The Ad Hoc Hikers decided to check out American Spring Road/Forest Road 181 this morning. We were pushing the season as there was still some snow on the road. The hikers thought it would be more dried out and it is somewhat in places. Overall, though, it's mostly a mix of snow, ice and mud. We were lucky to go early (the group starts at 8:30 am) before everything thawed.
The group gamely went as far as the turnoff to Red-Tailed Hawk Point where they turned back. I continued to the meadow near where the road swings south and downhill to West Jemez Road. I avoided the muddiest portions by going off the road onto a little trail that goes over to one of the broken down elk exclosures (left over from after the 2000 Cerro Grande Fire) and then parallels Forest Road 181 almost over to the meadow. This avoided three mini-lake-sized puddles. The portion of the forest road that faces south has terrible drainage problems, all made worse by the vehicles that drive in when the road is snow-covered. Too bad someone doesn't discover a threatened species so the road can be closed for "resource protection" from January to April like Dome Road is. The deep tire ruts in the mud only worsen the drainage. I saw today where a vehicle had pulled off onto the grassy shoulder and created deep ruts which now direct runoff into one of the mini-lake-sized puddles.
On a happier note, Armstead Spring is gushing like crazy - lots of water running out of the old, rusty water pipes!
