Hiking to Chimney Rock

This morning we started early so as to beat the heat on our hike up to Chimney Rock on Ghost Ranch. We did meet one couple coming down shortly after we started, but otherwise we were the only ones on the trail until we were almost back down. The hike is fairly short (under three miles round trip) but somewhat steep in places. Our efforts were rewarded by spectacular views all along the way and a panoramic view at the top of the mesa.

We could see Chimney Rock ahead of us for much of the climb, but the hike doesn't actually end on top of that formation, but on the nearby mesa. The geology here reminds us a lot of formations we saw in Utah, with colorful layers telling stories of ancient seas and deserts.

It took us two hours round trip to complete the hike, but 40 minutes of that was spent stopped resting and admiring the view. We went on next to visit Echo Amphitheater again, this time to take the short hike back into the echoing bowl. There we found a sign indicating that the Youth Conservation Corps was responsible for the development of the site. We had never heard of the YCC, although we are very familiar with the CCC. We found out that it is a youth summer employment program of the National Park Service, the Forest Service, and other federal agencies. The bowl does indeed echo as advertised. The area also has a campground, a group pavilion, and several very nice covered picnic tables with grills.

We played Rummikub again this evening (Lee 2: Ken 1).