Trip Report: New Mexico and Arizona Spring Break
March 13: Foot update (Colorado)
See note from March 2. I had been told by the doctor that I had to get some shoes that had good arch support if I want to continue hiking and climbing. My foot felt much better than it had 11 days ago and it was time to put on some miles. I obtained and purchased several custom molded foot inserts from an out of town visit and hoped that they would help solve the problem. We will see and it's time to try them out, but I won't be trying anything technical or difficult for quite a while.
March 14: Angel Peak (New Mexico)
On viewing Angel Peak, it was obvious that it was a difficult climb made of the worst rock imaginable, so Kessler, Shaylee, Kim and I hiked the interesting badlands surrounding the peak. From the south rim of the badlands we found a class 3 route into the drainage to the north. We explored the drainages badlands around the peak before returning to the vehicle.
http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/500766.JPG
March 15: Pueblo Alto/North Mesa/Wijiji (New Mexico)
After visiting Pueblo Bonito in the morning Kessler, Shaylee, Kim and I did the loop hike to Pueblo Alto and Jackson Stairs in Chaco Culture National Historic Park. The park is in the middle of the desert in New Mexico and preserves many ancient ruins and petroglyphs.
After hiking to the ruins of Kin Kletso the trail climbs up the cliffs via a steep and interesting chute with some fun scrambling (especially for kids). After reaching the top we hiked across the slickrock and flats of the mesa to Pueblo Alto located right on the summit of North Mesa. After exploring the ruins we hiked over to Jackson Stairway which is an extremely steep and amazing stairway carved out of the rock by the ancient inhabitants. The rest of the hike back was just a nice hike across the slickrock with only minor scrambling. From an archeological standpoint, this loop hike is top notch and very interesting.
In the evening, I hiked to Wijiji solo and to see the sunset.
http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/500767.JPG
[b]March 16: Pe
