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.

October Hike: Reflections

What an absolutely picture perfect fall day to worship the Holy on the trail! The fall colors were nearing their peak on Big Tesuque Trail this morning, it was warm in the sun and decidedly cool in the shade - in other words it is fall in the Sangre de Cristo mountains. And being the feast day of St. Francis we blessed our canine hiking companion of the day Tucker, the wonderful old gentleman yellow lab you see headed out of the frame in the photo above.

This was our third or forth time this year to hike Big Tesuque Trail which has afforded us the opportunity to see the way things have progressed and changed throughout the year. For some of us it has seemed not unlike a labyrinth experience - it is the same path/trail but never the same twice.

As we move now toward the colder months we will continue to hike in all but the worst weather and as I announced yesterday I will begin bringing my "pocket rocket" cook stove to boil water and we can each bring a trail worthy mug and our favorite tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc.

I look forward to seeing you on the trail soon and blessings to you all,

Jon+

August's Liturgical Hike: Reflections

Worship in the Wilderness provides the opportunity to worship the mystery of the Holy in fresh ways in the great outdoors that inspire and challenge hikers differently on each hike and each hiker differently from one hike to the next hike. Some hikes are easier than others; sometimes the weather is more agreeable one month than the next, sometimes it’s more about what we each “bring” from our lives to a particular hike. The opportunity to experience the constant and complete presence of the Holy is both a challenge and a gift.

August 2^nd was just such a day of wonder on our hike as you can see from the photo above of a mushroom about six feet or so off the ground in a notch of an Aspen tree. Sometimes, if we are perceptive, we have the opportunity to experience things which are beyond the usual limitations of our finite human imagination, understanding and knowledge. Seeing this mushroom was such an experience for me and yet is dwarfed by the full magnitude of the mystery of the Holy. How often do we “look” past the signs that God is trying to show and share with us? As for me, I would have to say that this probably happens frequently. And so my challenge is to be as fully receptive to and perceptive of the wonders of the Holy as I may be every day, whether I’m out on the trail or participating in a four hour meeting.

I look forward to seeing you all on the trail soon!

Blessings,

Jon+

August's Liturgical Hike

Greetings All,

I'm sorry for the late posting about August's hike but our internet service has been on the fritz for over a week - some days it doesn't work at all and other days it works slowly and/or intermittently. According to the ISP, "they're working on it."

Please meet us in the St. Bede's parking lot at 8:30am on Sunday, August 2nd. We will leave there about 8:45am. At this point my hope is to hike a portion of the Winsor Trail from the lower Santa Fe Ski Basin parking lot to the point where it intersects the Big Tesuque Trail and then up the Big Tesuque Trail to the trailhead. It should be a very pleasant hike.

As always please remember to come prepared for the day with plenty of water, rain gear (although the forecast looks good at this point) and at least a hearty snack. It's always a good idea to keep the 10 Essentials of Hiking in mind and you can find a link to them at the bottom of this page under "helpful information" from the American Hiking Society.

Blessings,

Jon+

P.S. Please email me with any questions as I am able to use my BlackBerry for individual email communications. Also, the photo above is a view from Deception Peak, which I have proclaimed the WitW "top of the" World Headquarters. ;)

June Hike: Reflections

Yesterday’s hike was simply wonderful.  After beginning a bit overcast and cool the day turned into a marvelous early summer experience in the Sangre de Cristos.  The trails we hiked (parts of Big Tesuque and Winsor) were beautiful with many wildflowers and Aspen trees shimmering like green gold in the cool breezes.  As you can see from the photo above we stopped for communion in a lovely mountain meadow with a little mountain stream running through it.

It was a perfect day to contemplate the many and varied languages of nature with which the Holy “speaks” to us.  It is not only with human speech that we are wooed by God; it is also through nature’s speech which engages more than just our ears.  A cool breeze or the warm sun upon our skin or the fragrance of a wild flower or new pine, are these not among the many languages of the Holy?  What better way to experience the knowledge of God's presence among us and love for us than to be out in the cathedrals of nature.

Nature has languages all its own which can be as subtle and imperceptible as a tiny flower which is so easy to miss or as loud and boisterous as a strong wind which makes it difficult to hear anything else and causes great trees to knock together.  God speaks through nature speaks if we will but listen.

Blessings,

Jon+

P.S.  Here are a few more wonderful photos from yesterday provided by Helen Henry.

        

June's Liturgical Hike

Greetings All,

Spring has finally sprung!  I'm almost afraid to say it but I think finally on June 7th we stand an excellent chance of having weather that is not winter like  for our hike. While Santa Fe can get cool weather almost anytime, spring is definitely here and the current weather forecast is for a very nice day on the 7th.

This month we're going to try something new, a point to point hike.  We'll be hiking parts of two trails that we've hiked before, Borrego Trail and Big Tesuque Trail,  and this will require a bit of coordination in that we'll need to park vehicles at both trail heads.  The reason I'd like to do this is that there's a nice meadow on along the way that will be a very nice place for Eucharist and a nice rest stop.

We will meet in the St. Bede's parking lot at 8:15am (please note the earlier time) and leave there by 8:30am.  If you are planning to meet us there please send me an e-mail so that I can coordinate with you about where to park so that we don't miss you somehow.

Please remember to bring plenty of water and at least a hearty snack.  If it's been a while since you've hiked please review the General Information material at the bottom of this page.

Blessings,

Jon+

April Hike: Reflections

Springtime in the Rockies certainly can be "interesting".  The two days before and after April's liturgical hike were beautiful spring days.  The day of the hike, as you can see from the photo, was just plain winter.  In re-reading my pre-hike post I notice that I mentioned hoping to catch the last bit of winter along with the first signs of spring.  It was the coldest hike of the year!  Spring is definitely here, just not on Saturday morning on Big Tesuque Trail.

All that being said it was a beautiful day in its way.  We had an interesting and challenging hike and a quick Holy Communion at the intersection of Big Tesuque Trail and Windsor Trail where this photo was taken shortly before we headed back.  I don't believe that the Guinness Book of World Records records such things but we may have set the record for coldest temperature during a Eucharist, about 20°.

The good news is that from now on (at least until next winter) the weather will be warmer and hopefully more agreeable.  God is indeed gracious and good and we are thankful for God's blessings and protection and look forward to future worship in the cathedrals God has made for us.

Blessings,

Jon+

April Hike Update

Greetings,

I am hoping that we can catch the last little bit of winter and the first hints of the new life of spring on our April hike.  So today I hiked the Big Tesuque Trail from the road down to where it meets the Windsor Trail and back.  Conditions were good so if the weather holds between now and Saturday that's where we'll hike.  

As you can see from the photo above spring is indeed beginning to poke up through the snow, which was not bad and is spotty and melting.  The forecast for Saturday is for cloudy, windy and cooler weather than tomorrow, which is forecast to be quite nice so there will likely be additional snow melt from today's levels.  But as always at this time of year please dress in layers, one of which provides some wind protection, and wear sturdy water resistant footwear.

I would recommend meeting the group at St. Bede's at 9:00am Saturday morning rather than trying  to meet us at the Big Tesuque Campground parking area in case we need to alter our plans due to weather.

Please see my previous post below for other details and I look forward to seeing you all Saturday morning.

Blessings,

Jon+

P.S.  I've provided a new link at the very bottom of this page to information from the American Hiking Society with respect to being prepared for a safe hike.  Please have a look.