Welcome to the wildland-urban interface

We’re on a winding trail in the national forest.

We’re also, suddenly, staring into the floor-to-ceiling windows of a high-end home just a few feet away.

On our right, more homes proliferate. Cul-de-sacs sprout. A new subdivision, foundations poured, rises from the earth.

On our left, boulders upon boulders, rising to the mountain. A symphony of tweets rises from birds among the rocks, though we can’t see a single one.

Today’s hike was the most blatant display we’ve ever seen of the “wildland-urban interface” – the increasing number of places where people have built homes and community centers amid wildlife habitats and wild forests. That zone is ground zero in wildfire science and much more.

We were on the Foothills Trail at the spot where the Sandia Mountains begin to rise from the earth. Pinon, juniper, dry arroyos, tons of mountain bikes.

The trail kept its form and style as it entered the housing zone, rising and falling, bending sharply. But at times, it looked like we were entering someone’s backyard. An enormous marker shouted out the trail number to reassure us that we really were on a hiking trail.

The juxtaposition didn’t make the landscape any less beautiful. It was just surreal.

On the way back, we took a side trail that detoured into a canyon. It was the day after a huge windstorm, and while it didn’t bring any precipitation to Albuquerque, the sky and air were brighter and crisper than they’ve been in months. The thin film of dust that’s hung  in the air since November had disappeared. The intense green of densely forested canyon walls sloped into many shades of gray rock, then into a sky that seemed to pulse with blue.

We could see all the landmarks: Mount Taylor, White Mesa, Cabezon Peak, the arrowhead Sierra Ladrones ridge. Two balloons hovered over the West Mesa.

We saw a single house, barn and stock tank far away, deep in the canyon. They looked like they’d been there forever.

Or at least since the urban-wildland interface began.

Hike length: 5.7 miles

Difficulty: moderate

Trail traffic: moderate, lots of mountain bikes

Wildlife spotted: sparrows, jay

P.S. Thank you, Fat Boys on Mountain Bikes (FBOMB) for making today’s hike possible!