Set the controls for the heart of the sun! Or maybe just the summit. Should be sleeping right now, got a date in seven hours with God's Godawfuls. Sleep is overrated.
It's five o'clock somewhere and that means it's too early to go to bed. Never was a morning person no ways, would rather be going to bed as the sun was coming up than waking up. Speaking of the sun coming up, that's what these photos are from.
Or rather from hiking up Sun Mountain in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At 7200 feet above sea level, Santa Fe is the highest state capital in the US. Could explain why weed is legal there, everyone was already high.
In honor of our lowland origins, we decided to wait a few days before attempting it. The three mile hike only had 750 feet of elevation gain but it's best not to anger the altitude sickness gods.
The trail itself wasn't much to look at, which was good because you needed to keep both eyes on the cacti beside it. Lots of switchbacks and lots of great views.
Santa Fe may be the highest state capital but nearly everything around it is higher, it's pretty well surrounded by mountains. That extra 750 feet lets you see for miles and miles, or at least the next mountain.
There's plenty of those to see too, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Santa Fe National Forest are just east of Santa Fe. Sun Mountain is just outside of the national forest, the trail is at least partially on private land (the city got easements so hopefully nobody is shooting at trespassers).
This marks the summit of this post. Ought to mark the summit of the mountain too, with all the dips and rockpiles it's sometimes hard to tell which one is the most summit-y of them all.
Could have spent hours up there but one was about all we could take before we had to race the sun down the mountain.
But first, one last photo.
Looks like a great hike to me :) I envy you the vast no-man's lands the US and Canada. My country is not bursting with people like, say, Bangladesh, but we have a village every mile or two. When you leave one behind, you already see another.
I've only been to the Western Coast so far but a road-trip through the Midwest and then into the Rocky Mountains is definitely tempting :)
It was a blast, I really want to go back and do sunrise/sunset shots there. That's an interesting perspective, had never thought of it like that. I'd never been particularly fond of the Midwest because of its vastness (well and it's flatness), it was just a lot to drive through to get to the more interesting stuff. Can definitely see how that would be appealing though, I'm just from the mountains and hold a grudge against flat land :) If you don't mind my asking, what part of the planet do you call home?
The Rockies deserve a road trip all to themselves, spent several weeks wandering them in 2017 and could have spent ten times that and not come close to seeing enough of it. They're simply amazing.
I live in the Czech Republic and am about to relocate to Spain :)
If I go to the US, it would be like a 2 month trip across as many states as I could see :))
Ah, gotcha. Would love to visit both places but have yet to make it to either.
My 2017 trip ended up being 12 weeks of wandering the west, you can't go wrong with that. If you're ever looking for suggestions for places to visit, just hit me up.
I would definitely ask some Hiveans for suggestions, you're on the list now :)) Thanks!
Ha! Man that brings back some hazy memories.
Your title cut through some of my haze! hahaha
I was wondering if anyone would pick up on the reference to the days of Syd.
Lol, Live at Pompeii was for coming up, the Led Zeppelin DVD was for coming down.
looks like an awesome walk with such beautiful views
I am the opposite to you I like to be gettign up early before the sunrises
Thanks for joining the Wednesday Walk
have a great day
It was amazing, even if we did have to go slow because of the altitude.
Lol, photography is one of the few reasons I'll drag myself out of bed before the sun rises.
You do the same!
indeed I do, well to be honest not so much in Winter, as I get older I feel the cold more, plus with having had a sinus infection I havent bene out with my camera for a week
Santa Fe looks good and the mountain too
This surrounding is so soothing to the eyes
Really nice…
It's an amazing place. Me and my partner jokingly refer to it as the 'real world' and keep asking each other when can we go back.
Thank you!
Thank ya!
The mountains really looks so nice
It seems it was patronised by a lot of people there
They were glorious, I'm a little annoyed I'm not there still.
We passed several people on the trail but it was still far less traffic than one in say a state or national park.
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Sweet, thanks so much!
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