Mount Taylor

Albuquerque sits in the Rio Grande Valley and when in the foothills of the Sandia's I can see all of the city. In fact, my view runs for hundreds of miles to the west. Hundreds. So when I go for a hike or run in the foothills at sunset more often than not it is the most gorgeous sunset that I have ever seen in my life.

*You can make out Mt Taylor in the picture and I don't have the right lens to get the mountain perfectly

After seeing this mountain night after night I knew that I wanted to summit it. And I finally found a good weekend to hike to the summit. I parked at the trailhead and started following the blue blazes that would lead me to the summit. The trail first part of the trail was wooded and I spent most of that time excited to get my first glimpse above tree line to see the land around me. Finally after about a mile I was able to see as far as my eye would let me.

For the next two miles there wasn't a bad view. From the surrounding land to the mountains and valley around me I kept thinking to myself how lucky I was to be on the trail on a perfect day. After a little over three miles I made it to the summit.

From there I could see the Sandia's all the way in the distance and knew that home lurked in their foothills. In front of me was the caldera of the volcano that erupted over a million years ago. To the south was the highway that took me from home to this beautiful place.

Now when I look to the west from the city that I love I will see a mountain that I love and am so grateful for me to know a little more. I may sound repetitive when I talk about getting to know and love our homeland, but it is something that I know is so important for me as a person to know the land I am so blessed to live on.