Holy Weekend Historic Hike

 

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine and Historic Site

Fonda, NY

3 April 2021

My hiking plans for Friday had to be cancelled due to weather, so I did some spring cleaning and decided to hike on Saturday instead.  I couldn't find anyone from my group willing to go or able to go so I went solo.  Dave wasn't interested at all and wanted to do stuff around here.  Courtney had friends coming over for a walking date in our neighborhood and since they're not in my covid bubble, I really didn't want to invite them along although 2 of them have been fully vaccinated.  So it was just me.

I left my home about 11:30 am and drove about 35 minutes west of Albany back towards my hometown area, stopping in a village just 40 minutes east of my childhood home, in the Mohawk Valley.  Here is a photo of the eastern edge of the Mohawk Valley.  (I grew up in the smack dab center, in the foothills of the southern Adirondacks..I'm actually headed that way Tuesday to check on my parents' graves and meet up with one of my sisters).  But this photo depicts what most of the Mohawk Valley looks like.  Gently rolling hills and lots of farmland.

from the overlook on Route 5 West
looking out towards the Mohawk River and some of the Valley

I was headed to the small village of Fonda where I grabbed a small sub sandwich and an iced tea and drove to a pullover I know about which is directly across from where I was going to visit/hike.  The first photo was my scene as I ate my lunch.  There is a lot of Revolutionary War history in this area as well as history connected with the French Jesuits, the Dutch, Germans, and the Native American tribes from the 17th century.

After lunch, I drove my car into the lot across the road and realized there was absolutely no one else there.  There were many birds though!  Robins, nuthatches, woodpeckers, black-capped chickadees and jays.  I first stopped at the "make a cross" station in the lot and decided I would make one (branches and yarn were provided) on my way out.  I then walked over to the large map and history plaque to read about Saint Kateri and the Native Americans who lived on this site.  The Native American village that was established here in about 1666, was known as the "Caughnawaga" which is the Mohawk word for "Place of the rapids" referring to the Mohawk River rapids nearby.   The Turtle Clan of the Mohawk lived in the castle of Caughnawaga which was located above the shrine area/stations of the cross and I had to hike to it...it's about a half mile walk through the woods and up a hill, then I had to cross a country road and follow a dirt path. 

Here are some scenes from the first part of my historic tour.  I continued to be the only person there:

For some reason, when I posted this pic on Instagram the whole thing was cut off.....
and I can't seem to find it now on my iphone!  This is a huge sign with very wise words just as the blue trail begins next to a pavilion where masses are held for Catholic people

There was also a brochure on a trail map sign explaining Kateri, etc.  Apparently, in 1668 to about 1679, some French Jesuits established a mission here.  Kateri Tekakwitha, one of the tribe members, was one of their converts (I'm not Catholic so I don't really know what takes place for this) and she was baptized in the spring which is just a short side trail down a cliff away from the "castle".   The word "Castle" was used historically  to denote that the village was one of the few Mohawk villages surrounded by a protective wall. The main gate of the village was the west wall...there were no openings in the east or north walls. 

Here are some scenes from my walk up the hill along the blue trail:

most of the trail was pine needles and leaves
and hardly any mud!

a little bit of a ridgeline

a side trail to an overlook of a very old oak tree

a resting spot to view the old oak
 (the tree with the thick trunk)

Pointing to where the archeological dig occured 
(the village was moved after the original settlement was destroyed by a French raid)

This sign explains about the village and the excavation
it also explains that this site is in the National Register of Historic Places as of 1973

This site is the only completely excavated Iroquois(Haudenosaunee)village in the world! There are 6 Nations that make up the Iroquois Native Americans:  Mohawks (North- central part of NY), Oneida (west-central NY), Onondaga (western NY), Cayuga, Seneca (southern part of NYS), and Tuscarora (south-central NY as well as Ontario Canada). Kateri was a Mohican and their nickname for her was Lily of the Mohawks". She was canonized in 2012 by the Catholic church.  People come to this place to leave prayers for her and to pray to her. As a Christ-follower it makes me sad that so many people pray to a dead person...she cannot hear them....we can pray to the Living God...to Jesus directly!!  This was definitely brought out to me while standing in the Prayer Chapel of Candles.  I felt very sad that people think they can pray to a saint to get their answers.  There were so many pieces of paper with prayers for healings, etc.  I am hoping they were touched by the Spirit of God..the environment to me felt very stifling. Only God can answer us according to the Bible. But I was here for the historical aspect, not the spiritual environment.

some of the markers for the excavated village

After walking around the village site and reading about what all the markers stand for, I headed to the east a bit more along a dirt path and found the sign for the spring where Kateri was baptized by the Jesuit priests. 

walking towards the steps leading down a steep cliff to the spring

Where Kateri was baptized

Along the cliffside...
...I was thankful there were steps leading down to the spring

some of the forest as seen from the stairs

After the climb down and back up from the Spring, I headed to where I saw more blue markers but then noticed the posted signs.  So I turned around...I think..am assuming...that down that posted area was where the original village was......before the Mohawks rebuilt.  I would like to stop in at some point when this place is officially open for the season and inquire about that trail. While I was standing there, I texted my friend Cheryl from Herkimer (my childhood hometown) to see if she knew about this and she didn't.......so....

I then headed back down the half mile to the car and saw I was still the only person there!  So odd given that it was a gorgeous (somewhat cold) sunny day.  I walked around the "stations of the Cross" (again, I'm not Catholic and don't  know much about this other than each cross depicts in art form the various days/moments leading up to Christ's death on the Cross.  This cross is where I stood to pray and reflect on the meaning of Easter....HE LIVES....He is the only God in the world who rose to life and is coming back one day to redeem His Kingdom!  And our sins are forgiven forever when we turn to Him and believe, confess and accept Him!

the cross with the Hebrew word Inri:
"Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"

Now it was time to head to the table near the Prayer Chapel to make my own cross out of cut tree branches:

While I was making it, a woman drove in and headed to the prayer chapel.  I saw through the window that she was lighting a candle and saying prayers.  I asked her about the rest of the blue trail but she said she had no idea as she only comes to pray.  I told her Happy Easter and she drove off, leaving me alone to finish my cross and say good bye to this very historic and ancient place. 

HAPPY EASTER!