Hiking the Jemez

New Mexico doesn’t have the 14ers that Colorado does, but still, we’ve got some pretty great mountains like the Jemez, which I spent some time in a few months ago. (Jemez is just west of the weird and interesting Los Alamos.)

Sam and I parked Sadie at the Jemez Falls Campground, a sweet spot that was clean, quiet, and inexpensive. The bonus was the camp host, this tiny 70-something who explained she’d just retired from her hospital administrator job and decided it was time to start volunteering full-time. She was spunky and fit and loved Sam, and I decided I want to be just like her when I hit that age. She made getting older seem like a delightful adventure.

The Jemez Mountains were the beginning of a 10-day Scamp up into Colorado, a great place to kick it off.

Jemez Falls was a short hop from the campsite, and this grotto sat just past the lookout at the falls.

Sam in the midst of one of his favorite activities: wading. He’s never learned to like swimming, but wading? This dog can wade (and splash and frolic) with the best of them.

Battleship Rock

UFO-shaped objects abound in New Mexico.

Next up: Colorado.

If you liked this post, feel free to share it with the buttons below!