Saturday, March 22, 2008

Walk of faith

Each pilgrim has a story to take up Tomé Hill

Julia M. Dendinger News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jdendinger@news-bulletin.com

Tomé No one will argue with the statement that the hike up Tomé Hill is a challenge. Narrow paths covered with loose shale snake their way up to the summit where the determined visitor is greeted by three enormous crosses.

As you gain elevation, the lights of the valley spread out like an ever-expanding galaxy. A whiff of piñon smoke hangs in the early morning air. The sun has not yet risen, and the moon in dipping low, giving Good Friday pilgrims just enough light to climb the hill.

A handful of people are already at the summit, standing quietly in the predawn light. Leon Otero, whose uncle Edwin Baca Berry built the original crosses on the hill, is one of them.

The Peralta resident said he used to make the walk from his home, but in recent years, time constraints have dictated that he drive to the base of the hill and walk the mile up. "It's just something I enjoy," he said. "I've come pretty much every year I could."

For nearly 13 years, Karla Brannan watched the pilgrims make the walk and climb the hill. "I was drawn to it," she said. "It is a remembrance of Christ and His sacrifice."

The voice of the six-year veteran of the walk thickens and tears come to her eyes as she lists the names of the people she has brought to the summit of Tomé Hill.

"I bring their names up here and leave them with God. I know I can't pick them up and carry them. Some have had miraculous recoveries and others have gone home," Brannan says emotionally. "People ask me if I'm Catholic, and then they ask me why I do this when I tell them I'm not. I am a believer."

What was a few people has now turned into a dozen as the trickle of people coming up the hill turns into a steady stream of the faithful. The sky to the east lightens over the Manzanos, and the breeze cools and picks up speed.

Tradition is a term associated with the Tomé Hill pilgrimage. Families comprised of two or three generations make the trek every year, passing down rosaries, crucifixes and statues of saints to be carried up the hill.

Kenneth Aragon is one of the people wanting to instill the tradition of faith in the younger generation. He and his two granddaughters, Alexandra Sanchez, age 5, and Davery Ortega, age 7, have made the climb three times together.

The three sit at the base of one of the crosses to enjoy some grapes and water after the hike while they wait for the girls' families. "My kids started coming up here with me when they were about their age," said Aragon, referring to his granddaughters. "We are making a tradition for them."

Aragon, who has made the trip each of the last 17 years, settles in with the girls to watch the sunrise.

Eloy Sandoval is joined by his grandnephew Elonzo Sanillanes, 5, of Albuquerque for a second time for the pilgrimage up the hill. Sandoval, a native of the Valencia community, said he has made the climb for the past 40 years to celebrate the life and name of the Savior.

While the hill draws many locals up its sides on Good Friday, there are still a number of people who come from the surrounding areas to make the hike of faith.

Susan and Toby Smith woke up at 4:30 a.m. to come down to Tomé from Albuquerque. This is the second time they have made the trip. "For me, this is a good way to culminate Lent," Susan said. "Before Easter is a time to reflect on Jesus walking up the hill with the cross."

Toby remembers the first time they made the trip was three years ago. "There was a man crawling up the hill. That has to be a four- or five-hour trip," he said. "And I start thinking about what this means to them. Could I do that?"

On the walk up the hill, Toby says he contemplates the same sorts of things he does in church. "I think about how I can be a better person," he said. "This is kind of a church, right?"

For Susan, the walk helps her remember Jesus walking with the cross and "how he is walking with us in our journeys."

Born in Belen but now living in Albuquerque, Debra Almaraz has made the pilgrimage at least half a dozen times. "I'm not sure why, but it just hit me more this year," she says with tears in her eyes. "I think it lets us follow just a little bit in the footsteps of Jesus. Just a little."

Not long after the sun crests the mountains, friends and neighbors Mike Milam and Ann McDole reach the top of the hill. They stand arm-in-arm, gazing up at the giant metal cross in the center of the arrangement.

McDole closes her eyes and offers up a silent prayer. Tears stand in her eyes when she opens them again. "I wasn't sure I would be here today," she said.

"She was so sick a few months ago," Milam said. "She almost didn't make it. At one point, we really weren't sure if she would live or not."

While her second climb up the hill was a little slower and she was a bit weaker, McDole is very grateful for getting another year of life. "There really isn't anything I can say but 'thank you for giving me another year.' You never know what tomorrow is going to bring," she said.

As the sun climbs the sky, a chilly breeze kicks across the hilltop and is completely ignored by the nearly 100 people gathered there. There are young women in shorts and shoes with no socks, holding hands with their young men in rock-and-roll T-shirts.

Couples in their golden years lean on each for physical support, supported together by their faith. Families come in memory of those they have lost and find solace in their tribute.

Crossing the thousands of footprints on the rocky western trail is a man making the journey on his hands and knees. He carries a tape recorder, which recites, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death."

When you touch his shoulder and ask his name, he murmurs, "May God be with you" and continues on his solitary journey.

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