When warmer weather finally arrives and we aren’t sure how much mud and snow might remain on hiking trails at higher elevations we are blessed with a number of nearby “badland” areas that are guaranteed to provide miles of dry, open country to explore. One of those areas is the Ojito Wilderness and we chose that for today’s hike. A very warm day was in the forecast but an advancing cold front was going to kick up the afternoon winds.
Fortunately, we got an early start and were finished by early afternoon when the winds began to get serious. After months of winter with very little hiking we didn’t pick a strenuous hike. Another advantage of the badlands is that other than some rock scrambles up and down arroyos and mesas the hiking is on the level.
There are only a couple of established trails in the Ojito but with the help of a collection of GPS tracks posted online by the ASCHG it’s possible to find your way around. Even we do get off track it’s such open country that we can eventually figure out where we are supposed to be.
For me, the best part of the badlands are the fascinating rock shapes hidden away in the canyons and on top of the mesas. I’ve collected so many photos of them over the years, but I still can’t resist trying to capture the beauty and the mystery. Our God is an amazing artist.
Living Wonderously 
Great pix!