Despite the fact that New Mexico has some of the flattest land in the world, it also offers some of the most rugged mountains. Some of these mountains are extensions of the Rockies and feature pine forests, lush meadows, and fish-packed rivers and streams. But that's not the ruggedness we speak of. The real rough stuff lies in the southeastern regions, where short mountain ranges are interspersed with high plateaus and plains. Areas devoid of streams and towering pines, where even cacti struggle to survive. It's this portion of the state where you'll find the roughest trails in the country, and not surprisingly, it's also home to the Las Cruces Four Wheel Drive Club's annual Chile Challenge.
Held yearly over the fourth week in February, the Chile Challenge is a recess from the Southwest Four Wheel Drive Association's Winter Quarterly Meeting. Once the minutes are read and the land rights defended, enthusiasts from 33 different 4WD clubs representing five states, along with hundreds of visiting 'wheelers, take to the trails of the San Diego and Doa Ana mountains and the ever-popular Chile Canyons within the Robledo Mountain ORV Park. The trails range from extreme waterfall climbs to pleasant strolls through sand-bottom arroyos, each offering its share of spectacular views and challenging terrain.
This year's event was held February 21-24 and was met by fabulous weather, despite what the meteorologists had predicted. The sun was shining, and the 'wheelers were smiling, as they aired down to nothing and hit the trails. We met up with a good cross section of rigs and landed on Patzcuaro's Revenge where the first waterfall tested the skills of even the most competent drivers. Once the entire group had conquered or winched over the falls, endless amounts of boulders and rock ledges hindered the path, leaving the group to push their vehicles to the point of breakage, simply to make it back to camp to do the same thing the following day.
We got a late start the next morning, but it gave us a greater appreciation of what the vehicles endured. After a short, but treacherous hike up Rocotillo Rapids (we left the flip-flops in the rental car, luckily), we met up with the trail convoy, held up by blown tires, boogered U-joints, and gnarled driveshafts. Rocotillo was no walk in the park, and it wasn't going to let a soul get away without less than a scratch, something our shorts-wearing crew quickly discovered.
The day came to a close, and we headed back to the Las Cruces State Fairgrounds where most of the participants had already gathered for an evening BBQ and raffle. Although many still had a day of 'wheeling ahead of them, we made our exit and got to the airport just in time to wait for a plane to carry us back to California. We'd done the desert. Or maybe the desert did us. Either way, we'd fallen in love with New Mexico and the Chile Canyons and were reveling in the camaraderie that's inherent to your first time on a trail. It was rugged out there for sure. Lucky for us, that's exactly how we like it.