I decided to camp in northern New Mexico a couple of weeks ago, near the Rio Chama.1 On the way up, I pulled over to take a few photos of one of the smoke plumes from the Calf Canyon/Hermit’s Peak wildfire. The rosy glow in the pyrocumulus clouds seemed unusual and a bit scary.2
I’d thought the Rio Chama canyon would be a good place from which to watch the lunar eclipse, since it’s generally quite dark there. I was wrong though; there were numerous clouds that evening, along with smoke that had settled into the valley. More often than not, I could just barely see the dark orange smudge in the sky that was the moon during totality. Although I ended up taking only a few eclipse photos, there was a beautiful sunset that evening, likely due to all the smoke.
I hiked part of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) the following morning, through what the Forest Service calls the Chama River Wilderness.3 I was delighted to find a claret cup cactus blooming along the trail.
I noticed that the cottonwoods were just starting to leaf out along the Rio Chama. There was a beautiful mix of fresh spring colors and still-obvious tree branches.
Not to mention the canyon wall in the background, which was — as always — both beautiful and endlessly fascinating.
On another note, I’m very aware that today is the one-year anniversary of my all-time closest encounter with a rattlesnake. You can read all about it here.
I am so glad I camped when and where I did. The Forest Service shut everything down just three days later — including the spot where I’d camped.
Heartbreak of heartbreaks: We learned late last week that the Forest Service was responsible for starting both the Calf Canyon and Hermit’s Peak fires, which later merged to become to New Mexico’s largest-ever fire.
Pet peeve: The river is named the Rio Chama. Calling it the Chama River is like calling the Rio Grande the Grande River. Neither one works. Another strike against the Forest Service.
So happy for you that you were able to camp before all the closures. Lovely lovely photographs!