Hiking: Ice turns me back at the halfway point

Making my way through Embudito Canyon

Well, Saturday's hike on the Embudito Trail in the southern Sandias didn't turn out to be my fourth 10-miler after all. I suspected I might encounter some leftover snow and ice at the higher altitudes, but I was hoping it wouldn't turn me back from reaching the crest. In any case, I made it all the way through the gorgeous canyon to approximately the halfway point at the beginning of the first onset of thick Douglas Fir forest that is apparently what makes this hike spectacular.

At the two-mile point there was a clearing with an amazing view toward the east of pure Sandia wilderness. I felt like John Denver, and as I started to sing Rocky Mountain High at full volume, I realized I wasn't alone. Just then, a man in his sixties, and with him a man in his mid- to late-20s who appeared to be his grandson, crested the hill from the other direction.

The two were kind, and both wore bearded smiles. The older one came up the hill first. He was trucking along at a good clip, decked out in hard core surplus gear, a pair of ice spikes dangling on a piece of rawhide from his neck. The younger one was shirtless, well defined, and smoking a pipe. They seemed amused when I stopped singing abruptly and quickly engaged me in conversation about the beautiful weather.

Embudito got icy around 2.5 miles along

I commented on the ice spikes and asked if I'd be able to make it to the crest without them. They warned me of the slick conditions I'd hit once I made it down into thick pine forest about a half mile on. They said I still had a half mile or so to go before it became impassable without special gear. And they encouraged me to check it out, so I continued on, counting my steps to estimate the distance (and the old man was pretty spot on).

After being turned back by the ice as predicted, I arrived again at the clearing and found the two mountain men lunching on a big boulder nearby. They waved me over, and as I ate my PBJs the old man shared mountain lore while his grandson puffed on his pipe and smiled.

I left them there after a few moments, and as I was making my way back down the along the northern wall of the canyon, I got a bit ahead of myself and winded up slipping on a steep and gravely slope. I reached out on either side as my feet slipped from under me, grabbing a prickly cactus on one side and a sharp granite boulder on the other. Besides getting the wind knocked out of me and a quarter-inch long slice along my left thumb (which bled a surprising amount), I came out fairly unscathed.

Looking back, Embudito Canyon, returning to the trail head

At the end of the hike I had tons of energy and wanted to go another five miles, but I was bummed that I wasn't going to reach the crest as planned. So instead of meandering along the foothills, I went home and chilled with my pups, Remington and Diego.

I'm looking into a different plan for my next 10-miler since the one I posted on Friday night will likely have to wait a few weeks until the spring has had more time to work it's magic on the upper reaches of the mountain. But I WILL get a 10-mile hike in soon, preferably this coming weekend.

On a side note, I have wanted to buy ice spikes ever since I arrived here in January, but they cost about $60, and this move has kicked my budget's butt! I just got my 2011 dividend from REI, so I'm planning to check them out this weekend for a possible late season sale on winter equipment. That way I'll be prepared for next year!