A December Search for San Miguel

After a two hour drive, obtaining permits and listening to the Rangers run down of the rules we were on the "Stone Lions" Trail by 11 am. Gaining the Pajarito Plateau on a short ¾ mile traverse from the visitors center at Frijoles, we took a short break to take in the views of the Canyon.
Looking out over the plateau it looks like the Stone Lions route is a gentle hike over rolling hills through a pigmy forest of mostly dead Piñon, live Juniper and winter bare oak and olive scrub.

After a long mile climbing in and out a few minor canyons and watching a mule deer protect his harem from us trespassers, we stood on the edge of Lummis Canyon taking another break as my hiking partner checked his map just in case I was joking in saying that this "tiny" canyon was nothing compared to the climb in and out of Alamo Canyon. A short mile with another minor canyon we soon stood on the edge of Alamo, 500 foot plus deep and not even a quarter of a mile across

We chose to take an even longer break to soak up the views and munch a lunch before dropping down the tight switchback staircase to the canyon floor. After the climb back out of Alamo and a hydration break, we started the hike up through cholla and prickly pear to the Yapashi Ruins (slowing to a wide exploring wander) then a long ½ mile to the famous Stone Lions circled by boulder and standing stone slabs. It is said that the locals still leave offerings at this shrine.
The Rangers are asking all others to stop leaving offerings.

The easy meandering drop following Hondo Canyons edge to Capulin Canyon wanders through a fantastic burn area, a few tops of the young, widely scattered Ponderosa were green. Other than that it was blackened piñon, juniper and scrub over the mostly gray white tuff of the plateau floor, an eerie and very beautiful area where I lingered and wandered overly long.

I felt the temp drop and noticed the winter sun was starting its final free fall to the horizon. It was time to put a move on.
The last of the switchbacks down, a mile in the bottom of Capulin Canyon, making camp, filtering water and starting dinner was done by headlamp. During an after dinner mocha we watched the clouds against a black starry sky drop short sheets of snow and hail as the temps fell well below freezing.
Sleeping in the next morning we watched the sunlight climb down the canyon wall to our camp before venturing out of our sleeping bags for hot mocha's and oatmeal. We started hiking briskly to warm up. The 1.5 or so miles, crossing the creek now and then slowed us down to a wander a few times until the wondrous "Painted Cave" with its fantastic graffiti came into view. We ate our lunch and had a siesta lying in the suns warm light at the foot of the cave.

When the shadow of a far canyon wall interrupted our nap we hiked a wide arc up a canyon off trail to catch a glimpse and talk of the wall we were going to scramble the next day.

Getting back to camp as the canyons sky turned from a dark blue to starry black we cooked and ate much food, a couple mochas for desert then once again the temps nudged us into our sleeping bags around 10pm, it was 19 degrees. Waking up at 3am, moonlight filled the canyon with a cold white 10 degree light and gray shadows. I left my tent door open and fell back asleep watching crystals form from my breath.
With an early breakfast start we were soon at the mouth of the canyon north of the San Miguel Ruin plateau. Again we traversed higher on the opposite wall to scope out the scramble before dropping through the scrub of the canyon floor. The scramble its self was fun after the scrub and scree fell below and the last 50 feet of rock and boulders were negotiated.

We soon stood on the mesa looking north across a series of canyons towards the Dome Wilderness and Boundary Peak. Pockets of ponderosa filled box canyons with red rock walls in the distant north westerly. To the south were great views of Rio Grande rock walls, Cochiti Lake and the Sandia crest. Ortiz Mountains, snow capped Santa Fe Baldy and Truchas Peaks. After a rest and a reckon with map and compass then check what we figured with the GPS we decided to take on the canyons and forgo a longer circular mesa high route.
A mile or so later we literally stumbled into the San Miguel Ruins, last occupied around twelve to fifteen hundred and never excavated, rebuilt for the tourist market. In silence we wandered the ruins in opposite directions to get an idea to the size. Meeting back at the central "plaza" we ate handfuls of gorp while walking around, checking out the large colorful pottery shards, black obsidian flakes and the many walled rooms still chinked and mostly standing. Deer beds in some low walled rooms, winter gold bear grass and prickly pear red fruit. Juniper in its old gray bone and winter green, cholla skinny with the cold all belonged in a wide chunk of history.
I figured it was close to, two and a half / three hour off trail return to Capulin camp.
I wanted to stay longer than a while and soak up more moments.

We left San Miguel after 2pm sometime, slowly wandering away and eventually picking up speed as we stayed high to the northerly avoiding the deeper washes and canyons we had used on our approach. A seemingly steeper scramble down the canyon wall livened things up for a short 30 or more minutes. Made it back to camp just in time to dig our headlamps out, layer up and start food. This night was moonless with clouds at both ends of the canyon, warmer.

Ate a hot breakfast with the early morning sun then closed up camp. The way back still fresh in our minds we did a slow steady trail, paying even more attention to the surroundings than before. With few short breaks we were back on the snow covered traverse down to Frijoles and the truck, a great 5 hours total. The drive out of Frijoles is beautiful, through LANL land, White Rock, Tesuque and south...

..to this day, at times I find myself sitting in the ancient plaza of San Miguel.

P.S,

I have heard rumors of and spoke a bit with Ranger Sally about another pair of "Stone Lions" miles north of the ones on the map. They sit atop a scarp of the Pajarito Fault.

Might as well mosey meander over that way sometime soon.

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“ …adventure, without regard to prudence, profit, self – improvement, learning or any other serious thing.”
Aldo Leopold