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Besides being a special occasion, an annual event like a birthday or anniversary is a good time to reflect on all that has happened in our lives in the previous 12 months. I was doing that kind of reflection today as we hiked in the Santa Fe National Forest through an area known for its spectacular fall colors. It was exactly one year ago when we did the very same hike. One could say that we are stuck in a rut doing the same old things. But nothing could be further from the truth. Such beauty is fresh each time you see it. Changes that happen in our lives can be troubling but when you think of them as a change of seasons its comforting to know that the cycle of nature continues and sunny days will return.

Speaking of the return of sunny days, it was interesting to compare the hike today with the one a year ago. The mountain slopes last year were totally shrouded in mist and fog when we started the hike. On the way up the trail we could only see the aspen trees next to the trail; none were visible in the distance. At the viewpoint at the top we thought we weren’t going to see anything, but then suddenly the clouds rolled away and we were astounded at the golden vista in front of us.

Today was clear and sunny from the start of the hike. The aspens this year weren’t quite at the peak of color on some of the slopes. Especially from the viewpoint at the top we noticed more green mixed in with the gold. But this time we could see a lot further out over the surrounding desert.

Since the aspens were brighter last year I couldn’t resist including some of the photos from then. The rest of the pictures here were actually taken one year ago. The first one is the fog at the top before the clouds lifted. Then some of the views from the top and from the way back down when we could see what was hidden on the way up.

A 4.2-mile trail with 3000 feet of elevation gain, leads to the summit of 8,751 foot high Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. After we struggled our way to the ‘Top of Texas’ I had expected to see something a bit more rewarding than this odd-looking monument built in 1979 by American Airlines. I don’t mean to disparage the airline because it was actually the weather that interfered with what should have been an inspiring vista.

We had planned two days of hikes in Guadalupe National Park and knew before we left Albuquerque that there was wet weather in the forecast. But that usually doesn’t turn out to be much rain here in the desert so we took our chances. After all, the Guadalupe Mountains are on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, which I would have expected to be warmer and drier than the high desert of northern New Mexico. But I was sure wrong about that. The weather reminded me of a rainy, foggy day in the Appalachian Mountains or on the Oregon coast.

There was only one brief downpour the first morning so we waited that out before setting out on the hike up Guadalupe Peak. The cool weather was good for hiking, but because the fog and clouds never lifted, we couldn’t see much more than the immediate surroundings.

That evening the rain arrived in earnest. For the most part, we stayed dry in our tent and hoped that by morning the storm would be over. No sun the next morning either, but, instead, a steady drizzle that showed no signs of lifting. We packed up our wet tent and drove to another area of the park, hoping to still do some hiking. But after getting our shoes and pant legs thoroughly soaked walking a short nature trail, we decided to cut short our visit to Guadalupe National Park.