30-Jul-2001 -- Our journey began in the city of Las Cruces at about 6:30 in the morning. (Had we started much later, we would have been hiking in the heat of the day.) Jon and his roommate Ben picked me up and, after stopping at a convenience store for gas and snacks (a.k.a. breakfast) we headed east on Highway 70.

In the early morning sunshine we drove through San Agustin pass, past White Sands Missile Range and National Monument, through the city of Alamogordo, and then east on Highway 82. The drive through the Lincoln National Forest was beautiful; Cloudcroft, a ski-resort town, looked like a nice place to be. The drive on Highway 82 continued past the eastern boundary of the Lincoln National Forest and into what must be high-altitude grazing land. Through such land we drove for about half an hour and then turned north toward a place called Flying H. We drove east on a small road through farmlands and cactus-studded wilderness, crossing through an occasional dry stream bed (see picture #6), until arriving at 105W. There we parked the car by the side of the road and began our hike toward the confluence.

Guided by Jon's GPS we hiked up and over some low hills. The hiking was fairly easy, although the terrain was rocky and small prickly plants were abundant. Atop one hill there was a fairly extensive flat area, nearly every square foot of which was strewn with copious amounts of rabbit feces, and we dubbed this place the "Secret Rabbit Pooing Grounds" (or something like that). Fortunately most of the droppings had been dried by the desert sun.

Soon we arrived at the confluence, where we build a rock cairn (picture #2) topped with a spikey desert plant (sharp enough to draw blood, which Jon managed to do by poking Nathan in the top of the head!). After the obligatory pictures (skillfully shot by Ben) and some much-needed water, we hiked back to the car and returned the way we had come, arriving in Las Cruces shortly after 3 pm.

All in all, I think it was a great (and fairly easy) first confluence for me, and a lovely day for a hike in the desert by any standards.

(Description Written by Nathan Leigh)