We’d never experienced a total solar eclipse. There are not many left in our lifetime that are this easy to get to. So we took the long drive.
Total Solar Eclipse April 8, 2024
When I brought up an eclipse trip to Jack last year he noticed that the center path of totality went right over Terrell, TX, a town he has connections to. It didn’t take long to agree on meeting there with Jack, Dorie, Quinn, and Ken. We downloaded some audio books and embarked on the 1450-mile (2320 km) trip to Terrell. On day one we drove to Deming, NM, our longest segment. For day two we decided to take the scenic route on smaller highways rather than taking interstates through some rather boring Texas countryside. This route took us via White Sands and the Sierra Blanca range over to West Texas. We stayed in Snyder, TX, for the night. Day three was freeways all the way to Terrell.
We had a great weekend with everyone in Terrell, but the uncertain weather conditions were in the back of our minds the entire time. The forecast for eclipse day was not so great. Sure enough, when we woke up on April 8th there was drizzle, a solid cloud cover, and a very carefully phrased forecast by the weather service. They were not too optimistic. So sitting on the porch with our morning coffees Jack and I got the maps out, brought up the GEOS live satellite images (they refreshed every 5 min) on the notebook, and worked on a possible plan B. As the morning progressed there were more and more openings in the clouds and it looked the same within 100 miles. So we decided to stay in place.
When the eclipse started the fast-moving clouds gave us plenty of opportunity to see the sun get covered. Right when totality started there was one last big cloud that obscured the view a bit, but it went by fast and we got over 4 min of totality without clouds. It even cleared enough for us to see Venus when the sky darkened. A few hours later we were drenched by heavy rain and thunderstorms moved over us the remainder of the time in Terrell. We had been really lucky and it was an amazing experience. For eclipse pic search the internet, can’t compete with the pros; here are just a couple to prove we saw it 🙂
We left Terrell and drove to Clovis, NM where we stayed the night. The next day we drove to the Manzano Mountains and Manzano Peak south of Albuquerque and attempted the peak via the shortest route. There was too much snow on the ground and not enough time for one of the longer routes. So we went to Albuquerque and spent a day with family there. The following day I dropped Srisuda at the airport for a trip to see more family and I headed back towards Manzano Peak.
Monzano Peak (10,098 feet, 3078 meters; Prominence: 3238 ft, 987 m; 25 Miles of Isolation )
This time I opted for a different route with more sun exposure, Pine Shadow Trail No. 170A. The trail was in great condition with just a few tree falls to tackle and I soon arrived at around 9000 ft. Here the trail went to the east-facing side of the ridge with tree cover. This combination led to plenty of deep, soft snow. It cleared a bit on the south-facing ridge, but then was there for the last 400 ft of elevation gain. Snow shoes would have helped here, I post-holed up to my hips several times. A couple of times I sank in with both legs and had to crawl/”swim” out. The Peak itself was clear and I had a nice long break. Mine was the first entry in the register for the year. No surprise there. After the hike, I drove further south to the foot of Timber Mountain. (Hike: 10.3 miles (16.6 km), 3050 ft (930 m) gain)
Timber Mountain (7565 feet, 2306 meters; Prominence: 2815 ft, 858 m; 25 Miles of Isolation)
I arrived at the bottom of Timber Mountain around sunset. Reports described the last 3 miles of the road up to the antennas as rough, so I opted to camp here and hike up the next morning. Turns out the road was in perfect condition and any high-clearance vehicle could have made it. I got a good workout though. (Hike: 6.1 miles (9.8 km), 1650 ft (503 m) gain)
Black Peak (9029 feet, 2752 meters; Prominence: 2349 ft, 716 m)
After Timber Mtn. I drove to Silver City using NM 152. Unfortunately, there have been some major burn events in the area, and all the forest along this route is lost, making the slow drive on the winding road not worth it for the foreseeable future. From Silver City I headed north on NM 15 and up Signal Peak road to where the CDT crosses it. From here it was an easy hike up to Black Peak. There were some snow patches, but the real snow was on the ridge connecting Black and Signal Peak. Not as deep as on Monzano Peak, but enough to slow me down. Both peaks were covered in trees. So the views were more like what Jack just experienced in South Carolina (Hike: 3.6miles (5.7 km), 745 ft (227 m) gain).
I spent the night in a wash at the NM/AZ border about half a mile south of I-10. The freeway was not visible, but its sound and that of trains was a constant white noise background through the night. Sky’s were clear and I got a good view of the Milky Way.
Mount Glenn (7523 feet, 2293 meters; Prominence: 2883 ft, 879 m; 25 Miles of Isolation)
Probably my favorite of this set because of the spectacular 360 views. A snow-covered peak in every direction. From my overnight camp I drove to Dragoon Mountains in Arizona ending up at a water tank on Forest Road 4378 below Mount Glenn where the road becomes more of a track than a road. I followed the road up and cut over to the ridge where the road ended. From there I stayed on the ridge to the top, dealing with a few ups and downs. I spent around 1.5h hours on the top enjoying the quiet and calm conditions with the amazing views. On the way down I stayed on the ridge instead of cutting back to the road. I think it’s the better choice for both up and down. (Hike: 5.5 miles (8.8 km), 2623 ft (803 m) gain).
Mt. Lemmon (9157 feet, 2791 meters; Prominence: 5157 ft, 1572 m; 25 Miles of Isolation)
The next two nights I stayed near Tucson with friends. During that time we hiked around Mt. Lemmon, including visiting the relocated BM on top. The peak itself was a road hike with some use trail around the observatory. (Hikes: 6.9 miles (11.1 km), 1622 ft (494 m) gain).
There were other, higher mountains in southern NM and AZ I wanted to climb, but there was still too much snow on them to make it enjoyable or the access roads were still closed for the winter.
Next I had an appointment in Joshua Tree NP.