Shoutout to the guy who helped me find a secret trail in the Sandias

I've been hiking up in the Sandias for like two years now, but I always stuck to the main paths like Pino or Embudito because I didn't know any better. Last weekend I ran into this older fella at the Elena Gallegos parking lot who saw me studying my phone map with that confused look (you know the one). He just pointed at a faint path near the picnic tables and told me to follow it about a quarter mile before it hooks up with a route that has way better views and maybe 10% of the crowds. I was skeptical at first but I tried it and he was totally right. It cut out that long switchback section I always hate and saved me probably 20 minutes on the way down. Has anyone else found hidden access points like that around the foothills or am I the last person to figure this out?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_chen617d ago

Think of how many things in life have these hidden shortcuts nobody talks about. I found a less crowded bus stop on the way downtown that saves me ten minutes every morning just by walking one block over. Same deal with finding the quieter line at the grocery store or the back way to the highway when everyone else is stuck at the main light. It's like people get so used to the obvious path they never look around for something better. You just gotta pay attention or get lucky enough to run into someone who already did the work.

rosek4417d agoMost Upvoted

Found this one grocery store where the self checkout lane is always empty. Everyone piles into the regular lines. Walked past it for six months before I noticed. Now I'm in and out in five minutes flat.