Yesterday I was back up the Santa Fe Basin fully loaded for another breathtaking trek. I wasn't kidding when I said breathtaking...huffing and puffing up the first two miles of the trail. It was narrow in some spots to eight inches wide and a sheer drop off the side. I was seriously wishing I had snow shoes on as veering off the trail by 2 inches sinks you into the snow a foot and a half...in my case up to my knee. It gets old after a while and I was feeling every step like The StairMaster from hell. I got all the way up to the base of Baldie and realized that I was the ONLY one on the mountain at this point. The sun was casting this incredible golden light over everything and I can kick myself for running out of battery on my camera. Still I got some good photos and am coming back next week for more. 

This trail was more difficult than Wheeler Peak in my opinion. Maybe it's because I'm fully loaded and the trail is narrower. Anyhow, going back down was tricky as the snow freezes late in the afternoon and all the ski tracks are now super slick. I slipped a few times and was happy there were plenty of trees to grab and break the fall otherwise I would be at the bottom of the mountain. Anyhow, the sunset on the mountain was magnificent but I was so beat at this point all I could think of was a nice cup of hot Chai in my hands and some hot food in my stomach. I drove straight to India House and rewarded my tired body with 3 cups of chai, Chicken Makhani, Peas Pallao and Garlic Naan…perfect ending to a perfect day..life is good :-D