Natural Arch

Emily on Mitchell Trail. The Cerro Grande Fire ripped through here and left this area pretty bare. It is slowly starting to grow back with some brush and a few small pine trees. This area was a pretty thick forest back in 1999 when I first hiked up to the Arch. I have waited eight years for Emily to be big enough to hike it with me.




What the burnt trees look like.











Imagine these trees with green pine needles and you can see that it was hard to see where you were going back before the fire in 2000.






Here is where we are heading. Before the fire you really never got a glimps of the arch. It is right below the arrow. This is from Mitchell Trail heading NW almost.









A closer view of the Natural Arch.












Trail head for the Natural Arch Trail that heads up hill and is pretty brushy and rocky.











Emily heading up the Arch trail.











Again on up the trail. Does not look like much of a trail though does it.








After scambling up through boulders we got to the Arch. Here is Emily from the backside of the Arch which is not hiking approachable. The town is behind her.







A beautiful close up. See Los Alamos behind her.











Los Alamos from the Natural Arch.







Bubba in front of the Arch. This is the approach side.












Emily and Dad resting for the trip down.







See my pickup to the left. It is right below the lightning bolt.








From the Arch you can look south and see the Parajito ski slopes behind the next mountain.








Emily being pensive next to the Arch.








She really enjoyed the Arch. She did not want to leave it.









The whole trip took about 3 hours. A couple showed up while we were there. He had made another trip looking for the Arch but did not find it. They got here this time.