I have been making trips to Las Cruces, two hours to the southeast of where I live, to have various damaged veins in my legs treated (killed off). I dreaded having to lie around in a hotel and so was thrilled to learn that the post-procedure instructions included walking for fifteen minutes every hour. For this last round of treatments my sister from Houston decided to join me (she paid for a much nicer hotel than I would have) and so of course we needed to do some sightseeing, and I needed nicer places to walk than the parking lots I'd been frequenting.

We visited both sides of the knife-edged range known as the Organ Mountains east of Las Cruces, and to my infinite delight the area had just received a rare snow. This was likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. These mountains are more well known for their warmth, jutting up from the desert as they do, than any resemblance to the Alps; in fact one trailhead features a sign reminding hikers that people routinely die doing stupid things out there, and also to leave rattlesnakes alone because that is their home.

On this particular day, one would be more in danger of dying from hypothermia than heat or dehydration (if they weren't talked to death by my sis first). We visited both sidesin of the range and I found a place to camp during my next stay--no more parking lots for me! I hope you enjoy these rare views of a truly striking mountain range. Please forgive the redundancy, and the somewhat iffy focus. My camera is getting old.

Oh, and for those of you who know my photography and are shocked to see a human figure in the last image, that's my sister. She was not interested in joining me for my hourly walks, plus she's from Houston and not used to elevation of any sort.