Hiking: Fifth 10-mile trip plan - 10K and Crest Trails

On top of Sandia 400+ pounds - I only dreamed of hiking!

This is my fifth and final 10-mile trip plan. After this trek, I will begin planning the capstone 20-mile hike as part of my goal to complete the Boy Scouts Hiking Merit Badge requirements. In case you're just checking in to this blog for the first time, I should mention that I'm not currently a Boy Scout. I quit when I was 14, but I believe strongly in the Boy Scouts Merit Badge curriculum and this is my way of finishing something I gave up on before I even got started.

In any case, on Saturday, Khizer and I will take I-40 west from downtown Albuquerque, begin to drive north from Tijeras on the Turquoise Trail and then take the Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway up the east side of Sandia Mountain to reach the trail head for the 10K Trail. This is the first 10-mile trek I'll take witha partner, so I'm excited about that. We plan to set out on the trail by 8:30 a.m. to begin our 10-mile hike.

Starting out heading north, we will hike a loop that includes the 10K Trail and portions of the North and South Crest trails. This will be a moderately strenuous hike, but much easier I think than my previous 10-mile trek along the South Crest and CCC trails. For the most part, the trails we take will be going along the elevation lines. At most, we will hike up and down about 600 feet of elevation. I'm not sure what the net elevation gain would be, but I'm sure it will not be anywhere near the 3,000 foot gain of last week.

We will pack lunch, snacks, and about five or six liters of water each. If we need to we will be able to refill our water bottles at the Upper Tram Terminal or the Crest House, as we will pass by these at around the mid-point of the day's hike. I expect the total time spent on the trail will be around six hours, and as always I will keep extra snacks and water in the truck in case we end up spending more time and energy on the trail than planned.

I'm extremely excited about this hike. The last few times I was on Sandia Crest I drove there or took the tram. I dreamed of hiking there, but at more than 400 pounds I could barely walk from the car to the lookout point without losing my breath - especially at the 10,000+ altitude, so I know I will feel a great sense of accomplishment once it's done. I think I'll also be excited about the prospect of now planning a 20-mile trek. I've been considering options already, but I think the time spent out there on the trail this Saturday will help me make up my mind. On that topic, I'll write more on Sunday. Until then...wish me luck!

Hiking: Ready to do my third 10-miler

Seven days ago I reported that I'd begun to suffer from plantar fasciitis. I took the problem seriously, seeking advice from a nurse practitioner, and I began icing my foot regularly and doing more stretching before and after activity. Despite last weekend's near perfect weather, I took two days off to treat my foot. Then, I began hiking again, limiting myself to about three or four miles each day in nearby Cat Rock Park. The foot's feeling a lot better, though I'm not at 100 percent. Still, I feel I'm ready to set out tomorrow on my third 10-mile hike.

For the most part, I will follow the trip plan outlined in a November 21 post titled "Hiking: Third 10-mile trip plan - Middlesex Fells, Skyline Trail with sections of Cross Fells and Rock Circuit". I will, however, make a few changes. The original plan includes a .08-mile spur to Bear Hill Tower. I will cut this part out and limit my hike to a fairly exact 10 miles. I will start out at the same parking lot mentioned in the original post, but I may head south from the Skyline Trail head instead of north so I can do the more challenging parts of the trail early on in the hike rather than saving them for the end.

I'm really looking forward to accomplishing this third 10-miler. Tomorrow's weather will be cold with "feels-like" temperatures in the high 30s, but fairly sunny (mostly cloudy until around noon and partly cloudy in the afternoon). I will set out on the trail at 9:30 a.m., which gives me about 6.5 hours to accomplish my 10-mile goal. If for some reason I'm running later than expected, I have planned out alternate routes where I can exit the reservation and continue hiking on lit streets, but I don't expect time to be an issue.

I plan on doing one more of these long hikes  here in Massachusetts before we move to Albuquerque at the end of the year. Then, I'll just have one more 10-miler and a 20-miler to do in order to satisfy the active portions of the BSA hiking merit badge requirements. I am fulfilling the other parts of the requirements - which is where a scout would normally discuss aspects of the requirements with a scoutmaster - in a thread, called Hiking 101. This thread will cover hiking safety, first aid, Leave No Trace hiking and hiking etiquette.