

Fantastic photos, Nick! Thanks for posting all those.

 

Great pics, Nick! Looks like an awesome adventure. When are you thinking about heading back out? I'd like to get the new (to me) truck out to see what I can do with it. I'm just working on trying to get a few things done on it first.

 

You're welcome. I hope you get to make a trip out there soon.

Glad you enjoyed, Greg!

Thanks, James. It was definitely one of my better day trips. I have no firm plans as far as the next trip down, but if not by the end of April I will hold off until Oct/Nov. Once May hits I'll be headed north again, and the south will be getting too hot.

 

I'm just 14 miles into AZ, and I'm planning to head that way next month hopefully.

 

Looks awesome. Happen to have coordinates or a link to the trail?

 

Search on Google maps. That is how I found it.
Going there today, will provide more info if you want.

 

The rio grande is after diablo canyon about 4-7 miles. Just keep heading down the main road until it stops and it basically shoots you out right there. As for the off-roading the trails all lay under the power lines.

 

You got it. County road 77 all the way to the river.
Wonder if there was a crossing at some time.

 

Nice, are you in the Whites?

I'd like to drive through Diablo someday... looks like a fun time to me. It can be run up the wash from the end of Buckman, or down.

 

Yes I am

 

That's funny... we both want to explore the other side of our border. I've wanted to explore the Whites for years, and it's about a 3 hour drive for me. Maybe next spring, now that I've about wrapped up south central NM.

 

I miss adding to this thread...

 

Me, too. Where your been?

 

He's in love...

 

with work.

Because you know S loves hitting the trail.

 

I do appreciate you guys keeping this thread alive. Keeps the desire alive to get out. Going to get some stuff organized so I can get out a few times this summer.

 

Hey guys, so im about due for an alignment and the few places ive tried in town havent been that great. Any recommendations on a place that specializes in lifted trucks and doesnt break the bank? Im out on the westside of Abq.

Thanks!
- Aaron