Spirit Lake

After a full week of no exercise, and lots of sleep, I was feeling pretty good. Seriously, the most exercise I got was a 2-mile walk along the river, followed by a 2.5-hour nap; which convinced me that I really was sick and needed to rest. So now that I'm feeling ready to get out, what better way to spend the weekend than by throwing a 30lb pack on my back and hiking up a mountain? It may not be your idea of fun, but it sounds like a great weekend to me.

Vixen had been just as lethargic as me for a few weeks, so she needed some cheering up. And this is also her idea of a great weekend.

 

We started at the trailhead by the Santa Fe ski area (lower left on map), and hiked about 6 miles into Spirit Lake along trail 254. Spent the night there and came back the same way. As you can see on the map, there's a whole network of trails out there, so it would be nice to go back and try some of the other trails. We've hiked from this trailhead before on snowshoes in winter, but it turns out that it's also quite nice in the summer.

 
Two pieces of advice if you decide to do a similar hike: Don't forget the bug spray and remember that nights in the mountains are cold!