Cloudcroft Ultra 53K Trail Run 2022

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.

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.

White Sands in the distance

The beginning is pretty smooth and flat, but soon there’s a descent with gnarly rocks everywhere. Before going down though, there are tremendous views of the desert floor, White Sands National Monument and Alamogordo, NM. Not far from here, down in the desert, the first atomic test, Trinity was carried out by a bunch of nervous mad scientists at precisely 5:30 a.m. on Monday, July 16, 1945. The atomic age had begun.

To break the tension, Enrico Fermi began offering anyone listening a wager on "whether or not the bomb would ignite the atmosphere, and if so, whether it would merely destroy New Mexico or destroy the world."    —US Dept of Energy

Anyway, I caught up to a group of runners on this stretch and passed a couple of folks where we leap frogged each other for a while. One guy, who was about 10 years older than me, commented that he didn’t like the technical descents and already had crashed once so told me to go ahead of him. I made it down the mountain without any mishaps and ran some smooth packed trail for a while. 

Soon, we started to climb again where I caught up to a few more runners and passed. I decided to pull away from the pack, so I put it in high gear. Not that I wanted to try to beat anyone, but simply because I feel bad when I pass only to get in the runner’s way a little while later. I kept up this faster pace until I knew I had a pretty good lead on this group. The pack was thinning out and would continue to spread further apart throughout the day. I prefer the solitude of running alone anyway.

I enjoyed running under the tall pines, through some smooth fern lined paths and grassy meadows with plenty of wildflowers. I pulled out my trekking poles to use on the climbs which helped save my legs for later. I passed through a few aid stations where friendly volunteers helped fill my water bottles and offered some food. I declined the sweet goodies though, since I brought my own healthier snacks. After about 3:20 hours I was pretty hot and tired, but reached the mile 13 aid station where I grabbed some watermelon. This perked me up a bit so I took off on the lollypop loop. I would return to this spot after completing the loop at mile 20. 

I power hiked uphill for about a mile and then plunged down 1500’ for the next four miles. At one point I passed a ginormous pine tree that was snapped at the base like a twig, the tall trunk cratered into the earth. I can’t imagine the force that would topple an enormous tree in such a manner. Lightning, a wicked snow storm, wind? I don’t know.

What happened here?

Anyway, I took advantage of gravity and kept up a fast pace where I passed several more runners; a few that looked half my age. Towards the bottom, the trail became an eroded gully filled with ankle breaking rocks so I took my time on this part. I was feeling spry and proud of myself for passing so many runners this morning, but I knew someone was bound to catch me on the brutal climb that lay ahead of me.

Dark-eyed junco (red-backed)

I reached the Alamo Peak Trail, took out my poles and began the steep climb. My rubbery legs burned as I slowly plodded up the slope that was straight up for about the first mile. I had to stop frequently to catch my breath as my heart pounded wildly. The trail passed a series of springs and collection sites that provide water for the city of Alamogordo. I kept looking back wondering which runners were going to catch me. Before long I saw someone downslope gaining on me but I had no energy to try to stay ahead of them. My oxygen starved brain just didn’t care, so I just kept up a slow steady pace. 

In no time, the older guy that I had passed much earlier in the race caught up to me where we chatted a little and commiserated on the brutal ascent. This guy was absolutely amazing and just like that, in a flash was gone up the mountain as if he had levitated. I looked at the results after the race and this guy is almost 70! Amazing! Meanwhile, I struggled on the grueling climb, slowly grinding inch by inch up the trail; huffing and puffing all the time. Nevertheless, none of the younger folks caught either one of us; although It took me a great deal of time to finally get to the top. 

When I finally arrived, I was greeted by the largest pair of balls of I’ve ever seen. On top of Alamo Peak are two weird looking green spheres that are part of the telemetry services for the US Air Force. Several Air Force bases operate fighter jets and other aircraft near here. I often hear them overhead as I’m running the trails in the mountains. The sound of freedom, as they say.

Telemetry balls!

I transitioned onto a paved road that took me back to the aid station. My shirt was soaked through from the hot climb and I must have looked quite disheveled because the volunteers offered me a baby wipe to “freshen up” if I wanted to. I figured, what’s the point? —I still had a good 13 more miles to cover and wasn’t going to feel fresh for at least another four hours or so. I ate some more watermelon and took off hoping to get the course finished by around 4:00pm (9 hours). I walked for a while and ate some food that I brought and then started running again. 

I came up here last month for a long training run to get ready for this race. I left my campground before sunrise one morning and enjoyed watching a herd of 50 or more elk grazing by the Sunspot Scenic Byway. Once I reached the trailhead, I did a total of 28 miles including a 16 mile loop using a combination of the Rim Trail, Courtney Mine Trail, Westside Rd and the horrendous climb of Alamo Peak. My training must have paid off, because a second wind enabled me to catch up to the 70 year old super climber. He told me to go ahead of him though, because he was going to power walk most of the trail back to town since he didn’t do well on technical trails.

Elk

In addition to my long training run last month, I took a side trip to the Bridal Veil Falls in High Rolls, NM which is about half way down the mountain from Cloudcroft. Salado Canyon Trail is one of the new Rails-to-Trails hikes that follows the old cloud-climbing route. There are two trail head parking areas and the falls are only about one or two miles away (oneway) depending on which parking area you use. 

Rail trail, High Rolls, NM

Some trestle ruins are near the East parking area and a rebuilt trestle bridge that you can cross is closer to the West parking. The falls are spring fed so they flow year round regardless of drought conditions. The path is never very steep making the falls a good destination for kids and those sane people who don’t regularly run 30+ miles in a stretch. Clear cool water pours over a wide edge of a red cliff; ferns and other lush vegetation hanging onto the rock face —an oasis in the desert. This Forest Service map shows parts of the trail (T128) “under construction”, but the trail is now completed. 

Bridal Veil Falls

Anyway, I kept a pretty steady pace back to town until I hit the last big climb about five miles from the finish. This section is very exposed to the sun and I really struggled to get to the top in the heat of the afternoon. A couple runners passed me on the ascent, but I was able to overtake them once I made it to flatter ground and was able to run again. Many runners were walking by this point, including some youngsters who probably went out too fast. Never underestimate the terrain, altitude and distance of mountain ultras; they will destroy you if you aren’t careful. 

Elk in Sleepy Grass Campground, Cloudcroft, NM

On the other hand, I was able to pace myself and still had enough in the tank to run, or should I say, keep up an “old man shuffle", late in my race. I finally reached town and ran the last several miles, passing a few more exhausted runners. I was never so glad to see the finish line and was cheered in by my family when I crossed in 9:31. It was a great day spent in the cool mountain air; a much needed break from the 100+ heat of El Paso. And to think, it only cost me a fraction of the price of a Jeff Bazos rocket trip!

See you on the trail.