Hiking Up to Mt Taylor, New Mexico

One of the alternates on the CDT in central New Mexico goes over Mt Taylor at a height of 11,301 ft! We planned on meeting before the climb and then hiking up together. Sure Tina had to climb over 5000 ft to get to the peak but I drove up over 3000 ft and had a fairly easy ascent. I guess my Arizona Trail legs are still holding up! Up to this point this is the highest point along the trail.

After the top I of course had to climb back down to the car but I figured I would try a different route down. From the map I figured it would be all tree covered but I was very pleased with my view for most of the way down!

Feral's YouTube channel:

Tina's Blog (In German but Chrome can translate albeit with mistakes):
It's quite cute. Definitely check it out!

Affiliate links of gear used:
--Cameras:

--Other Gear:

--Car Tour Video with links to my equipment

Video editing application: Davinci Resolve 17.2.1 Studio

--Any donations greatly appreciated!
--Become a Patreon and see where I camp each time with InReach tracking

Music from Epidemic Sound

thru hike, backpacking, hiking, overlanding, new mexico

[thbearr]

In fact, Mt Taylor is actually an ancient volcano. Its previous summit reached up to 14000ft. But it collapsed in on itself and has been heavily eroded since. Oh theres also a supervolcano, the Valles Caldera north of Santa Fe. Its last eruption, debris was found as far away as Iowa.


Ps the San Fransico peaks in Flagstaff Arizona, also was an ancient volcano its previous summit was 16000 ft tall!!! But now after a gigantic collapse its now 12000 ft tall

[MaxZomboni]

Great views and drone shots. I think you did it the right way. Take the switchbacks up and then a straight shot down. Looking forward to the arch video. 👣😎👍☮️

[thinkinoutloud.]

I agree keep nature as nature...quiet.

[Daniel_Antonio_Arellano]

I know I'm 2 years too late but I worked there in the early 80s. You must be near La Mosca lookout. Very nice footage.

[richbanister]

Glad you are enjoying my home state. You are showing me views I have never seen.

[thomasmosch]

Fantastic video like all of yours!! I‘m glad you managed to even out the level of the volume of music and voice. On your AZT vlogs you missed it, But now it was just perfect.. Looking forward to more, thanks Thomas

[dx]

I live your videos 📹 thank you. Also hello to Tina from Munich

[sherianglen]

Loving the drone shots, wonder if I could Sky to pack a drone. 😊

[HeyItsTim]

Love the drone footage. Spectacular views. What a great adventure. Hey, I met Pocket Rocket on the PCT, was it 2019? I was just hiking mammoth to Yosemite then. And then I was watching your AZT videos I think you mentioned her or something. So cool.

[emmaccode]

yelp, mule deer. i wonder if my husband could do mt taylor! he can *not* do the sandia crest, I have learned -- taylor is taller, but it looks a lot less steep and seems like there's a road and it's pretty easy to do :)

[jkxx]

Wow! The views are over the top!!! Super nice work. The drone definitely takes the views up another level. So cool the way you are guiding the drone behind you hiking down Mt. Taylor. Impressed with your techy ness.

[solitudeinthewild]

What an amazing video, my friend! Nice mountain hiking! The nature is amazing.. Enjoyed watching. Cheers from Russia Jay, and welcome to my channel about bushcraft and adventures! Kind regards, Yuriy!

[laurenbouchie]

WOW, that was spectacular! I also follow Feral, he is amazing to! Daisy aka Smiles is on the CDT to. She should be in the same area but hard to tell because everyone post there vlogs differently!

[NickandRachel]

So beautiful out there! Thanks for sharing your experience

[feralhikes]

You're such a great videographer, Jay! Thank you for this!

[takingawalkadventures]

abousutly beautiful I love the cdt . the Drone shots are amazing. I got to walk on the cdt a few years ago in Colorado the views were amazing. awesome video Jay

[bartekajzenberg]

Mount Taylor looks like dragon from Google Earth that being stabbed

[cory]

Hey how is the drive up to the trailhead? I'm planning on taking my motorcycle but I'm unsure about the road to it

[bflex]

..i used to be in a lot better shape in my 40s I could lift weights then run 10 miles five days a week..
..somwtimes a acoma pueblo friend of mine woukd hang out but I would go hiking when I was in the area and had an encounter with a group of elk..it all happened so fast and unexpected..but there was a four foot fence they were on the other side..so I jumped it...then they ju ped back to the other side. .so then did I a d then they jumped back again ..this must've went on about 10 times w them..i didn't have time to get my phone out..or they wouldve been gone and didnt really think of it cuz I was having so much fun...there must've been 12 of them..i wish I had filmed it now but it was a cheap little phone anyway back in 2008...right on mt taylor above the prison they have there..
..but I'll never forget it ..it was one of the most stunning electrifying moments of my life..
..this was a relatively small pack..some mustive been around 800 lbs ..lots of wildlife around there esp towards bluewater lake.. black bear wild boars mountain lions .
..just a couple hundred miles south of there you have the Gila National Park which is like another entirely different planet..id say more of a sub alpine almost tropical high desert in some parts more towards Deming ..well it's so isolated and cut off it's almost like austrailia or south America with entirely different species ..
...I really luke grants my taylor though as well w that high an elevation it can be snowing when its 50 degrees out on one side of the mountain a d raining on the next ..
..good footage though..maybe you can film other parts of New Mexico as well..its such an enchanting place..up by aztec is pretty cool and down towards cloudcroft is nice too..tbe whole states wondrous..
..its too bad the animas river was contaminated in Aug 2015 by the kings mine in Colorado..that was a horrible display of ineptitude by an out of state excavation co...
the Navajo tribe ..it completely destroyed their lands..it was such a horrible display of ineptitude..