For our new year's hike, we decided to hike our old faithful, Atalaya Mountain, to work off our holiday indulgences. New Mexico is currently experiencing unusually dry and warm weather (send some snow our way!), so we were all able to hike up the mountain without jackets! Too weird!
Maybe because our trail was so dry, I noticed a number of rock stacks, also known as Cairns, along the path that I hadn't noticed before. Cairns, derived from a Scottish Gaelic word, have been used from prehistorical times to modern day as a means to mark specific landmarks or sites. These sites could include anything from burial monuments, hunting and defense sites, to astrological points or for ceremonial purposes. Today, many of the cairns you see along trails are used as trail-markers where the trail can easily be lost. Perhaps these Cairns were recently built in anticipation of the next snowstorm we are all desperately wishing for here in northern New Mexico. Nonetheless, I think they add a nice touch to the trails, perfectly balanced and formed, and remind me to recognize that there was once a time when people would have used Cairns as a form of communication and survival.
When we finally made it to the top, we were able to enjoy the mountaintop views and have a splendid rest in the balmy weather. There have been many times in the past in which it was too cold and windy to really enjoy the views, so today we soaked up the sunshine and basked in the gorgeous views of the Santa Fe Valley, that even though are entirely lacking in snow, are still beautiful nonetheless.
Praying for snow,
Roxie
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