November 2010 Liturgical Hike

Greetings All,

In the mountains above Santa Fe most of the fall color is gone or so it would seem from "down here" in town. But when you're "up there" you notice that there is still some color about, life is changed - not ended.  It is a time of the year when one season is winding down and another has yet to begin, much like our liturgical year in the Church.

Today, Tuesday, November 2nd, is All Soul's Day - the day toward the end of our liturgical year when we remember those who have passed on from this life in the past year by reading their names (called the necrology) during the All Soul's liturgy.  And so we too will do this on Sunday during our monthly WitW liturgical hike.  Please bring along the names of your dear ones who have departed this life in the last year, both human and otherwise, so that we as a community may remember them.

On Sunday, November 7th we will meet in the St. Bede's parking lot at 9:30am (don't forget about the time change this weekend) and leave there at 9:45am.  Where we hike will be determined in large part upon weather conditions that day but I hope to hike Big Tesuque Trail up to Aspen Vista Trail.  Currently the weather in Santa Fe on Sunday is expected to be sunny with a low of 35 and a high of 62.

Blessings and I'll see you on the trail,

Jon+

P.S.  As always, please be sure to come prepared for the hike by dressing for the weather, bringing plenty of water and a snack.  Also, if you have not done so in a while, please refer to the General Information section at the bottom of this page for more information about hiking safety and preparedness.

May Hike: Reflections

It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since we began our liturgical hiking adventures together but WitW is now "officially" one year old. What a wonderful day we had May 3rd on the Aspen Vista Trail as you can see from the photo!  Even though spring was in full bloom "down" in Santa Fe, signs of spring at 9,000+ feet were not quite as evident and we did have a pretty snowy trail beyond the Big Tesuque Trail junction.  We had a great time nonetheless and it was one of the last  chances (let's hope) to hike in the snow this season.

As WitW moves into its second year there are so many great things yet to come, so stay tuned, be in touch and join us for a hike!

Blessings,

Jon+

May's Liturgical Hike: Celebrating our 1st Year

Greetings All,

It's been a whole year since we began Worship in the Wilderness in May 2008 and what a wonderful year it has been.  I give thanks for such wonderful hikes and hikers and for the wonderfully creative worship that we have shared over these last twelve months.  It has been a true ministry of the Spirit and I look forward to many more months and years together.

On Sunday May 3rd, to commemorate the beginning of our second year, we will hike one of our favorites, Aspen Vista.  The weather has been quite nice recently and I think we will see some wonderful signs of the new season.  As always though, be sure to be prepared for any possible inclement weather at that altitude and be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, clothing layers, etc.  Also, since it is possible that some of us may have been a little less active during the cold weather months we will hike at an easy pace and stop frequently for rest, liturgical tidbits and reflection.  I anticipate that we will stop for Holy Eucharist at our "normal" spot and then those who wish to go on may do so at their own pace after the dismissal.

For those who wish to meet at St. Bede's please be in the parking lot by 8:30am and we will leave there by 8:45am.  For those who may wish to meet us at the Aspen Vista trailhead, I anticipate that we'll be there by about 9:30ish.

For my planning purposes please send me a quick e-mail letting me know if you're planning to hike with us using the link to the right on this page.  I look forward to seeing you all on May 3rd.

Blessings,

Jon+

November's Liturgical Hike: Reflections

What a glorious day it was for our November liturgical hike! The Aspen leaves may have been gone but that only served to highlight the deep blue New Mexico sky against the bare Aspen branches. The temperature was cool, there was just the hint of a breeze now and then and the views of the valley below were marvelous.

We had our largest gathering yet, eighteen happy and hearty souls – not counting the three canines who came along. We even had a spur of the moment visitor from Tulsa, OK who just happened to arrive at the trailhead when we did and decided to join us for the day.

As has become our liturgical custom the hike was “offered” within the context of the passing of the peace and we had a great time hiking along and getting to know each other a little better. It was a great opportunity to live into the second of Jesus’ two great commandments – to love your neighbor as yourself. And to top things off we had two or three Gray Jays join us at communion, they knew it was “real” bread.

We will continue to hike throughout the winter so air out your winter gear and keep in touch with this page so that you’ll know where and when.

Blessings,

Jon+

November's Liturgical Hike

On Sunday November 2nd we'll again be hiking Aspen Vista, weather permitting. At this point, according to weather.com, it appears that Sunday should be a nice day, with only a 10% chance of precipitation. If for some reason, however, weather does not permit we will hike an alternate trail at a lower elevation, likely something near the Rio Grande river.

We will meet in the St. Bede's parking lot at 9:00am and leave there at 9:15am. Please remember that November 2nd is the first day of the fall time change so 9:00am will seem like 10:00am.

If you have not hiked with us before and/or if you haven't hiked Aspen Vista before I especially call your attention to this US Forest Service link http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/recreation/districts/espanola/trails/tesuquepeak.html and also the archives of this weblog to view the "October Liturgical Hike" entry for additional information about the Aspen Vista trail. You can reach this archived entry by selecting the Previous Posts link which is located at the bottom of this page.

I look forward to seeing you November 2nd.

Blessings,

Jon+

P.S.: Even thought the weather has cooled be sure to bring plenty of water and at least a snack. Also, please be prepared for the weather which can change quickly at this altitude, especially at this time of year. Friendly and trail wise dogs are welcome on this trail. We should be on the trail by 9:45 am or so and I would expect that we will reach the spot for snack/lunch and Eucharist in about an hour. I would expect we will be finished with Eucharist by about 12 noon and then you're on your own to continue or to return.

October's Liturgical Hike: Reflections

Well we had our first WitW hike in the snow. There was about 3 to 5 inches of snow on the trail from a small storm that ended just as we began. Two of us hiked Aspen Vista and it was a beautiful snowy morning. As you can see from the picture the fall colors were there too. It was a unique fall/winter opportunity, even if it was a bit slushy. I hope and pray that yesterday was a good sign for an appropriately snowy winter.

Beginning in November we will be moving our liturgical hikes toward more temperate areas around Santa Fe and may have back up hikes in place in case they are needed. Stay tuned for details about how that will work. But we will keep hiking, liturgically, throughout the winter so break out your warm clothes and join us.

Blessings,

Jon+

October's Liturgical Hike

On Sunday October 5th we'll again be hiking the popular Aspen Vista Trail. Hopefully we will be able to hike in the midst of beautiful fall colors and cool temperatures.

We will meet in the St. Bede's parking lot at 8:30am and leave there at 8:45am. Please see the p.s. for important details about the day.

As I mentioned last time we hiked this trail, in many ways Aspen Vista is ideal for liturgical hiking because two or three can walk abreast. For the first couple of miles it is a "relatively" easy uphill grade. Again this time we will stop for Eucharist at one of the first places with a good view of the valley below. After that those who wish to continue toward the summit may do so while others may wish to saunter a bit further or simply return.

Please be sure to follow this link to the Santa Fe National Forest page which gives greater detail about the trail, http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/recreation/districts/espanola/trails/tesuquepeak.html

I look forward to seeing you October 5th.

Blessings,

Jon+
Parson

P.S.:

Be sure to bring plenty of water and at least a snack. Also be prepared for the weather which can change quickly at this altitude, especially at this time of year.

Friendly and trail wise dogs are welcome on this trail and since the feast day of St. Francis is Oct. 4th we will be offering special blessings for our canine companions.

We should be on the trail by 9:30am or so and I would expect that we will reach the spot for snack/lunch and Eucharist in about an hour. I would expect we will be finished with Eucharist by about 11:30am and then you're on your own to continue or to return.

August's Liturgical Hike: Reflections

Photo (c) 2008 Justin R. Cannon

On Sunday August 3rd a hardy group of 15 hiked the Aspen Vista trail. The weather was perfect, the views were spectacular and the Christian fellowship was divine.

I think all would agree that the part of Aspen Vista we hiked was not too difficult and could be rated "moderately easy". We hiked about 2 miles up stopping along the way for a reading at one place, a rest break at another, and then had Eucharist. Afterwards, many decided to hike a bit further while others simply returned.

I think it is safe to say that Aspen Vista will become a recurring favorite. I expect that we will return to Aspen Vista in October (the 5th) when hopefully the Aspen's will be ablaze with color.

Our September hike will be Sunday the 7th, which is not Labor Day weekend. So look for my post with details about that hike soon and plan to be with us.

Blessings,

Jon+

August's Liturgical Hike

On Sunday August 3rd we'll be hiking the popular Aspen Vista Trail. We will meet in the St. Bede's parking lot at 8:30am and leave there at 8:45am. Please see the p.s. for details with respect to time, etc.

For those of you who are not familiar with this trail it is actually a service road to the radio, etc. towers on Tesuque Peak. In many ways it is ideal for liturgical hiking because two or three can walk abreast. For the first couple of miles it is a "relatively" easy uphill grade.

My hope is to stop for Eucharist at one of the first places with a good view of the valley below. After that those who wish to continue toward the summit may do so while others may wish to saunter a bit further or simply return.

Please be sure to follow this link to the Santa Fe National Forest page which gives greater detail about this trail, http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/recreation/districts/espanola/trails/tesuquepeak.html

I look forward to seeing you on August 3rd.

Blessings,

Jon+

P.S. We should be on the trail by 9:30am and I would expect that we will reach the spot for snack/lunch and Eucharist in about an hour or so. I would expect we will be finished with Eucharist by 11:30am or so and then you're on your own to continue or to return. Be sure to bring plenty of water and at least a snack. Also be prepared for the weather which can change quickly at this altitude.

It appears that dogs are quite welcome on this trail.