Wear Boots And Bring Water... On September 30, 2018, Johnpaul and I hiked to the top of Tome Hill. From the parking area, it looks like an easy hike to the top. There are multiple trails to choose from. The "pilgrimage path" is longer but not as steep and the "quick path" goes straight up the steepest side of the hill. Still, from the bottom, it looks pretty easy. We took "the quick path", the one that goes straight up. As previously mentioned, the trail is steep and full of loose rocks. There is no shade and you will get hot and thirsty pretty fast so come prepared. Tome Hill was formed by volcanic activity roughly 30 million years ago, at which time it may have more accurately described as Tome Mountain. Over time, the Rio Grande River eroded the earth around the basalt leaving the hill as we now know it.
As is evident from the photos, Tome Hill plays an important role in the area's activities, drawing thousands of "pilgrims" every year. The crosses atop the hill can be seen from miles around. What I didn't realize, but am reading about this morning, is that there are hundreds of ancient petroglyphs on the hill, some of which date back nearly 2000 years. Apparently we took the wrong trail up because we didn't see any of these petroglyphs, and they are not widely publicized. I believe this warrants a return trip...
1 Comment
2/28/2019 06:57:13 pm
I think Mexicans really take photography seriously because pictures are like their portal to the afterlife. They all believe in a second death and this can be attributed to the lack of interest of younger relatives to display pictures. Even if some new age groups are not into this kind of culture, most of them will change the moment they realized they cannot escape death. Maybe it is some kind of instinct which is winning. It's normal for humans to want to survive and live longer. If pictures are our only chance to stay longer, we might as well take really good ones because no one wants to be remembered as someone ugly.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am DeAnna Vincent, fine art and portrait photographer in Los Lunas, New Mexico. These are the photos from my everyday adventures. Categories
All
Archives
January 2021
|
Website by Dry Heat Web Design
|
All images and content copyright
DeAnna Vincent and Dry Heat Photography. |