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Kevin's Backpacking Site

Welcome to my backpacking site.

You have to bring all the items below if you go hiking.

FIRST AID
Anyone going out alone into the woods without a first aid kit is crazy.

STEELWIRE
Always bring a short piece of steel wire, it is very useful if something needs to be fixed.

MOSQUITO PROTECTION
Mosquitoes are the one thing that suck with the outdoors, bring something they don't like such as mosquito coils.

CAMPING SAW
It's good to have a camp saw. Normally you just use it to cut firewood but sometimes you need it make a shelter in case of an emergency.

WATER
A lot of people are switching to those hydration systems that have a bag of water with a hose that you drink out of, I would never trust my life on that, too many things that can break. Just use a sturdy plastic bottle such as a plastic US Army canteen or similar, they cost around 1 dollar and are absolutely perfect.

BACKPACKING STOVE
You need to carry a wood powered stove with you. If you are using a propane or other type of fuel stove like most backpackers do, you are without a stove once you run out of fuel, if you are using a wood stove you will never run out of fuel. But be careful, I have seen some backpacking wood stoves that use battery operated fans!!? That defeats the whole purpose, when you run out of batteries you cant use your stove. Plus you've got electric circuitry and complex mechanisms to worry about. The only wood powered backpacking stove I've come across is the Trailstove by Stratus, I have one myself, it cooks a bit slower than a propane stove but I'm carrying less weight in my pack and I know it will always work. If you know of an even better stove please let me know about it and I'll put it on my web site.

Make emergency snowshoes

Making a pair of emergency snowshoes to get to safety is extremely simple. It's surprising how many people try to get to safety in knee deep snow and drop from exhaustion.

Find two stocky branches about 3 feet long with plenty of small branches and plenty of green, preferably from a fir tree but other trees will do if there are no firs in the area.

Tie one branch to each foot at the front end of the branch. Thread the string through something on the front of your boot otherwise your foot will slip out of the binding. Make sure your foot can swivel enough to walk, the snowshoe should drag on the snow slightly in the back.

That's it, you're ready to go!

El Morro National Monument

Ramah, NM

"Inscription Rock" is a soft sandstone monolith, rising 200 feet above the valley floor, on which are carved hundreds of inscriptions. The monument also includes pre-Columbian petroglyphs and Pueblo Indian ruins.

CONTACTS

Email - ELMO_Superintendent@nps.gov

Fax- 505-783-4689

Write to
El Morro National Monument
Rt. 2, Box 43
Ramah, NM 87321-9603

Phone
Visitor Information - 505-783-4226

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
Daily, summer: Visitor Center: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Trails: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; winter: Visitor Center: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Trails: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed December 25 and January 1.

Getting There
CAR - 56 miles southeast of Gallup, NM via Highways 602 and 53; 42 miles southwest of Grants, NM via Highway 53.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - No public transportation to the area.

Weather & Climate
Winters can be cold, with snow and wind. Summers are hot with possible thunder showers.

Accessibility
The parking lot, picnic tables, campground, and visitor center are wheelchair accessible. The Inscription Rock Trail is paved and wheelchair accessible with assistance. The Mesa Top Trail is not.

FEES/PERMITS

Entrance Fee
INDIVIDUAL
$2 for 7 Days

VEHICLE
$4 for 7 Days

CAMPING

El Morro
Open All Year
One nine site campground located in the park. Sites are first-come, first-served. Fees charged during summer months.

FACILITIES

Visitor Centers
EL MORRO NATIONAL MONUMENT
Open All Year 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone - 505-783-4226
Location - 56 miles southeast of Gallup, NM via Highways 602 and 53; 42 miles southwest of Grants, NM via Highway 53.
Special Programs - A 15 minute videotape gives an introduction to the park. Arts and crafts demonstrations by local artisans are usually offered once per month during the summer.
Exhibits - The museum has exhibits on the 700 years of human activity at El Morro.
Available Facilities - Restrooms, drinking water.

Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service

FIRST AID	Anyone going out alone into the woods without a first aid kit is crazy.
STEELWIRE	Always bring a short piece of steel wire, it is very useful if something needs to be fixed.
MOSQUITO PROTECTION	Mosquitoes are the one thing that suck with the outdoors, bring something they don't like such as mosquito coils.
CAMPING SAW	It's good to have a camp saw. Normally you just use it to cut firewood but sometimes you need it make a shelter in case of an emergency.
WATER	A lot of people are switching to those hydration systems that have a bag of water with a hose that you drink out of, I would never trust my life on that, too many things that can break. Just use a sturdy plastic bottle such as a plastic US Army canteen or similar, they cost around 1 dollar and are absolutely perfect.
BACKPACKING STOVE	You need to carry a wood powered stove with you. If you are using a propane or other type of fuel stove like most backpackers do, you are without a stove once you run out of fuel, if you are using a wood stove you will never run out of fuel. But be careful, I have seen some backpacking wood stoves that use battery operated fans!!? That defeats the whole purpose, when you run out of batteries you cant use your stove. Plus you've got electric circuitry and complex mechanisms to worry about. The only wood powered backpacking stove I've come across is the Trailstove by Stratus, I have one myself, it cooks a bit slower than a propane stove but I'm carrying less weight in my pack and I know it will always work. If you know of an even better stove please let me know about it and I'll put it on my web site.