Ok. Here we go. Saturday morning started cool and cloudy. For the first time since 2019 we were going to attempt dropping down Alamo Canyon all the way to the western terminus of the canyon inside the city limits of Alamogordo. We started from Alamo Peak at 9K feet and ended at 4K feet in Alamogordo. One of the most unique things about the Sacramento National Forest is that it covers Alpine forest to high desert. Really cool to ride through it all in one day.
To get to the upper trailhead for Alamo Canyon we dropped down the Switchbacks. At the bottom of the switchbacks, a barb wire-dectomy was performed on a poor KTM 300 with nothing except a pair of needle nose vice grips,
Shortly after we were at the trailhead for Alamo. The first mile or so is part of the Alamogordo Water System and is basically a service road/two track. Soon it gets steeper and rockier as the terrain turns to desert mountains. Here are my two companions for the day--RG and JP. RG had never been down Alamo but has had it circled on his map for years. I would ride any time and any place with RG. JP I have known for over 30 years and he is like a brother to me.
Soon after about an 1/8 mile from the drop into the very beginning of the upper end of Alamo Canyon we ran into Sander and Justin. Sander told me he did not see any way through but maybe could make it from the top of the creek. I knew that was the only way I have ever ridden so we said our goodbyes and were on the way. My landmark to drop in is a spectacular exposed rock bowl that transitions into the wash (you can see the rock bowl in the above picture--upper left). I knew right away that we were going to be up against it because the usual ride-able transition had been washed away. We traversed (wall ride) the exposed rock and got into the wash. Game on, big time.
The next 40 minutes was a struggle to go maybe 200-300 yards. Here is what we were dealing with, several times over. In this picture RG is wedged into a chute because the smooth rock (from water washing over during floods) was worse than ice. No way to stand up. I got though and made it worse because there was a three foot deep hole full of water at the bottom and the sides were now completely wet.
So that was the last of the picture of the actual descent There is no trail while you are in the wash. You just have to pick your line and drop off the boulders that you have the best chance of not crashing off of. So, the next thing was I got my you know what in a crack. Like literally. It was a straight drop down and too far to throw the bike off of. I looked to my left and saw a dirt line over a 8 foot rock (with a straight drop into the wash if you tipped over to the right. Both RG and JP cleaned that line and then RG came back and got me out of the crack and turned around. I got up and over too. I forgot to mention that now it was pouring rain and we were in a narrow canyon that was made by flash floods. Luckily no running water came through but now every rock was like ice. Fun times lol.
And so it went for the next two miles or so. Team work and optimism that we were making progress is what kept us going. We found some lines outside of the actual wash that we were able to use to get around some gigantic rock formations and drops that otherwise were not passable. I should also mention that there are no bailouts and no access at all as far as service roads or anything like that. Once you drop in, there is only one way out.
Soon we reached the junction of Caballero Canyon and Alamo Canyon. At this point, the canyon gets wider and not quite as steep. We knew we were close. Here is RG and JP. Notice the shade of red on RG's face lol. We had a workout!
Some ugly Yeti photo bombed this picture (seems his face is red too).
The view from the bottom back up to the top. Yes we came all the way from the very top. You can see the telescopes to the right that are part of the Sunspot National Observatory. I think the peak to the left of that is Alamo Peak. That is where we started.
The western end of Alamo Canyon ends at the far eastern side of Alamogordo. I was on a non-plated MX bike but both JP and RG are plated so I rode in between them and we got though Alamogordo and back up the mountain to West Side Road. I was trying to keep a low profile through town but the temptation was strong and I ripped off a long wheelie anyway.
So this ride was true hard enduro. Like on TV hard enduro. Thank you RG and JP for the help, team work and the optimism. No better partners than these two to ride something like this. So much fun!