My idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon…hiking the Pine Tree Trail in Aguirre Springs! Easter Sunday, most people were in church, but outdoors in New Mexico is my church.
The wind ravaged the Tularosa Basin and I could barely see into the distance through the swirling dust. But I felt sheltered and safe, tucked into the jagged eastern face of the Organs. The campground was full and I could hear snatches of Mexican music and laughter as I trudged on. I also passed a lot of people on the trail, but the moments of peace between them were blissful.
There was amazing wildlife along the way. Like these two lizards, courting on a rock.
Or this ruby-throated hummingbird, buzzing a fragrant bush.
Or this buzzard, watching me descend the trail.
I came around a bend and could see White Sands Missile Range base below. I lived there for a few months when I was three and my dad worked for the government. I don’t remember much about it. Now I spent some time on the overlook, caught in existential musing.
Throughout, I had to stop and take pictures of the sheer beauty around me. The land was brutal, craggy and steep, full of thorny plants and hidden dangers like snakes. Ahead, the Organs loomed, coldly impersonal and indifferent to my existence, yet so mesmerizingly beautiful. The views were awe-inspiringly gorgeous, the air crisp and cool. As I approached the close of the first mile, then the second, I found the music from below faded to silence and I could no longer drown out my thoughts. Being alone with your thoughts feels uncomfortable at first, until you get used to it and come to enjoy your own company. I think most people who spend time outdoors can relate to that.
The trail would weave over a dry rocky spring bed, then plunge into woods. I would come around one bend and see the Tularosa basin spread below me, shrouded in dust, and traffic like tiny colored fish swimming along Highway 70. Then the trail would bend another way and I would be trudging toward the Organs.
Tiny trees clinging to the rugged tip of one of the peaks make me think about how conditioned we humans are against discomfort and how life finds a way regardless of comfort. What makes some of us survive, and what determines our time? Is it fate or our own free will intersecting with that of others? Is life random, or preordained, and whatever the answer, what is the purpose of it all?
Eventually I reached the halfway point. There is a primitive campsite there, under the generous shade of a ginormous alligator juniper. I couldn’t believe how huge some of the alligator junipers were along this trail. Some day I really want to come back and stay here!
From there, the trail turned downhill. There was a steep point between two huge boulders that made me think, “F this!” But ultimately I pressed on for the remaining 2.5 miles and I did not regret it.
As I approached the campground, I began to pass more people, mostly tourists from Mexico. They seemed so happy, enjoying this place with their families. Lots of kids were climbing this trail, which I considered hard. A couple carrying a baby in a hiking backpack made me feel ridiculous but this trail did wind me!
Nevertheless, the Pine Tree Trail is by far one of my favorite experiences in New Mexico so far! I love the Pine Tree Trail and the Aguirre Springs Campground. It is one of the many places in Southern New Mexico that show how underrated this part of the state is compared to Northern NM.