I don’t know what they mined here, but it’s precious

We stepped off the trail just in time for two mountain bikers to whiz past.

“Just out enjoying a beautiful spring day!” one called to us, laughing.

It’s Dec. 28. One minuscule patch of snow graces the Sandia foothills in Placitas. I was hiking in short sleeves.

We were soaking up the sun and the breeze on the Strip Mine Trail.

What they mined there, I can’t say. The Sandia Mountain Hiking Guide promised an abandoned mine. We never saw one. But we soon saw, amid the pinon-juniper hills, veins of deep red and purple earth winding through the arroyos.

At points the rocks underfoot were black and hollow.

An unmarked side trail took us higher, a minefield of loose rock all the way.

As we climbed, Cabezon Peak quickly came into view on the horizon, then White Mesa, the Jemez Mountains, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Mount Taylor and the green mesa tops on Santa Ana Pueblo.

We reached a clearing where the trail led deeper into the evergreen-dotted hills.

A bird of prey swooped over a canyon, wings fully extended, intricate patterns on display. We watched it until it flew behind a ridge. My husband pulled out the binoculars and waited for it to reappear, but it never did.

We climbed higher, nearing 7,000 feet, the wind picking up and growing cooler. Still, the sun kept me comfortable.

On our way back, we explored part of a side trail, trying to figure out how all the pieces of the trail network fit together.

This hike was an unexpected gift, a Thursday afternoon in the last week of the year alight with sun and wind, coolness and warmth, blue and green and red and purple.

The real gift – the blanket of snow that will keep the cycle going – has yet to arrive.

Hike length: 4.5 miles

Difficulty: moderate

Trail traffic: moderate

Wildlife spotted: bluejays, mystery hawk or falcon, crows