As a resident of Northern NM, the Heart Attack Loop FKT offered a neat opportunity to explore a new area of the state, Cloudcroft and the Lincoln National Forest. The road access to the trail was easy and the forest service roads well maintained. A sweet little spot in a dispersed camping area on the Alamo Peak Road near the Rim Trail 5 trailhead made for an easy jumping off point for the FKT.
The loop started on road and then dropped onto the Alamo Peak Trail. Next was a slow, dusty, uphill plod up a gravel FS road to the Heart Attack Canyon trailhead. Heart Attack Canyon delivered steep slopes and rutted trail. But, the view of White Sands at the top was worth the climb. The loop ended with quality time on the Rim Trail which roller coasted through the forest. I was glad to have the maps on both my Garmin Fenix and phone-based Gaia GPS, otherwise I would have taken more than a few wrong turns. My husband insisted I wear my blaze orange hat; it was a good thing. Over the course of the loop I saw only one hiker but many hunters.
This FKT was unsupported. I carried all the water and food I needed for the loop. I'm glad I did this route in the cool temps of Fall; it would have been much tougher in hot temps. Water is not readily available; 1 stream was flowing about 3 mile in and a cattle trough was available at mile 10ish.