Mistaken for Strangers

[Joe Clement]

That really, really makes me regret having to cancel my trip to Northern NM (Wheeler Peak Wilderness) in 2 weeks. But my hiking buddy seems to think that going blind in one eye is a valid excuse for cancelling the trip. What a baby. I'd almost pay Eugene to follow me and document a trip.

[Kattt]

You just confirmed that you post the best trip reports ever. Incredible pictures, remarkable writing and always a good story with great protagonists. Thanks so much for the inspiration.

[Jacob D]

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

Thanks for taking the time to put this together and share it.

[Mallory Caldwell]

What kind of camera are you shooting? I want to take photos like those.

[Leigh Baker]

I have to say I felt a little de ja vu when I started reading it, and kept looking at the date it was posted…. I thought I'd read about the trip before,but didn't remember some of the pics, then I just read Steven's post alluding to your blog and it all clicked, I wasn't losing my mind… I HAD read some of it before :)

Your writing style and photography skills are exemplary, they allow me to share in on the experience vicariously, but so much more.
Absolutely wonderful!
Thank you

Tecalote was one of the first restaurants I ate at over 20 yrs ago, and I still go there for breakfast when I'm in SF.

[Paul Magnanti]

I've been wanting to read your trip report since you said you were just south of my buddy and I that same weekend. I remember the snow, the winds….and the enchantment of New Mexico Sangres….

Awesome stuff..

[Daniel Sandström]

Really, this is one of the best I've experienced. Well written, übersuperb photographs and video. Thank you.

edit:
Plus a great heading as I'm currently listening to the National. (Intention or coincidence…)

[John Donewar]

He ain't a stranger, he's my ultra light brother that I just haven't met yet. ;-)

The video is very unsettling for me. Let me explain. As I watch the video I am at peace and aching to get out on the trail at the same time. Almost 11 minutes of video passes by and disappears like lightening. I want more!

Eugeneius, does video very well! A wonderful trip report!

Thank you Eugene for sharing.

Party On,

Newton

[Eugene Smith]

Wow, thanks everyone for the encouraging words! Putting this together was a labor of love, I'm pumped that many of you found it to be enjoyable and uplifting. BPL is such a killer community, there are really some gems here.

The more we can spur each other on and inspire one another to go outdoors and share it with our friends and family the better- no matter the capacity, however big or small the adventure, it doesn't matter, as long as we're outside.

New Mexico is a beautiful and enchanting place, hopefully more people will put it on their trip location radar in the future.

To answer a few questions:

What camera did I use? Nikon D7000, Nikon 35mm f/1.8, Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5

Video editing: iMac, iMovie

[jeffrey bennett]

New Mexico is truly the land of enchantment.
Eugene, you have a wonderful way with words and an awesome gift with photos. Please keep up the great work and thank you for sharing.
Jeff

[Paul Magnanti]

>>New Mexico is a beautiful and enchanting place, hopefully more people will put it on >>their trip location radar in the future.

Ditto. I've been rediscovering the beauty of NM. My fiance' and I went to the Latir Peak Wilderness this past weekend and loved it. One of the ranked summits had a register from 1967!

No too far of a drive for many of us in CO, yet many people seem to bypass NM in favor of other places.

Their loss. :)

[Trevor Martin]

Count me in for next time Eugene! I'm from Taos so its only a short drive away.

[Stephen McCue]

Awesome! I was up at Pecos Baldy Lake about ten days after you all – my 55th birthday. Truly a beautiful spot. The video gets it right, although I prefer a Lotaburger after the Pecos. Steve

[Eugene Smith]

I don't know what's in store for next year, maybe a round 2? I get out as life affords, but I do know that I want to connect with more BPL members in a fashion similar to this, people getting together to hike, sweat, eat, bag peaks, laugh, etc. For this trip I posted a few months out in the Hiking Partners/Group Trip Announcement forum, hopefully others will do the same if they're heading out so they can share wilderness with someone else, teach someone, learn from someone, and be stoked on the same things.

[George Matthews]

wow! well done – great writing, pics and video

[Tom Clark]

Your stuff just keeps getting better! Thanks for sharing.
Tom

[Nico .]

Best piece I've read on this site in a while! Thank you Eugene.

This is just the sort of inspiration I need right now to kickstart my soon-to-be fall/winter local hiking season.

Awesome.

[Dondo .]

Wow, Eugene. This is the trip report I've been waiting for since I saw the preview on your blog, and it exceeded my expectations. You really are developing an inspired photographic style all your own. Nicely done!

[Serge Giachetti]

Beautiful work, Eugene. Great storytelling through multiple mediums.

[Aubrey W. Bogard]

Simply OUTSTANDING Eugene! Many thanks for sharing.

[Warren Greer]

Many already have expressed. I was on the site last Tuesday and quickly found out it'd take a while to read this. Well, I gotta say how much I enjoyed this masterpiece of narrative, visual media, and don't forget the aural awesomeness as well. Makes me wanna get there some day. And with others. That's what I enjoy about the wilderness most, the company of others. It is just too good to experience alone. Eugene, absolutely brilliant. Well done my good and faithful hiker!

This is surely the BPL that we all want and dream of.

[Walter Underwood]

My dad and I went backpacking in the Pecos for several summers when I was growing up. Thanks for the chance to revisit.

I recently scanned some photos from our 1975 trip. We weighed and counted everything, but the packs were still pretty heavy. At least one person was light and fast — I remember a solo hiker blowing past us wearing Converse hi-tops. Trailrider's Wall was windy then, too.

Photos on flickr: Pecos Wilderness 1975

[Eugene Smith]

Walter,

Thanks for sharing that excellent photograph, I love the nostalgia of it, it's a classic image, coffee can and flanel to boot.

[David Chenault]

Awesome photos. That Gerry tent looks like a tarptent!

[HkNewman]

@Walter: Great pics from 75. I was only a kid spending a summer in nearby Santa Fe in 75 or 76.

One note on your Flikr is that the Rio Valdez does go down to Mora Flats.

[Author]

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