There is no time in the wilderness. Those red cliffs are older then human evolution. In so-called geological time, it takes millions of years to erode away mountains and create plateaus. A sandstone ridge shades twisted Junipers, and within their scaly branches, the wind never stops. Clouds constantly shift above the plateau, creating shapes that appear once, never to be seen again.
They say if a tree falls over in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, should it matter? If a rockslide drops a million tons sandstone, does it matter? And does it matter that the landscape is constantly shifting, eroding, and melting away? It changes in the absence of humans. We don’t really matter either, because we are only a micro chapter in the history of the Earth’s evolution. As humans build their citified boundaries, closer and closer, with every minute; would it really matter if we simply vanished? Just imagine those big ghost cities left to the wind!
My joy is the cloud and cliff, the juniper, the pine. My happiness comes from sifting the cold sand with my bare feet, or walking across the desert after a fresh cloud burst in the summertime. It’s just me in a sandstone canyon, and the distant thunder. There is no “time” out here; only hypnotic memories, and unforgettable visions. Freedom is breathing wide open space, and to relax beneath blue desert sky.
The wild is my haven, where I travel across the land like a spirited horse, or a lazy eagle in the blue. The old ways are still here. The Cottonwood still bends to the wind, and creaks. The unknown still comes to my door.
Go to places where the sage grows tall, and mountain islands float in desert ocean. Go where there are no other human beings… Maybe once a month you’ll spot another two-legged! Venture into the timelessness, and it is so quiet, you’ll be able to hear the moon rise, and the sun rumble before dawn.
Beauty is simple and elegant. You should simplify, and appreciate those moments of solitude, and seclusion. Let those worries fade away. Stop being sad. Listen to the timeless, where billions of years come and go in a flicker. There is no beginning, nor end. You just need to simplify. You’re in a quiet world. It is just you, the varmints, and the desert; the mountains, forests, and plateaus. Maybe you’re in a cabin with loved ones, somewhere faraway. Journey into corners of God’s deep imagination.
Sounding like that one dude who went out into the desert (can’t remember his name) who was never heard from again. He wrote all those poems and his mother was an artist….
Have you been able to go out since flagstaff?
A serine environment for feeding the soul. Being out there so far away from the hustle and bustle of civilization, what do you do when your body asks for nourishment. Do you take it with you?
Twofrtea: Serene, but diffinitely not prestine! And of course I usually venture to wally-world for supplies, on the way… I also depend on rubber wheels to wisk me away from those smelly cities! But I’ve snared and killed rabbits before, gathered Pine Nuts from the Pinions, and many other things!!
Yes, a serene and wonderful feeling out in the desert alone to feel the vastness!
I would guess you skin and gut the rabbit. How do you prepare the fire for cooking and do you roast the rabbit over an open fire or boil it in a stew?
twofrtea, I cook it inside tin foil, over open coals, with sliced carrots, potatoes, and salt ‘n peper. You can survive off of cottontails if you have a 22 or learn how to snare them! Or, if your brave, you can try Jack Rabbit. Make sure that you let it sit in salt water for a few days though!
Yo Nate Bro – nice musings, seriously, from this old wordslingin’ baby boomer – you remind me of me. In writing, in spirit, in theory! Keep writing and pushing the boundaries of your creative imagination!
gambolinman.blogspot.com/2007/10/southwest-usa-precious-water-abounds-in.html