The Definition of Insanity

By all accounts if you continue to do the the same behavior over and over and expect a different outcome you are lacking in sanity.

Faithful readers will remember it was only last week that Gaius Derf, faithful hiking companion (since Wild Bill seems to have gone to earth recently), and I were dying in the 3 miles, 700 foot climb from hell to get back to our car at the end of our climb up the La Luz trail. As were finishing the ordeal, I made some sarcastic comment to Derf to the effect that I never had these kinds of experiences when I hiked by myself. Then I amended my statement by clarifying that I also had these experiences when I hiked with Wild Bill to which Derf ominously said:

"And the common demonimator would be????"

Let's fast foward to Saturday. I have proposed a lovely hike that I wrote about last year that starts on the other side of the mountain on the Cienaga Trail (2.2 miles, 1720 foot climb). This is the only real hard climbing part. Then you reach the Crest Trail follow it finally descending in a loop that ends up being 11 miles all together. But this is much less difficult than what we did last week and is wonderfully covered with trees and shade. I brought plenty of water and food. What could go wrong?

Look at this. How bucolic. A lovely. It's going to be a great day.

Gaius Derf making great work as we ascend

The weather had called for 87 degrees and a 30% chance of rain. In Albuquerque, they are always predicting rain with rarely a drop in sight. As we got higher and toward the crest line, all the ground and plants were wet, it got darker and darker. Colder too.

When we reached the crest line we found this.



That's lots of clouds, wind picking up and rain approaching. About this time we got socked in. The temperature was in the 50's, it was raining. I wasn't taking too many pictures as we were focused on getting through it. Our boots had so much water in them when you took a step little spouts came out the shoe lace holes. In my mind, as I put layer upon layer on until all were used up, I was saying to myself, "now I know how people die of hypothermia in the middle of summer."

I did have time to snap this of Derf yelling
"What have you got me into this time!"

With the cold and wet we didn't stop until we reached our start. It's the first time that I've gone 11 miles in the mountains without some sort of rest stop to get off my feet. With the fighting to stay warm, I was beat. (I think I say that every week). But it all the weather had blown over and we were actually stripping layers by the time we reached the last section of the hike.