Hawk Watch Trail

The Hawk Watch trail is a side trip off the Three Gun Spring trail in the foothills of the Sandias just East of our house.  In April, it's a popular place to watch the raptor migrations.  I thought I'd give it a go to see how strenuous it is and be prepared to go up next spring when it will be crowded with bird watchers.
On a Wednesday in July, there were only two other hikers.  It was a somewhat hazy, cloudy day, unusual for Albuquerque (but we're in an El Nino monsoon season), and it was around 88 degrees in the city; cooler the higher I went.  The trail is only about 2 miles long but climbs about 1200 feet over that distance.  There are stone and wood steps in places, and the recent rains have caused quite a bit of erosion, making it a bit more challenging.  The views were spectacular, but I had to stop to catch my breath a few times, and I drank a lot of water along the way.