September's Liturgical Hike: Reflections

While the weather had been a bit rainy in the days before our September hike, Sunday the 6th was a beautiful day to be out on the trail. Even though it was not yet fall, the signs of an abundant summer growing season were evident all around - the grasses by the trail were tall, full of seed and in some cases beginning to display some interesting coloration. And there was that certain feel in the air that indicates cooler weather and a change of seasons would soon follow.

Twelve hardy souls hiked and reflected and shared Christ's presence with one another. It was a unique WitW experience and yet shared many things in common with other WitW liturgical hikes - the presence of the Holy in our midst, the wonder and awe so many of us feel when we are away from "civilization" and of course the blessing of sharing it all with our fellow travelers on the way.

Blessings, be well and we'll see you on the trail,

Jon+

July Hike: Reflections

If you read my previous post about our Valles Caldera hike on Friday, July 3rd, then this post will seem repetitive as I begin.

Sunday morning, July 5th, began for me as I suspect it did for many in Santa Fe - with a mad dash around the house to close windows as a very loud thunder storm began around 6:00am. As I watched the storm outside and got ready to meet everyone for our hike I wondered if anyone would be there given the intensity of the storm.

But by the time I left home the rain had stopped and it was sunny and clear to the west, which was a good "weather" sign for the rest of the day. However, I figured many folks would have already decided not to hike so upon arriving at St. Bede's I was surprised to find the wonderful gathering you see above. They seemed to know what I had begun to doubt, it was going to be a beautiful day for hiking in the Sangre de Cristos!

We did indeed have a wonderful time hiking the Norski Trail. The temperature was nice and cool, the wildflowers were beautiful and the Holy Spirit was definitely with us. We kept silence for a period of time which opened a whole new dimension to the experience - the sound of woodpeckers at work, the buzzing of insects, the chirps and calls of song birds, and the rhythmic sounds of our own breath as we hiked along. It was a blessed morning and I am so happy that we all decided to go in spite of the early morning thunderstorm.

Keep in touch and share with us how you have been experiencing the Holy in nature this summer.

Blessings,

Jon+

July's Liturgical Hike

Greetings,

Since it will be the 4th of July holiday weekend and a few of us will have just had a big day hiking the Abrigo Trail in the Valles Caldera on Friday the 3rd, it seems that a short but sweet hike is in order. Therefore, we will return to the Norski Trail on Sunday, July 5th. We will meet in the St. Bede's parking lot at 9:00am and leave there at 9:15am. If you'd rather meet us at the trailhead, that's fine, just send a quick e-mail to let me know. I would anticipate that we will be at the trailhead around 10:00am.

As many of you know, Norski Trail is beautiful and an easy hike. The trail surface is soft and easy to walk on and goes through beautiful stands of Aspen and Fir with lovely wildflowers all around.

In case you're interested, here is a link to the Forest Service web page about the trail -

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/recreation/districts/espanola/trails/255_norski.html

Blessings and I'll see you on the trail,

Jon+

P.S. As always, please come prepared. You can find a link to "hiking how-to's" at the bottom of this page, provided by the American Hiking Association, including "The 10 Essentials of Hiking."

September's Liturgical Hike: Reflections

Sunday September 7th was a beautiful day to be almost anywhere outside in Santa Fe and this was particularly true on the Norski Trail. WitW revisited this beautiful trail which we hiked first in July.

Fall was in the air but everything was still green, even lush due to the wonderful precipitation we've enjoyed this season. Thirteen of us had a good time hiking the easy trail and sharing a bit of our lives with each other as we hiked along. As is our custom we stopped along the way to hear the lectionary lessons of the day, to reflect on those lessons together, to pray together and to share the Eucharist.

Please check back soon for details about the October hike which will be on Sunday October 5th.

Blessings,

Jon+

September's Liturgical Hike

Hi All,

Once again, by popular demand, we will be hiking the Norski Trail on Sunday the 7th. This is the trail we hiked in July and was, as I promised, a very enjoyable and easy hike. You can find my posts regarding that first Norski hike with additional information in the link to "older posts" just to the right below this post.

September 7th may be too early for fall colors but I'm sure we will see changes from two months ago as this lovely area gets ready for the new season.

As before we will meet in the St. Bede's parking lot at 8:30am and leave there at 8:45am.

This is a shorter hike and we will most likely be finished before noon.

Blessings and I look forward to seeing you on the 7th,

Jon+

P.S. Be sure to bring water and a snack (or lunch) and be prepared for whatever the weather may have in store for us. I'll be there rain or shine (or whatever else).

July's Hike: Reflections

Our hike on July 6th was wonderful. We hiked the Norski Trail which sits at 10,000 feet but is a short and easy hike through Aspens and Firs and abundant wildflowers.

It was a cool and pleasant morning and all agreed that this was the "easy" hike I had promised it would be but that it was also one of the most beautiful too. I'm sure we will revisit the Norski Trail often so that we can witness first hand the change of seasons and enjoy it over and over again.

Please check back soon for information about August's hike, which will be on August 3rd.

Blessings,

Jon+

July's Liturgical Hike

Hi All,

If you haven't joined us before this is the perfect hike to begin your liturgical hiking career.


On Sunday July 6th we will hike the Norski Trail, which is 14 miles up Hyde Park Road (Hwy. 475) just before you reach the Santa Fe Ski Basin parking lot.

Norski Trail is truly an easy hike with very gentle hills and is relatively short too, only about two miles. The trail itself is very "soft" and easy to walk on and goes through beautiful Aspen and Fir stands with lovely wildflowers all around. Because this trail is shorter and easier (and we are leaving earlier, see below) I would think you can be finished by noon if you wish.

We will meet in the St. Bede's parking lot at 8:30am (note the earlier time) and leave there at 8:45am.

Here is a link to the Forest Service web page about the trail -

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/recreation/districts/espanola/trails/255_norski.html

Blessings and I look forward to seeing you on the 6th,

Jon+



P.S. Please be sure to bring your own water and a snack or lunch. Also, I'm not sure this is the best hike for some of our more energetic canine friends and ask that if you bring your dog you be prepared to keep him/her on a leash and/or well controlled.