How can you escape the scorching summer temperatures of the Chihuahuan Desert in Far West Texas? The only way is to go straight up to gain some altitude. Therefore, you could drive a few hours east to Van Horn, TX and pay millions for a 15 minute flight on one of Jeff Bazos’ Blue Origin rocket ships. Or, go the cheaper route and drive a few hours north to the cool pines of the Sacramento Mountains in Cloudcroft, NM (8,675′). The latter has been the preferred method for El Pasoans since the days of the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway which reached Cloudcroft in 1900. The Cloud-Climbing rail has since been dismantled, but many sections have been repurposed into hiking trails by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. This makes Cloudcroft an excellent trail running and hiking destination.
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| Broad-tailed hummingbird near High Rolls, NM |
Last weekend I ran the Cloudcroft Ultra 53K Trail Race put on by the good family that owns High Altitude (your favorite little outdoor store). This is the second year that I ran this low key race which is an out-and-back along the Rim Trail with a lollypop loop, including a brutal climb, I might add, before returning to the village. About 50 of us started at the local park, running the first several miles through town on mostly flat paved and dirt roads and then picked up the Rim Trail once out of the village.
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| White Sands in the distance |
