For Fitness, Albuquerque, New Mexico is Number One.

by Jamie Rhein on

Albuquerque, New Mexico has hit number one in Men’s Fitness magazine’s top 10 list for the city where the people are the fittest. I’m not surprised. I used to live there and it seemed every weekend there was some charity race, bicycle ride, swimming event or another enticement to get one’s body in motion. This Sunday is the Sweetheart Run to benefit Big Brothers/Big Sisters, for example.If you go to the Albuquerque Roadrunners website you’ll find a calendar that lists each month’s local, area and national runs.

One organized cycling race I found is the Lobo Classic, March 3-4. For other cycling events, check out New Mexico Cycling. There are also mountain-biking trails a-plenty.

With the Sandia Mountains to the east and the mesa to the west, in the winter it is often possible to go cross-country or downhill skiing and golfing on the same day. The east side of the mountains stays snowy at the top often well into March while down in the city, the temperatures are generally warm enough to comfortably run and bike ride year-round.

Hiking in the Sandias is as easy as grabbing a water bottle and a snack and driving to the edge of Albuquerque where some of the trail heads are. Try the Pino Trail. In minutes, after a couple of switchbacks, the rush of life is left behind. I seem to remember that this trail will link with another one that heads to the top, and once there—what a view! For a list of Sandias hikes try this link from the Great Outdoors.

One of my friends suggested one summer that we hike up the mountain before dark and hike down by the full moon. Neat idea but we didn’t take into account that the moon has to crest the mountain before it lights up the trail. We had to wait at the top until well after midnight before it was light enough to see to hike down. Luckily, the guy who managed the gift shop let us hang out there after we bought T-shirts since the ones we had on were soaked with perspiration. After dark the temperature does a nosedive-another small factor we forgot.

If you are in Albuquerque and want to get fit, be warned, the city is a mile high and the top of the Sandias is a mile more. Drink plenty of water and take time to get acclimated to the altitude.

Here’s a guide to more outdoor activities that Albuquerque has to offer.

Senator Luger Proposes Ban on Cell Phones and iPods In Crosswalks

by Willy Volk on

After a pedestrian using an MP3 player was struck and killed in a crosswalk in New York, Senator Carl Kruger announced plans to introduce legislation that would ban people from using an MP3 player, cell phone, Blackberry or any other electronic device while crossing the street in either New York City or Buffalo. The proposed law would make talking on cell phones while crossing the street comparable to jaywalking, which as we all know, is a highly enforced law. According to Kruger, “While people are tuning into their iPods and cell phones, they’re tuning out the world around them.”

Next up: Kruger plans to ban pedestrians from chatting with their friends, looking at birds, reading street signs, and daydreaming.

Unique Tourism: Mock Illegal Border Crossings

by Jonathon Morgan on

Ever wanted a taste of life as an illegal immigrant? Try a nighttime hike in the Hñahñu Indians’ Parque EcoAlberto, guided by a man in black clothes and a ski mask.

“The idea here is to raise people’s consciousness about what immigrants go through,” according to tour guide Alfonso Martinez. But, while many of the guides at Parque EcoAlberto have indeed crossed the border, this park, 700 miles from the actual crossing, is tame in comparison. Mock Border Patrol give chase with sirens and lights, and the hikers are warned to hit the ground if they hear gunshots, but it’s all for show — the only real risk posed to the border-crossing tourist is a sprained ankle.

About 3,000 tourists have taken the hike since 2004, but what about you? Any interest in walking the path of an illegal immigrant?

Missing Tourist Found After 8 Days On Indonesian Mountain

by Jonathon Morgan on

Franz Resch, a 46-year-old tourist from Austria, left his hotel on January 23 to climb the Sibayak Mountain. 8 days, and one rescue operation later, he was found alive in a village in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province.

After Resch’s hotel declared him missing, rescue workers found his boots, soft drink cans, books and mattress, but couldn’t locate the lost tourist. When villagers finally discovered him, they reported it to local police, who immediately took Resch to the hospital.

According to local police, he “is very weak.”

Being lost alone in the mountains must be a harrowing experience. After surviving this long, we can only hope Resch goes on to make a full recovery.

Symbiot Sportback Review

by Erik Olsen on

Way back last summer I ruminated on the need for a decent backpack that doesn’t flop all over the place. And perhaps one that is comfortable to boot. This need comes not just from days paddling and having to reach into my cockpit for gear, but also when I’ve been mountain biking, skiing and hiking. And I called attention to the Symbiot Sportback, which I thought seemed to fulfill this need fairly well.

Well, the other day I got my hands on one of these gems and during the stretch of unseasonably warm days we had here recently, got a chance to try it out. My answer: very nice, with reservations. The pack is very well-designed and about the most comfortable pack I’ve ever worn. Instead of hanging over your shoulders, this pack has straps that wrap around your torso and then clip in front. The back is padded with the kind of meshy, well-architected padding you find on top end hiking packs. There are little pockets and storage areas around the pack, with a small pair of them upfront for a cell phone, GPS, flashlight or ipod (albeit probably a mini), and several larger, compartmental pockets in back, two of which zip and appear to be nicely water resistant. The pack is particularly suitable for paddling.

My main complaint is there is not THAT much room in these pockets and so carrying anything like a laptop computer or, say, the L-M volume of Encyclopedia Britannica is probably out of the question. But there is ample space for food, a notebook, GPS receiver and some other gear. In all honestly, there was plenty of room for my day paddle around the river, and I plan to bring along the Sportback when I head to Norway this summer.

So if you’re in the market for something different in the backpack arena, I highly recommend you check this out.