The Last Hike of 2007?

On Saturday the kids and I set out on what may be the final hike of the year, as cold weather may make Monday a no-hike day. We visited the Volcanoes area of the Petroglyph National Monument. The area includes trails around three extinct cone volcanoes. the smallest and closest to the parking area is JA Volcano, seen here in the distance behind the kids:
The volcanoes were sacred sites to the ancient inhabitants of the area, which is in part why the escarpment to the east of the cones is dotted with thousands of petroglyphs. And because the area is still considered sacred to the Pueblo people of the Albuquerque area today, hiking atop the cones is prohibited. But the trails skirting the sides of the volcanoes make for a good hike; altogether there are about 5 miles of trail around the three cones.

We hiked toward JA Volcano, then turned north to circle Black Volcano before returning to the city overlook at the base of JA. Here the kids pose with the city behind them:

And here the kids sit at the overlook before embarking on the return trip to the car. All told, we hiked about 2 miles. When the sun was out from behind the clouds and the wind was calm, it was a very pleasant hike. When the sun was hidden or the wind picked up, well, it felt like a December hike. But it made for a very nice end to a year of fun outings in and around New Mexico. Here's to more adventures in 2008.