Mountain Brews

“As we get to the top of the mountain there’s a view

Take a load off and crack a few mountain brews”

Mountain Brews

To pick up from where I left off with yesterday’s post, we did indeed wake up at 5:30 this morning. We had breakfast and semi packed up, since we had decided to leave the tents where they were. The most eventful thing that happened before starting the hike was that a small dog decided we needed to be aggressively barked at for several minutes. Eventually I yelled at its owners to come get their dog a couple time and they called it back. WTF people? Keep your dog with you, especially when you can hear it barking at other people at 6 AM.

After that excitement we were ready to hit the trail. We left most of our gear in the tents and strapped into our day packs. The trail was steep, but short. 3 miles with 2,000 feet of gain. Since it was so early there were only a couple other people on the trail, this would change noticeably as the morning went on. We were also lucky to be in full shade until the last 100 or so feet. Ellie rocked her leadership position today by setting a great consistent pace up. The two hours it took us to reach the summit seemed to fly by.

At the top Molly and I enjoyed a beer and we all enjoyed some trail mix and the views. To the best of my recollection this is our 2nd state high point. The first was Guadalupe Peak in Texas a few years ago. Today was our first time summiting two named peaks in the same day. After reaching the top of Wheeler Peak we pressed on to Mount Walter. Two thirteeners!

The descent went quickly. I think our only real stop was back at the tents to finish packing them up and to swap back into our full packs. At the very start of the hike yesterday we had passed the Bavarian Lodge Beer Garden. Most of the way down was spent plotting what type of beer and German food we would get if they were open. Gladly, they were. Somehow we’d managed to work up an indefatigable appetite and thirst in less than 24 hours so we walked straight onto the patio wearing our full packs. I ordered a water, a Gatorade, and a beer. It was delightful to drink all three.

By the time we got to the car it was afternoon. Molly did the driving to Chimayo. I, once again, nervously held my breath as we checked into the B&B we’re staying in. She declared it “cute, with a lot of things to read”. I asked for clarification and she just said “cute”. I’m not totally sure I believe her, but I guess if she’s willing to fake it I can accept that. She was right about there being a lot to read. There are signs on everything.

The AC wasn’t keeping up with the 100 degree temps so we headed to nearby Española to find a place to hang out. Our first stop was the only “brewery” in town. We mortified Zoe by walking out immediately after being seated. It just wasn’t the right vibe for hanging out. Picture a fancy restaurant. Instead we settled on the second best option: Chili’s. Thank the FSM that Española had a Chili’s. Did you know you can buy a container that holds several margaritas for $7.75 at Chili’s? Did you further know that you can get unlimited chips and salsa for $4? Why did we stop going to Chili’s, Molly? WHY? Perhaps the greatest mystery of all is that they don’t advertise the margarita price. You’d think they’d be shouting that from the rooftop. I kind of wish I was at a Chili’s drinking one of those margaritas right now. I guess I’ll have to settle for this James Beard Award winning New Mexican place we’re at.