Upper Falls Yesterday

I haven't walked the Falls Trail in Bandelier National Monument since the construction detour instituted last year and, really, not much since the lower part of the trail was destroyed after the August  2011 Las Conchas flooding. But yesterday, along with a friend, I walked the trail once again.

The Falls Trail now dead ends at Upper Falls. Look at the photos of the August 2011 Las Conchas flood damage to the trail and you'll understand why - the portion of the trail that went just past the Lower Falls was undercut and washed away. I remember that section as very steep and slippery (with somewhat slaty-looking rock) even before the cataclysmic trail destruction.

Yesterday, the trail was mostly ice free and the Rito de los Frijoles flowed in pretty riffles and runs down canyon. The tall, red-trunked ponderosas were lovely to see. At Upper Falls, I sat enjoying the cascade of water. It seemed to have more water than I remembered.

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