| I had visited the crest at least on two prior occasions, but 6/10/00 was the first full "hike" to the crest I completed. I use "hike" in parentheses because Leah and I hiked the shoulder paved road from the East side from a point about 7 miles down. We used the road because all trails in New Mexico were closed due to the Los Alamos fire a few weeks previous. I had since summited the crest via several routes a number of 5 times in addition to this first time, the last of which was in June 2001, when I climbed "The Thumb" on the ascent to add in an extra challenge to the La Luz trail - a 15 mile round-trip hike. The thumb is featured prominently on the right from the last visit to this highpoint. The thumb had plenty of exposure, and was not exactly a complete success. Our first hike to the crest went OK as far as roads go, and we managed a hike in the "hiking not permitted" period.
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On the left, the crest is visible from near the end of the La Luz trail, just before the cement staircase. This hike would certainly be a lot more interesting had this feature not been installed. The top is similar to Pikes Peak or Mount Evans; when you arrive at the highest point after hours of work, people are stepping out of their cars next to you. At least there is some satisfaction that most people are not aware they are visiting the highest point in the county (or that they have never contemplated counties actually having a highest point). This peak served me well as a training ground for harder hikes and climbs in Colorado.
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| Leah and I hiked several trails in the Sandias, including the Embudito trail from which the photo on the right of Sandia Crest was taken. The Sandias define Albuquerque - rugged yet somewhat refined; definitely unique.
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