Part 2: Down Zipline and Up Camp Hamilton

Or, I See Fences

On Monday, 9/12/11, I decided to try again to make a loop between the Zipline,  Camp Hamilton and Pueblo Canyon Rim trails. This time, I started down the Zipline.  When I got to the faint, blocked off trail, just off the Tent Rocks Trail, I headed east on it with very high expectations. The "trail" started innocently but quickly disintegrated into game trails going through gambel oak thickets - not my favored hiking flora but better than New Mexico locusts!  I kept imagining mountain lions stalking and looked back often to catch them in the act; fortunately, they were sleeping off their breakfast of bunnies and rattlesnakes and had no appetite for tough, old bird!

I kept an eastward trend, not going too high or too low on the north-facing slope of Pueblo Canyon, through open areas that could have been game trails but at times seemed more open than game trails,  traveling more continuously without dead-ending.  When I came to any "intersections", I generally  stayed left and low rather than attempting heroics by climbing uphill.  If there is any "real" trail in this area, I don't think I found it; perhaps I totally missed it and maybe it would be worth another explore one day.   I was quite spooked hiking alone in the thick shrub-land and would not do this explore again unless I could conscript an equally foolish soul to accompany me!

Eventually I reached the wider canyon below Pajarito Cliffs at which I had turned tail last week because of a thunderstorm   (Part 1:  Camp Hamilton Trail Explore).  Now, with the clearer weather, the small canyon didn't look as daunting.  I found an almost trail-like path that went down to a pumice ridge that rose up between the split in the drainage.  I followed this gentle ridge down to an easy crossing of the canyon bottom and then went up and out of the canyon.  (I'm hoping this canyon isn't what the "Contaminated Area - Do Not Enter" sign refers to - see Part 1:  Camp Hamilton Trail Explore.)

After the canyon crossing, I felt perfectly safe toddling along by myself in the open ponderosa forest. Somehow, my primate sensibilities like open spaces.  As I got close to where I could see the large, orange, tuff cliff that heralds the Camp Hamilton Trail, I disobeyed my no climbing rule and bushwhacked up brushy hillside strewn with dead and down wood, planning to pinch out at the level of the Camp Hamilton Trail.

As I got to the cliff, within sight of the pumice steps of the Camp Hamilton Trail, I was consternated to find yet another fence - this one of nasty barbed wire - that butted up against the very base of the orange, tuff cliff.  This fence sign read:  "Closed for Resource Evaluation - For Required Access Contact Department of Energy - Environmental, Safety and Health Branch - at 665-7203".

The stout iron top fence post had a space large enough to squeeze around between it and the cliff, so I did.  The other options were backtracking down the nasty uphill or crawling under the barbed wire. Backtracking when maybe the fence continued all the way downhill and connected with the dreaded resource protection fence (see Part 1:  Camp Hamilton Trail Explore) didn't seem like a good option and barbed wire hurts.

So, now I know that even if I had last Wednesday tried to travel west bound from the Camp Hamilton Trail, in an attempt to avoid completely the dreaded "Environmentally Sensitive Area" resource protection fence, I would have had to deal with this "Closed for Resource Evaluation" fence anyway. It seems unfair to fence off all westward cross-country travel from the Camp Hamilton Trail.  Perhaps consideration should be given to provide hikers a right of way so they have alternatives that don't involve crossing fences?

Now I was back on the Camp Hamilton Trail where I continued uneventfully in a light rain up to the 3 mesa top cairns (see photo in Part 1: Camp Hamilton Trail Explore) and (finally!) closed the loop by making a sharp right onto the Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail which I followed all the way back home.

Because it's on the way and I had already reached my mandatory daily 4 miles, I was tempted to stop at the new Los Alamos Food Cooperative to call spouse, begging him to pick me up, promising he could buy anything in the store, but I stolidly hiked on for a roundtrip total of nearly 6 miles - woohoo!!  (Truth be told, part of the mileage is because I started on the Los Alamos Mesa Trail which connects the western and eastern sections of the Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail.)

I was happy to have completed the loop but hope one day there will be a way to do this without encountering fences that block travel.  If it weren't for the "Closed for Resource Evaluation" fence, the way I went would be a good route for a trail between the Zipline and the Camp Hamilton trails that would completely avoid the the "Environmentally Sensitive Area" resource protection fence as well as the treated sewage effluent stream. I hope this trail is built one day!

Kwage Mesa and Jemez Mountains from Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Zipline switchbacks - there are 19 of them - from Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail.

Zipline Trail on left and Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail on right.

From Zipline Trail, Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail winds along Los Alamos Airport fence above awesome cliffs.

Rock overhang on Zipline.

Added value along Zipline.

Check dam trail feature along Zipline.

Zipline on left, Tent Rocks Trail on right.  I went left on Tent Rocks Trail which  continues east to Pueblo Canyon Trail.

Asters against tuff.

Tent Rocks Trail travels gently in and out of drainages.

Blocked off "trail" along Tent Rocks Trail. 

You got Gambel oak?

Power line coming down  from Los  Alamos Mesa into Pueblo Canyon.

The "almost a trail" into canyon below Pajarito Cliffs.

Pajarito Cliffs. 

Open ponderosa park land.

Ponderosa totem.

The only cairn I saw.

Stream gage on small drainage?

Cliff of Camp Hamilton Trail ahead.

Not another fence!

Fence sign and top post against cliff.

Why are there trip wires along this part of Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail?

Backside of Eastgate Industrial Park and Pajarito Cliffs Site, along Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail.  The runoff pond is not pretty but it drains down the dramatic Pajarito Cliffs into Pueblo Canyon.

Zeus Throne along Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail.