Friday, October 3, 2025
- Start: Santa Fe Ski Basin/Winsor TH (mile 19)
- End: Meadow near Panchuela Creek (mile 38.4)
- Distance hiked: 19.4 miles
- Gain/loss: 11,018 vertical feet
- Detours: 2.2-mile detour up Santa Fe Baldy
Day 2 of the hike took me from the Santa Fe Ski Basin up to the Pecos Wilderness, where I detoured over to the Santa Fe Baldy (the tallest peak in Santa Fe County at 12,632 feet in elevation) – a very ambitious goal for day 2 of my thru-hike.
I began the day at 10,299 feet of elevation, and enjoyed the moderate climb up to Puerto Nambe and the Skyline Trail. Once at the saddle below Santa Fe Baldy (11,600 feet), I decided to make a detour from the official SF2T route. I stashed my backpack in a cluster of trees and set off for the 2.2-mile round-trip climb to the summit.
After a successful trip up Santa Fe Baldy, I returned to the saddle and followed the trail down to Lake Katherine for lunch, and then continued hiking past Stewart Lake and Stewart Pond toward the Cave Creek Trail.
I saw lots of day hikers and trail runners on my way to Santa Fe Baldy, and a handful of backpackers at Katherine Lake and Stewart Lake. The most notable wildlife came when I turned onto the Cave Creek Trail and startled what I believe was a wild horse in the woods (are there wild horses in the Pecos Wilderness??).
The afternoon was mostly downhill as I made my way along the Cave Creek Trail toward Panchuela Creek. I found a campsite in a meadow about 0.25 miles before the junction with the Dockweiler Trail, which allowed me to sleep at today’s low point (8,532 feet) and try to recover from a day with big mileage and vert.
Highlights
- Heading up Santa Fe Baldy was a fantastic detour, and the views from the summit were fantastic. This was my third New Mexico county high point. Only 30 more to go!
- Lake Katherine was the ideal spot for lunch, with some shelter from the wind and super clear water below the cirque of mountains
- The fall colors in northern New Mexico were just breathtaking. Early October is a really special time to hike this trail
Challenges
- I’m still feeling lots of fatigue and other AMS symptoms from my rapid ascent from sea level. I definitely should have acclimated before this thru-hike!
- I wasn’t paying attention when I got to the sharp left turn just before Winsor Creek. This meant I accidentally crossed the creek, only to backtrack and cross it again. Ugh!
- Finding a lower-elevation spot to camp tonight meant hiking farther than I really wanted today. But at least it was mostly downhill for those final miles.