It definitely was a new experience to wake up to find that the water bottle that I left outside was completely frozen solid. Fortunately I still had the water bottle that was in my sleeping bag, so it didn't take long before I had water boiling for some peaches and cream oatmeal to get me going. I broke down camp, policed the area for any trash, and headed off along trail as the sun was peaking over the mountains. I decided to head to Reef Rock and try to keep to some of the back areas, but still close enough to the main trails until I decided what to do about where the crash for the night. Although it hadn't snowed in several days, it was still everywhere, however the trail was also quite easy to find just by paying attention to various signs in the woods and even following the main animal tracks. Pretty much every few feet there were various animal tracks large and small that were criss-crossing the trail.
The meadows were very lovely and the view along a few spots quite incredible. When driving up the previous morning we saw some jack rabbits and coyote, however for the trip, I never really saw anything. Very near Mica Meadow and Reef Rock, I did see a 4-5 point young buck and was able to stay still and enjoy watching him for a while.
Reef Rock itself had pretty much the best view of the park since it was the leading edge of the mountain, those much higher than the surround area to the east by at least 1500 feet. After a leaving this spot I headed to Mica Mountain and then onto Spud Rock. Spud Rock was just off the trail and I didn't see any paths that lead up, so I had to do a bit of scrambling along the steep, very slippery rock to get to the top, though of course found an easier way down.
After Spud Rock I had to decide if I would stay at Manning Camp or head towards the main section of the park. Originally I planned to to Ricon Peak and stay the first night at then Happy Valley site and then stay at Manning on the second, but since I was already nearby by mid-day, I figured I'd push on to where I had planned to stay the last night, Juniper Basin campground.
I wasn't expecting the tough climb down and up through Cow Head Saddle on the way to Tanque Verde Peak. Overall it was a little under 13 miles between the two campgrounds.
It definitely was a new experience to wake up to find that the water bottle that I left outside was completely frozen solid. Fortunately I still had the water bottle that was in my sleeping bag, so it didn't take long before I had water boiling for some peaches and cream oatmeal to get me going. I broke down camp, policed the area for any trash, and headed off along trail as the sun was peaking over the mountains. I decided to head to Reef Rock and try to keep to some of the back areas, but still close enough to the main trails until I decided what to do about where the crash for the night. Although it hadn't snowed in several days, it was still everywhere, however the trail was also quite easy to find just by paying attention to various signs in the woods and even following the main animal tracks. Pretty much every few feet there were various animal tracks large and small that were criss-crossing the trail. 
The meadows were very lovely and the view along a few spots quite incredible. When driving up the previous morning we saw some jack rabbits and coyote, however for the trip, I never really saw anything. Very near Mica Meadow and Reef Rock, I did see a 4-5 point young buck and was able to stay still and enjoy watching him for a while.
Reef Rock itself had pretty much the best view of the park since it was the leading edge of the mountain, those much higher than the surround area to the east by at least 1500 feet. After a leaving this spot I headed to Mica Mountain and then onto Spud Rock. Spud Rock was just off the trail and I didn't see any paths that lead up, so I had to do a bit of scrambling along the steep, very slippery rock to get to the top, though of course found an easier way down. 
After Spud Rock I had to decide if I would stay at Manning Camp or head towards the main section of the park. Originally I planned to to Ricon Peak and stay the first night at then Happy Valley site and then stay at Manning on the second, but since I was already nearby by mid-day, I figured I'd push on to where I had planned to stay the last night, Juniper Basin campground. 
I wasn't expecting the tough climb down and up through Cow Head Saddle on the way to Tanque Verde Peak. Overall it was a little under 13 miles between the two campgrounds.
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