Bosque Trail Morning Walk – 02/23/2019 - Hiking in New Mexico (NMHiking.com)

It has been our practice of late, Pat and me, to make an early morning walk in our neighborhood. This morning we extended our range into the Bosque where there are some nice trails along the Rio Grande river. The day before, late in the afternoon and into the evening, the area was blanketed with light rain followed by beautiful large-flake snowfall.

The Walk

Bosque Trail Hike.Pat.2019-02-23

This morning was quite cold (below freezing), preserving the snow even against the bright sunshine that usually melts such snow quickly. Although streets and sidewalks were dry, lawns, rooftops, even branches on trees, anything that was insulated from the ground, still had a layer of snow.

We chose to extend our walk beyond our usual route in the Country Club neighborhood, heading through Tingley Beach and into the Bosque. Everywhere we looked – areas of grass or fallen leaves, on rooftops, even on handrails and street signs – there was a layer of snow. And on tree branches and even twigs – 1/2″ of snow. As we entered the Bosque we found ourselves surrounded by white snow on everything and glistening when looking towards the early morning sun.

Highlight

It was truly a magical setting. And even more so realizing that in an hour or so, after the sun had worked its magic warming and melting it all, it would be gone – we would be among a very few people to see this magic.

Statistics

Total Distance: 3.38 miles
Elevation: start 4,947 ft, maximum 4,962 ft, minimum 4,947 ft
Gross gain: 15 ft. Aggregate ascending 103 ft, descending 104 ft
Maximum slope: 6% ascending, 7% descending, 0.7% average
Duration: 1:27