Dear Friends of Skywalk,
I am pleased to announce that Skywalk 2018 went off without a hitch. It is likely that the Sandias will be closed to the public within the next couple weeks due to extreme fire danger, so we were fortunate in our timing. As expected, the entire trail was unusually dry. Not a lick of snow.
Here are some pictures of what turned out to be a trio of walkers this year: Chuck Hosking, Brant McGee, and myself. Brant McGee, 68, was training for an intensive 48 hour event in San Diego coming up in a couple weeks, so he carried an extra 30 lb metal weight in his pack. (He didn’t complain about it so it must have felt light compared to the load he carried as a medic in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.)
Chuck Hosking, 69, getting ready to drop his pack on South Peak (9’800) for a well-deserved break with Sandia Crest (10,700) in the background, and Albuquerque sprawled out below. Beyond the crest is the 10-mile descent into Tunnel Springs and Placitas.
Looking back on South Peak from Sandia Crest, with the Manzanos in the background.
Brant McGee and Chuck Hosking on the descent into Tunnel Springs overlooking Bernalillo.
On the descent into Tunnel Springs, we hear a remarkable story from Chuck about his birth (included above).
We wondered if Brant wanted to consider dropping the extra metal weight in his pack. He laughed.
The 10th Annual Skywalk will take place Saturday, May 11, 2019. The party will step off at 6AM from the Canyon Estates trailhead in Tijeras. According to Brant’s GPS watch, by taking the CCC trail out of Canyon Estates and scrambling down the Del Orno arroyo into Tunnel Springs, the length of Skywalk is reduced to 22 miles.
After 13 hours on the trail, we gathered, as always, at the Kaktus in Bernalillo and enjoyed some food together.
The day after the walk, I took Escue for a brief visit with Chuck Hosking. What was Chuck doing after walking across a mountain at 69? He had bicycled across town to help out in his friends’ garden, planting trees.
Hope to see you all next year!
Alex ‘Tele’ Limkin
In memoriam.
Colonel Ted Westhusing (1960-2005)