Pole - Pole

Without really planning to, we hiked Wheeler Peak, with 13.161 feet, New Mexico's Rocky Mountains highest peak. We did want to hike the ridge leading to it (as it seemed like it would have great vistas) and somehow, following the Swahili Kilimanjaro motto 'Pole, Pole' (Slowly, Slowly) we made it to the summit in great time. The winds were howling, the temperatures too low for comfort, the path occasionally icy but the skies were wide open and the views priceless!!!






We made it!!!!





On the way down, we saw a 15-20 herd of Big Horn Sheep, apparently all female as they travel together. I think I did an extra few hundred feet of elevation trying to get above them for some good pictures!





The fact that we did enough carb-loading to probably do the hike 3 times must have helped too ;-)!. But we still had room for some icecream from "Taos Cow", a little ice cream store in Arroyo Seco, named in the top 10 US icecream places in "Bon Appetit" magazine 2009!! It did live upto it's reputation and both the cinnamon and chocolate chip flavors were to die for!