Ascent of Touch-Me-Not Mountain on 2009-09-17| Others in Party: | My dog Daisy.
| | Date: | Thursday, September 17, 2009 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Peak: | Touch-Me-Not Mountain | | Location: | USA-New Mexico | | Elevation: | 12044 ft / 3671 m |
Ascent Trip ReportI took a personal day off of work, Thursday Sept. 17, 2009, with a plan to go to Baldy Mountain in the Cimarron Range. I left the house at 3:00 AM with my dog daisy. Because it is getting colder I took a 14 pound day pack with emergency items including 4 pounds of water. It was a rainy and misty three and a half hour drive. I studied maps and found a road that I thought would work well on the west side of the mountain. I got there at dusk and found the roads on the west side behind locked gates. I made a quick switch of plans and decided to do Touch Me Not Mountain in the same range. Luckily I had planned for both mountains just in case something did not work. I headed back to Eagle Nest, New Mexico and then east into the Cimarron canyon. A short ways into the canyon, at the north end of a big switchback, is a dirt road that heads north. There are 2 dirt roads and I took the one to the immediate right. I had my 4 wheel drive Land Cruiser and headed up the road. It was cloudy and misty all the way. There is no way that this road could have been done without a 4 wheel drive vehicle. I went about 4 miles on this road until I came to a parallel road and parked. My parking coordinates were 36 33.479 N, 105 12.160 W. I left at 7:00 AM. The elevation was 1 0,784’. I walked down an old logging road until the end, and then headed back thinking I had missed the trail at the start. It was 1.6 miles to the end and back. I started a second time, this time leaving at 7:30. Down the logging road is another logging road that turns left. I went that way, heading down hill all the time. At the base of the logging road is a saddle, elevation 10,600’. There is a very old trail that heads along the ridgeline from the saddle to the top. It is very hard to find but someone stacked rocks to make it easier. Thanks to whoever did that! It never rained the whole time but the walk was in thick misty clouds. Once you reach the area above timberline it is a loose boulder hike. It is not dangerous, just hard on the feet. My dog and I made the top at 8:40 AM, elevation 12,044’. You could not see anywhere for the clouds. The hike was about 2 miles. I took a couple of pictures, thought about continuing on to Baldy Mountain but it seemed a little too far for today. It was a little cold at the top and you could see that there had already been a slight snow and summer not being over yet. I headed down the same way and arrived back at the car at 10:20. It was about 4 miles round trip - plus the 1.6 mile mistake. Heading back some of the clouds cleared and I was surprised by the beauty, the views and how steep the mountain was just off the dirt road. After a couple of stops I arrived home at 3:00 PM. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 1444 ft / 440 m | | Total Elevation Loss: | 184 ft / 56 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 5.6 mi / 9 km | | Route Conditions: | Road Hike, Unmaintained Trail, Bushwhack | | Ascent Statistics | | Gain on way in: | 1444 ft / 440 m | | Gain Breakdown: | Net: 1260 ft / 385 m; Extra: 184 ft / 56m | | Loss on way in: | 184 ft / 56 m | | Distance: | 3.6 mi / 5.8 km | | Route: | 4 Wheel Road Parking up South Slope | | Start Trailhead: | 10784 ft / 3286 m | | Descent Statistics | | Distance: | 2 mi / 3.2 km | GPS Data for Ascent/Trip
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Peaks:  climbed and  unclimbed by Phil Robinson
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