Join me on a guided thru-hike

I will be leading the first guided thru-hike this summer, departing from Santa Fe Plaza on June 30th and going all the way through to Taos Plaza, arriving there on July 9th. So 12 days total. We will be going from 8 miles to 14 miles per day with up to 3,500 feet of ascent a couple of days. The mileage is designed to be more forgiving on days with a lot of ascent.

Spots on this trip are extremely limited. I only have room for four people.

Here’s our itinerary:

  • Day 1 (Saturday, June 28): Santa Fe Plaza to Winsor / Borrego Trail intersection. 13.4 miles, 3,000 feet ascent. (Link to Gaia route)
  • Day 2 (Sunday, June 29): Borrego/Winsor Trail intersection to Lake Katherine. 11.6 miles, 4,800 feel ascent. (Link to Gaia route)
  • Day 3 (Monday, June 30): Lake Katherine to Panchuela Creek field. 10 miles, 1,000 feet ascent. (Link to Gaia route)
  • Day 4 (Tuesday, July 1): Panchuela Creek field to Pecos Baldy Lake. 8 miles, 3,400 feet ascent. (Link to Gaia route)
  • Day 5 (Wednesday, July 2): Pecos Baldy Lake to Truchas Lakes. 8 miles, 1,800 feet. (Link to Gaia route)
  • Day 6 (Thursday, July 3): From Truchas Lakes, cross over Santa Barbara Divide into Carson National Forest. Go down West Fork Trail (25) and continue on to an existing campsite just short of the intersection of West Fork Trail and the Middle Fork of Rio Santa Barbara (link to Gaia route). 10 miles, 1,300 feet ascent. 
  • Day 7 (Friday, July 4): Campsite just short of intersection of West Fork Trail (25) and the Middle Fork of Rio Santa Barbara to Los Esteros. Resupply if necessary at the free day parking lots at Santa Barbara Campground (or medical evacuation). 8.6 miles, but 3,500 feet of ascent. (Link to Gaia route)
  • Day 8 (Saturday, July 5): Los Esteros to fields just short of FR 442 & off Ojitos Maes Trail. Resupply in Tres Ritos (or medical evacuation). (Link to Gaia route). 11.4 miles; 2,400 ft ascent. 
  • Day 9 (Sunday, July 6): Fields just short of FR 442 & off Ojitos Maes Trail to about 0.2 miles down Trail 124 west of the junction of Trail 124 and Forest Road FR 440. (Link to Gaia route) 10.6 miles; 1,679 feet ascent. 
  • Day 10 (Monday, July 7): About 0.2 miles down Trail 124 west of the junction of Trail 124 and Forest Road FR 440 to Bernardin Lake. If needed, resupply or medical evacuation at Bernardin Lake. 9.2 miles, 2,100 feet ascent (Link to Gaia route)
  • Day 11 (Tuesday, July 8): Bernardin Lake to fields on the far side of Rio Chiquito & FR 437, across from entrance to Drake Canyon. Resupply at the bridge over Rio Chiquito on FR 478 if necessary (or medical evacuation). 13.8 miles; 1,000 feet ascent. (Link to Gaia route)
  • Day 12 (Wednesday, July 9): fields on the far side of Rio Chiquito & FR 437, across from entrance to Drake Canyon to Taos Plaza. Resupply or medical evacuation if required either at the fields on the far side of Rio Chiquito at Drake Canyon, or at El Nogal parking lot. 13.0 miles; 2,100 feet ascent. (Link to Gaia route).

Cost: $3,000. Tax deductible.

What’s included:

  • A 30-minute Zoom call within a week or so after you’ve sent your 20% downpayment. This is so I can get to know you and your experience and capabilities, and so we can go over gear needs, training, and do a recap of what to expect.
  • A one-hour recorded group call one month before departure (so the week of May 28th) to go over what to expect, last-minute training and packing, and anything else you might want to know.
  • Training support if you need it, up to 30 minutes a week.
  • Gear if you need it. I have quite a few tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, sleeping pads, headlamps, water bladders — you get the idea. I cannot supply the most important item, which is boots. But if you’re mostly a day hiker and don’t want to invest $600-$1,000 in gear for this trip, I’ve got you covered.
  • Meals for the thru-hike. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Keep in mind that this is not going to be fancy food, but we do have enough resupply points to vary our meals, and to have a couple of nice surprises. That said, most of the time breakfast will be oatmeal with shaved almonds, brown sugar, and cinnamon plus Starbucks Via coffee. Lunch will be trail mix, nuts, dried fruit, protein bars and similar things. Dinner will be freeze-dried meals.
  • Accompaniment with a guide at all times. There will be two guides: Me plus another guide. We should also have a masseuse “on staff” for all or part of the trip. So if you have aches, those can be attended to.
  • As many creature comforts as I can reasonably afford you. So if you need extra socks, or want a slightly larger meal portion, or hiking poles, or blister pads, or even a sleep mask or sunscreen, I’ll do my best to get you what you need to make you happy. Fortunately, because of how many resupply points there are, we’ll have several opportunities to get specialized items if you need something. We want you to be happy and comfortable and have a great time.
  • A recommended reading list so you can have more context about what you’re seeing.
  • Access to my Garmin Inreach Mini. So if you really need to get a text out or receive a text while we’re in the woods, that is possible. Please do not abuse this. This is intended for important communications, but not to be used more than twice a day. If you expect you’ll need/want to send out texts regularly, it would be better for you to get your own device, though there is a fair amount of cell reception along the route.
  • Accompaniment by guides with either Wilderness First Responder certification (that’s me) or Wilderness First Aid certification.
  • A copy of the 2025 edition of the guidebook, shipped to you right after you complete the deposit.

What’s not included:

  • Transport to Santa Fe Plaza and transport from Taos Plaza. I cannot offer you a drive to or from your hotel or house. There is good public transportation to Santa Fe Plaza. And you can take the Blue Bus from Taos to Santa Fe to free.
  • Transport to and from any of the trailheads if you need to leave the trip. If we are at Santa Barbara Campground or north of it, I can arrange a pickup for you, but you are responsible for paying that. If you have an emergency and need to get off the thru-hike before then, your best bets are from the Ski Basin (you can take the Blue Bus from the Ski Basin to Santa Fe), at Panchuela Campground, or at Jack’s Creek Campground. There is no public transportation to and from Panchuela Campground or Jack’s Creek Campground, but there are some other options.
  • Your boots and the clothes you’ll wear on the trip.
  • Me or the other guide carrying more than a couple of pounds of your stuff. You will be able to pack a duffle bag of whatever you think you’ll need, and the duffle bag will be brought to you at 1) The Santa Fe Ski Basin 2) Panchuela Campground/trailhead 3) Santa Barbara Campground 4) the Rio Chiquito / FR 478 bridge.
  • Setting up and breaking down your tent, inflating your sleeping pad, and similar tasks.

TERMS

If I determine that you are unable to complete the full thru-hike by the time we get to the Santa Fe Ski Basin (so Day 2), you have to leave the trip. I cannot risk everyone else’s safety or risk us falling behind if you have not prepared physically for the trip. Note that once you have paid your deposit, I am available to give guidance on how you train for the thru-hike. While that may help, if you aren’t reasonably fit two months ahead of when we leave, you may not have enough time to be fit enough to do the thru-hike. I define “reasonably fit” as able to do a 7-mile hike with about 1,500 feet of elevation gain with a 15-lb pack on your back a sea level.

By securing your or someone else’s spot on this guided thru-hike, you agree to follow my directions while we’re on the trail. If you decide to leave the group, I am not responsible for what happens to you. If you become uncooperative or hostile to me, other staff, or the other group members, you will be brought to the next trailhead and offered a ride (that you will pay for) to wherever you wish to go, but you will not continue on the thru-hike with the group. If you get out-of-control drunk or high on the thru-hike, that will also be grounds for ending your participation on the thru-hike.

You will need to get a health history form completed by your doctor. This form will be sent after your initial deposit is made.

You will need to sign a liability waiver. This will be sent after your initial deposit is made.

PAYMENT TERMS

You must put at least 20% down to secure your spot.

You must pay an additional 50% a month prior to our departure (so by May 28th).

You must be paid in full no more than 2 weeks before our departure or you will lose your spot and half of the funds you have paid to date.

CANCELLATION POLICY

  • 80% refund on whatever you have paid so far if you cancel before May 17th, midnight US MNT time.
  • 50% refund on whatever you have paid so far if you cancel before May 28th, midnight US MNT time.
  • 25% refund on whatever you have paid so far if you cancel before June 14th, midnight US MNT time.
  • No refund on whatever you have paid so far after June 14th, midnight US MNT time.

Questions?

Email me at pam@santafetotaos.org with any questions. If it makes more sense for us to talk on a Zoom call, I’ll set that up for whenever is convenient for you.

Anti-discrimination statement

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution, The Santa Fe to Taos Thru-Hike, is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign Language) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD 3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; email: program.intake@usda.gov.