El Morro, two, Sat, 4/3/21

We awoke to a chilly 32° temperature this morning, once again appreciating our little catalytic propane heater that keeps us toasty and doesn't use as much gas as the dusty "floor furnace."  But the sun shone brightly and, after the day warmed somewhat, we made our way back to the VC, where we'd start the the other trail recommended by the ranger -- the two-mile loop Headland Trail.  Yesterday's post told about the marvelous Inscription Trail.  Today's outing will offer more than just hiking atop the "cuesta."  (El Morro is a cuesta:  a long formation gently sloping upward, then dropping off abruptly at one end.)  Again, we were rarin' to go.

This is a "slightly strenuous" hike because of the 250' elevation gain and walking on the uneven sandstone, but mostly because of all the steps!  Over 100, maybe over 200, I can't remember.  A lot.  We will be up where I've placed a red checkmark.

Notice the row of nice white teeth near the top! 😁

We didn't mind the climb up;

everywhere we looked was a breathtaking vista.

Boom!  This is Atsinna Pueblo, the largest of the pueblos atop El Morro -- dating from about 1275.  Its builders made use of the materials around them ... flat sedimentary rock they could easily stack one on top of another, cementing with clay and pebbles.  Mind you, the elevation here is 7460', and getting up here wasn't easy.  Why build so high?  Perhaps for defense or maybe to be high above the plain.  What they achieved is quite a triumph.

The pueblo was roughly 200' x 300', housing between 1,000 and 1,500 people.  Multiple stories of interconnected rooms -- 875 have been counted! -- surrounded an open courtyard.

Both the circular and a square kiva were uncovered.

We were rewarded with spectacular views of the Zuni Mountains, the volcanic craters of the El Malpais area, and El Morro valley.  We were alone most of the time, except for ghosts.

Hard to make this out, but you're seeing steps carved into the sandstone.  Well worn steps.  Maybe from the Ancients?

Great fun hopscotching along the sandstone.

Jimmy's following the etched path lines.

Stay away from the edge!

We were amazed at this tree's tenacity, its will to live, thrive.

A fantastic stand-alone in the box canyon.  Isn't it mind-blowing?  Those trees you see are tall Ponderosa pines, to give you an idea of height.

We've seen very few birds this entire trip,

but up here we spied two Mountain Bluebirds 

We sidestepped a couple of snow patches on the shady side as we made our way down, but we really enjoyed our hike.  We dashed past the slab above with the vertical joint that looked like it could crash down at any moment!

Morning was nearly over and our afternoon was free.  Another spot I hoped to see in this area was El Malpais, so we gathered some grub, refilled water bottles, and headed there in Smartie ....