Pogwatigue Perambulations: Capulin Volcano Rim Hike

Pogwatigue Perambulations

Pogwatigue: A Pottawatomie word meaning 'running water.' Early settlers chose this word as the original name for my hometown, Niles, Michigan.

Perambulation: roam, stroll, inspection of an area on foot.

My intent for this blog is to catalog my various local, regional, national, and perhaps someday international explorations. Originally, I found the blog a good vehicle to publish Google maps on the internet and all my initial posts have such a map embedded, but I don't limit myself to that genre. Almost all the posts will have a personal, geographic element. For the title, I chose Pogwatigue due to its ties to my roots roots and perambulations as a fancy, alliterative word to describe the content.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Capulin Volcano Rim Hike

One of the highlights from my recent trip was a stop at Capulin Volcano National Monument. The small park centers on a cinder cone volcano, the easternmost such feature in the US. Once in the park, I drove the two-mile road to the top of the volcano and hiked trail that the loops around the rim of the volcano.

The winds that day were some of the strongest that I have ever experienced. My hat blew off shortly after starting the hike and knew it would be pointless, counterproductive if I wanted to keep it, to put it back on. Later in the hike when I lost my sunglasses to the same force, I drew the same conclusion.

Full Screen Version

Rather than detract from the experience, the winds augmented the stark beauty of the landscape. They certainly didn't impede the spectacular views across the landscape. To the west, more volcanic features stretched out toward the snowcapped mountains resting on the horizon. To the east, one imposing mountain, Sierra Grande, marked the far edge of the volcanic field. Beyond it, dry grasslands dominated. The trail was only a mile. After finishing the counterclockwise hike, I reversed course and doubled back to enjoy the views in the opposite direction. In between, I hiked the short trail in to the interior of the crater, which offered a short respite from the winds.