Denise Bosque
Solana Axton
One of my favorite places to hike in Albuquerque is the bosque (woods) across from Kit Carson Park. The park is located a about a mile south of Central Avenue that slices through the heart of Albuquerque, the old Highway 66. I am thankful that it is about a 15-minute drive from my house. The leaves of the gigantic old cottonwoods that cluster close to the Rio Grande River are turning a bright golden color I am referring to are mainly from flowing through Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A debate about Kit Carson would be interesting and probably contentious, but I am not in the mood to unpack this thorny issue. Instead, I would like to share with you my hike through the woods next to Kit Carson Park.
Commonly known as a cottonwood, it gets this designation from the inflorescence, a cluster of flowers arranged on a stem, that consists of a long drooping catkin, which blooms from March to April. The fruit or catkin appears to look like patches of cotton hanging from limbs, hence its name cottonwood. In the spring these fluffs of cotton swirl around in the air, giving the impression that the trees are raining cotton.
The cottonwood tree is sacred to many Native Americans. The Hopi, Pueblo, and Navajo tribes used its roots for carving kachina dolls, masks, and other ceremonial objects. Many Plains Indian tribes call the cottonwood a medicine tree, from which they make from its bark and leaves medicinal herbs to treat wounds and swelling. Herbalist today still use the cottonwood tree for many remedies. The Ho-Chunk carved dugout canoes from cottonwood trees. Also, the sticky resin from the buds were used by Natives as a type of glue and a yellow dye. Native children made toy tipis and toy moccasins from the leaves and gathered the seeds to use as chewing gum-like treats. Girls and young women used the leaves as a type of whistle to make a bird like sound.
But to me, it is the fall leaves of the cottonwoods that are truly mesmerizing. The leaves turn a golden brownish color, that when fluttering in the breeze during a sunny day glisten and sparkle in a hypnotic way. Since Albuquerque is blessed with a cobalt-blue sky in October, the golden leaves are a vibrant contrast to expansive oceans of blue. A particular feature I like about cottonwood leaves is that they are not static, but the slightest breeze catches them and urges them to quake and shimmer for all to behold their beauty.
It was mostly a still day as I strolled through the woods with a glittering sun pouring its warmth over me. The breeze seemed to be hiding but I stopped anyway to see what the leaves were up to. After a pause, a breeze slowly stirred, the sun was hitting at just the right angle, and the leaves began to shimmer with all their splendor. Awww, October in New Mexico.
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