I've mentioned that mountains and hiking are my "happy place." Kelvin either also enjoys hiking or lies and humors me (but is in great shape), so he's been game to do some serious trail walking on our adults-only trips.
For our Wednesday outing, I selected a moderate-strenuous ~14-mile hike with a 3,000 feet elevation gain (La Luz Trail) for us to do in the Sandia Mountain Wilderness about 25 minutes northeast of Albuquerque (Sandia is Spanish for "watermelon," as the mountains sometimes appear pinkish during sunsets).
For our Wednesday outing, I selected a moderate-strenuous ~14-mile hike with a 3,000 feet elevation gain (La Luz Trail) for us to do in the Sandia Mountain Wilderness about 25 minutes northeast of Albuquerque (Sandia is Spanish for "watermelon," as the mountains sometimes appear pinkish during sunsets).
We naturally (thanks, kids!) woke up early and were glad to get out in the morning cooler temperatures, as it was another scorching desert day out here. We were so thankful for signs and an extremely well-marked trail this time (compared to our recent trip in the Trinity Alps!).
We transitioned into a different, cooler micro-climate.
Some wildlife (photographed for Iver): spot the lizard
The scenery, including views over Albuquerque from elevation, were really stunning!
View of the Upper Tram (end of La Luz Trail)
We hiked for about four hours to reach the summit of Sandia Crest, at 10,678 feet (hiking at that altitude was tiring!), and ate our packed lunch.
The vistas were amazing!
It took us about two hours and forty-five minutes to descend, as it was really warming up and our legs and feet were TIRED (this was our longest hike in a long while and sometimes we forget that we're almost forty years old!)
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful way to spend a day outdoors in New Mexico. Thanks, Sandia Mountains!
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