Barefooting New Mexico – Grand Finale Adventure

With five peaks down, there was no way I was going to not finish the Six Pack NM challenge, although I had only one day left on my schedule, and no opportunities to return to New Mexico this year.  So it was back to the Aspen Basin ski area, but this time with a more leisurely start including cappuccino and breakfast burrito which is a nice way to hit the trail since most of the time I am hiking in fasted state (good for promoting metabolic health).

After complaining about how rocky all the trails are in New Mexico, this time I lucked out as the Ravens Ridge trail up to Deception Peak was just lovely, running through a spruce forest, the trail was soft and covered with needles — a barefoot hiker’s delight.  I made it to the vast grassy expanse on Deception Peak, said hello to a ham radio operator packing up and confirmed, when he exclaimed at my bare feet, that actually he was hallucinating due to altitude, which he accepted.

Glanced out at Lake — it wasn’t far away, about 0.5 miles, and I could see hikers standing on the rocky summit.  Although the jagged ridge crest did not look inviting.  I go to the bouldering gym and have basic proficiency, but also I have a respectable fear (terror) of heights, and scrambling in bare feet on sharp fractured rocks and debris is a delicate operation, but without a second thought I headed out and soon got stuck.  Down below me, someone was walking nonchalantly, while someone else appeared directly across from where I was perched and explained there was an easier “low line.”  But how to get down there?  I was feeling really uncomfortable, and looking at the hikers atop the pointy summit of Deception decided I did not even want to be there.  Put on my shoes, returned to Deception, strode down the mountain and after 1/2 mile realized I’d missed the turn, and now I was mad at myself for being non-observant and stupid on top of chickening out really easy.  Especially when it wasn’t even noon.

So I returned to Deception, watched a hiker taking a different track which led down to the “low line” and it didn’t seem very difficult, so I followed her, took off my shoes, and began the official barefoot ascent of Lake.  And honestly, although I stopped every few moments to check the AllTrails app, my watch, the sky (in case of clouds), etc., in fact it wasn’t at all difficult, following the right track, to reach the top.  And there I hung out with some young hikers who were chillin’ on the summit.

The return trip was a breeze.  I frequently have a harder time descending than climbing because without shoes you have to lower yourself down each step carefully since pointy rocks are unforgiving, but Ravens Ridge was just as pleasant going down as up.  What a nice way to end my NM adventure!

Except for a small “bushwhack” peak called Aspen Peak not far from the trail, and it wasn’t much of a bushwhack since an unofficial but very clear trail led right to the aspen-shrouded top, only now the thunder was starting to crack.  Flash-to-bang:  5 seconds.  From the summit, I ran back to the trail, and yes you can run barefoot on mountain trails wend they wind through forests and are soft and springy underfoot.  Flash-to-bang: 2 seconds.  With less than a mile to the parking area, it started to rain and hail.  I stopped to put on shoes.  Ran .75 miles getting soaked.  And on the drive out — the temperature dropped from 80 F to 40 F in a flash, and the road was covered in white sheets.  Made it out to Santa Fe and celebrated with another cappuccino.

By the way, Aspen Peak brought me to 559 on my lifetime goal to summit 1,000 peaks without shoes.  Onwards!