Alltrikes

This mountain captures the spirit of New Mexico like no other.

On the first day of a trip up to Colorado, Paul and I flew up to ShipRock Peak, in the 4 Corners area of New Mexico. We followed the 6 mile long spine from the south, then circled the peak test for thermals and strong winds. Finding none, we flew over the top.

The experience was mind blowing.

There is a bit of ambiguity on the name. The nearby town is named “Shiprock”. US Geological Survey maps indicated the name of the mountain as “Ship Rock”, although I have seen it designated as “Shiprock Peak” elsewhere. I’ll compromise with ShipRock.

The mountain is volcanic neck, the remnant of a long dead volcano that erupted about 27 million years ago. The lava radiated outwards along cracks to create volcanic dykes that extend up to 6 miles at the surface. Years later, the soil eroded away to reveal the towering peak and dykes. From the air, ShipRock appears to me like a huge monster with three long tentacles. In Navajo mythology, ShipRock is a huge bird that was turned to stone.

I am surprised by the number of pilots I have met who have never visited the peak from the air. While the view from the ground is amazing, the experience pales in comparison with the prospective you gain by maneuvering around the peak in an aircraft. In my opinion, ShipRock is by far, the number one scenic spot for a flying trip in New Mexico. The Farmington airport is conveniently located for a trip. If you approach ShipRock in calm cool early morning air and maintain a wide berth, you should have no difficulties. However, I can’t begin to image the power of the thermals cracking off this beast in the afternoon on a hot summer day.

Music: Creative Commons Kai Engle - Paradigm Lost - Track 1: A Neon Flash used under cc by-nc 4.0