I fell in love with Bandelier this visit. I’m in awe of the ecotone, the combination of two eco systems. I admire the Ancestral Puebloans who called this area home and 1000 years ago. I loved the hiking here, challenging, but so rewarding. I live the other 9 months of the year for the adventure we found in this monument.
I woke to Zak telling me the camp coffee was ready. For us camp coffee is Starbucks Via and a half a shot of Bailey’s. The way to wake up. I quickly packed up my sleeping bag, pad, and pillow and joined Zak and Zoe on the boulder. It was a relaxing, perfect way to start the day.
About an hour later we had all of camp packed up and we’re back on the trail. We hiked 6.9 miles with 600 feet of gain. Easy peasy. The ecotone was stunning. I was in awe of the vegetation and spent most of the hike admiring the flowers, the grasses, the trees, the river, the tall canyon walls.
Since the hiking was easy, we went quickly. Before the 2 hour mark of being on the trail hit, we were at the most touristy spot we’d visit in Bandelier, Alcove House. We took off our packs and talked to Ranger Will before ascending the four ladders to a kiva. The ranger told us we were most certainly the only ones in the park last night, that over Memorial Day they had 4 back country permits, and the Fourth had 1. He had never seen people come out of the back country from that direction. (He’d only been and Bandelier since April, not saying too much.) It’s just wild to me that with all the millions traveling to National Parks this summer, Zak has planned trips for us to be isolated.
We climbed the 140 feet of ladders to Alcove House, seeing our first kiva of the trip. It was reconstructed, but a reminder of what had been here and what was important. We were at the end of 15 miles of hiking over the past two days and just wanted cold drinks and clean hands, so didn’t spend more time checking out the cliff dwellings.
I can’t wait to return to Bandelier. I’m anxious to do the Yapashi Pueblo hike next time. I hate ranking my favorite NPS sites, but Bandelier is near the very top after this visit.
We left Bandelier and returned to Los Alamos, and found ourselves right back in line of the bagel shop we were at yesterday. We knew the food would be good and we’d be able to replenish the calories we hiked away this morning. The rest of the day was spent drying out tents, doing laundry, and resting. We shared a couple of dishes at Pajarito Brewpub. Sleep should come easily tonight. ❤️
