Santa Fe to Taos Trail
Also known as the SF2T, it is a trail that, unsurprisingly, starts at the main plaza in Santa Fe, NM, climbs up and over the 12,000-foot Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and, after 132 miles, ends in the main plaza of Taos, NM. It traverses parts of the Pecos Wilderness, the Carson NF, and the Santa Fe NF. And although the beginning and end points are both around 7,000 ft of elevation, getting between them can require hiking 59,000 feet of elevation gain and loss in that 132 miles of trail. There are alpine lakes, 12,000-foot peaks, streams, rivers, and creeks of all sizes, open parks and meadows, dense forests, and range land. Black bear, deer, elk, mountain lions, and a host of smaller animals, including beavers, make a home there.
Over the years and on multiple occasions, I have ventured up into parts of this area in northern NM on backpacking trips. I have even walked some parts of the SF2T before it even existed. So I know what an amazing trek it will likely be.
Speaking of coming to be— how did this “new” trail get its start? It appears that it was the brainchild of one Pam Neely of Santa Fe who thought it up around 2015. She explored, refined, re-examined, plotted, and re-plotted a route over several years. No doubt there have been hundreds of hours, if not thousands, involved in stitching together a route of existing and vanishing trails to realize this path. Obviously a labor of love, she has created an excellent guidebook, maps, an organization, and even a trail wayside resupply station for this trail. I find myself in awe of her accomplishments on behalf of the idea. And I have signed up and paid the modest fee to be able to use the resupply locker on the trail, along with getting a guidebook, GPX map data for the route, and a number of other perks that membership brings. Truly an amazing feat to pull off, Pam.
The nice thing about the guidebook is that Pam has laid out multiple itineraries based on daily mileage. If you want to do 4-6 miles a day, she’s got an itinerary. If you’re an 18-20 miles a day person, she’s got an itinerary. Something in between, she’s got an itinerary. Water, campsites, good trail, rough trail, no trail, it’s all laid out for you. It’s about the most turnkey guidebook I’ve ever encountered. And I have looked at a lot of guidebooks. Impressive!
I just got the GPX map data file today. (GPX is a standardized digital file format for representing route information on maps. It allows one to plot out a route in one digital mapping program and then transfer that route to any other mapping program without loss.) Anyway, I just got the file of the route today and am planning on going through it step-by-step to understand the trail. This usually takes me hours to days, depending on the length of the trail. It’s a way for me to walk the trail in my mind and get a feel for the route and the difficulty. Kind of a first draft of hiking the trail all without leaving my study. What I see in my mind and eventually see on the trail are usually two very different visions. But I do get a general understanding of the challenges and their location and frequency, which helps in planning the trek. As usual, planning the trip is half the fun.
So until next week, safe travels and Happy Trails…
