Deception Peak: My First Unassisted Summit Hike

Not only was our hike to Deception Peak stunning, but this was the first summit hike I completed all by myself! Having short, stubby legs and a flat nose, this is a huge accomplishment. We headed up early on a cool, summer day, and because the air was cool and damp for our entire ascent, I did not need to be carried and completed the eight-mile round trip hike, covering approximately 3,000 feet of elevation gain. Woof, woof!

Heading out shortly after dawn. 

Our trail began at the Santa Fe Ski basin, taking the Winsor Trail up to the trail's intersection by the main wooden gate. Instead of continuing on straight through the gate onto Winsor Trail towards Baldy, we headed up the trail to the right and followed along a barbed wire fence for a few miles. The trail was super lush with greenery everywhere and wildflowers! 

We continued up along the fence until we reached Raven's Ridge, where the trail opened up revealing stunning vistas. From here we saw a beautiful view of Santa Fe Baldy before continuing up the ridge, soaking in all of the breathtaking views of the valley bowl below. 

The hike along the Raven's Ridge was strenuous but offered beautiful views of the surrounding valleys, including a gorgeous view down into Nambe Lake (which we just hiked a few weeks before!). As we were gaining elevation, we came upon a most unexpected sight - a fox! The fox looked at me like I was the perfect breakfast, but my big sister chased the him off and protected us. What a rare sight!

Hello, Mr. Fox. Please don't eat me!

View of Nambe Lake. 

View towards Santa Fe. 

At last, we made it to the summit ridge. We were the first ones up the trail that morning and were able to enjoy the views and explore the high mountain terrain all to ourselves before heading back down. 

Our family portrait on Deception Peak. 

View of Lake Peak. 

Deception Peak is so named because Lake Peak is the real peak in this area. My humans wanted to go all the way up to Lake Peak, but there's some rock climbing involved and a huge rock fissure. I quickly let them know that was WAY above my pay-grade!

For Roxie, the mountain lioness, Lake Peak would have been nothing she couldn't handle! 

Next time, big sis!

Soaking in the view with my human.

Heading back into the mountain forest. What an accomplishment! 

I am officially now a summit seeker!

Woof, woof!

-Rosie

We made it to Nambe Lake!

We finally completed the seven mile roundtrip hike to Nambe Lake! We tried this hike about this time last year, but were forced to turn around due to an early monsoon storm that quickly turned into lightning, thunder, and hail. This year, however, we timed our hike just right and enjoyed a cool and slightly overcast morning for the duration of our hike.

Beginning our hike down Winsor Trail with Santa Fe Baldy looming in the background.

This hike begins at the Santa Fe Ski basin. After about 2-3 miles along the Winsor Trail, the Nambe Lake trail forks off to the right. Here you begin climbing up a side mountain canyon to reach the lake, following a babbling creek the entire way. The hike is very steep in places, climbing over boulders and carving straight up the mountain canyon as the lake rested roughly 1,000 feet above the trail intersection. As you near the lake, views of granite rock-faces begin to peak through the Ponderosa pine trees. 

Rosie testing the water.

Because of our winter snow season and spring rains, the trail was unbelievably lush! Everything was so green and the wildflowers were blooming in abundance. Bright pink caught my eye right away! It was delightful to see the many different colored wildflowers from Indian paintbrush to yellow pea flowers to the pink Parry's Primrose. The colors of the mountain forests are amazing. 

After a final steep ascent, we finally made it to Nambe Lake at 11,300 feet. What a beautiful emerald green lake! The water was crystal-clear and you could easily see to the bottom. Framed against the granite mountain faces of Lake Peak and Santa Fe Baldy, the scene is incredible. The glacial valley is so pristine that I am sure many boggle at the idea of this beautiful mountain landscape existing here in New Mexico.

We spent some time exploring around the lake before heading back down and concluding our day hike. 

Little Rose did the entire hike up to the lake by herself!

Our family photo!

Happy trails, happy tails. 

-Roxie