Aroogah-
I am leaving Pasadena tomorrow afternoon and am driving to Blythe CA to get some mileage out of the way. Staying in a motel (I could've camped in Joshua Tree but I want to be further along than that). Then on Wednesday morning I'll be getting up really early and will drive to Santa Fe via Flagstaff. I had planned to camp near Flagstaff for a night, but it's NM that I want to spend the bulk of my time in and I want to feel very disconnected from everything and everyone - I hear Flagstaff and Sedona are rammed all the time, hence missing them out. Same reason I'm not going to go to Bryce or Zion.
I will mooch around SF when I arrive and then go camp near Taos. Thursday morning is the most reasonable weather to do Wheeler Peak - weather wise - and then after that I'm just gonna play it by ear. I have BLM camping spots mapped out so I should be fine in that regard. I want to hike but I also want to go to museums and galleries and stuff in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, also. One place I definitely want to go is Ortega's weaving shop in Chimayo.
I had planned to drive home from Taos on the 64 which does pass near 4 corners. Not sure how much I'll really get out of going there, but I may consider it.
I have to (unfortunately) be back in Pasadena on Monday evening, so I don't have a great deal of time.
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JB
Holy shit that's a lot of replies. Thanks everyone.
Okay.
@hippy - I have a Rapha merino neck warmer thing with me but the window covers are like mesh condoms for the whole upper half of the door if that makes sense. So I can do the windows up and down and nothing will get in. Good shout on the stove thing! Looks like my butane stove will in fact not work at altitude. Will try to find an alternative in that case, but may just sack it off entirely. 'Butane does not operate well at higher altitudes and is no longer liquid below (28 – 32 degrees Fahrenheit)' Oops...
My bag (Big Agnes Echo Park 20) is designed to be used sans liner, so probably won't bother.
The inReach Mini is just a sat communicator/SOS machine, so there's no navigation. I do carry my Wahoo Bolt with me though which has all of the trails that I need loaded onto it.
@withered_preacher - yep, always hike with a cap on anyway because sweat. And yes, as mentioned to Hippy above, I have a mesh condom thing that goes over the whole door so can move windows up and down freely.
Yes - also have SPF, forgot to list that. I'm also carrying pepper spray as I'm not gonna carry a gun but want to feel like I have some way of protecting myself in case of a confrontation - ha.
@AWu-Tang - not overstepping at all. Ah yes, I forgot to list First Aid Kit on my pack list. It stays in my pack permanently and has everything I'd need including emergency space blanket. I always carry paper maps with me but I've literally never used them, but yeah, I guess it's not a bad idea to pick one up for the local area when I'm in Santa Fe - as there is an REI there. Another thing I had not considered is iPhone use in the cold - I forget it fucks with battery and drains it quickly and/or stops the phone from working entirely. I will buy a paper map :-)