Covid-19 pandemic hike #8
We discussed whether to attempt this hike rated as "strenuous", or go to Tent Rocks, a hike rated as "moderate." We set off for Tent Rocks about 9:30 am only to discover it is a 110-mile round trip from Albuquerque and our car battery had less than a 100 miles to go. So, first stop: the Tesla supercharger. One hour later, we drove past Cochiti Pueblo to find the road open to local traffic only and a medical station doing Covid-19 testing at the entrance of the pueblo. To make sure we got the message, a large sign read "Tent Rocks National Monument - Closed."
Back to our first choice: Crest trail from Placitas, at the northern end of the Sandia mountains.
With all these miscalculations, we got to the trailhead extra late, just past noon, but still managed to hike just under five miles, in spite of the heat and wind. The Crest trail, which follows the whole length of the mountain, is 26 miles long. For the first couple of miles however, the trail rounds the northern end of the mountain and runs parallel to the valley, before starting its climb to the crest.
Found a new app: iNaturalist, a plant identifier. It tells me the flowers above are called Rose-heath or Baby white asters.
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