We make the first human tracks in the arroyo just before noon on Thanksgiving.
I wear my husband’s waterproof pants, with two pairs of pants under them. My husband wears his dad’s waterproof pants. Combined with his windbreaker, they remind me of an astronaut suit. I guffawed when he put it on – not my smartest move, since this hike in a snowstorm was my idea.
We walk beneath a road overpass. The shift from tromping through eight inches of fresh snow to walking on dry concrete leaves my legs slicing through air.
The Rio Tesuque has mostly frozen over. A few channels bubble through the ice.
I’m almost warm when we climb out of the arroyo. Cold air greets our faces.
We climb a hill where my in-laws’ neighbors have a bench with a great view. My shins and hip flexors burn from moving through deep snow.
I expect the usual blue and beige and green of these hills, only with white.
Instead we step into a black-and-white photograph.
The sky presses low and gray, the junipers almost black under their white blanket. The barest line of beige peeks through the snow on the hills.
I’ve hiked on snow, but never in a snowstorm.
There’s nothing like it.
Hike length: 2 miles
Difficulty: moderate today, easy any other
Trail traffic: none
Wildlife spotted/heard: blue jays, towhee
Woman Seeks Elevation 