Sedimentary life tracked me down. A new reality featuring the comings and goings of ancient seas. Concluding with exotic mesas and canyons. My essence shares the geological basics of deposition and erosion. Rippled waves of sand on a damp canyon floor represent tomorrow’s installment of sand dunes to sandstone. Witness deposition. Silty chocolate-colored water flowing to the Colorado River in Dark Canyon must settle in a pot overnight for use in the morning coffee. Witness erosion. A constant building up and tearing down process identical to daily life. Taking me to unimagined places. Grand, intimate, and vast.
Years ago when I looked across a sandstone panorama it appeared empty. It is not. At the time when driving to Moab, I couldn’t imagine anything living in this sedimentary landscape. Maybe a few bugs and lizards. Nothing more. To the contrary life is teeming in this apparent wasteland. From wild horses to coyotes to rabbits and birds galore. A few rattlesnakes to control the rodents. A lesson learned in observation.
Marvel that the Grand Canyon seems to descend to the center of the earth. Endless vertical rock layers broken only by plateaus where the erosion paused. Scale beyond imagination. Embrace Grand Gulch’s intimacy. Explore Anasazi ruins, then imagine this to be the center of your world. Self-contained. Seeing images through the desert’s eyes allows me to better embrace Mother Nature. This vision culminated in an extraordinary twilight morning hug from a supernatural something. Initiation overlooking the green mask pictograph. An extraordinary experience. Once taken there is no return.
Today drifting through the Southwest’s vastness I listen for Kokopelli’s flute. A mirage taking me far beyond the grandiose. At Hovenweep I wander away from the visitor center to speculate on what a pile of rocks might have been a 1,000 years ago. Or hiking up Mule Canyon self-absorbed not caring about important route details. Or spending a few days in Robbers Roost always on the lookout, just like Butch Cassidy. Immerse yourself in canyon country. An extraordinary experience. Once taken there is no return.
These journeys offer more than adventure. Learning from both the successes and failures of prehistoric cultures I am reminded that our planet home is not controlled by the greater human race. Mother Earth is not an inexhaustible resource. Unimaginable until recently, creating ethics and morals as a faith foundation is not confined to four walls. Today individual values of the soul represent my destination. Extraordinary experiences. Once taken there is no return.
At the end of the day sedimentary life is about listening to soothing thoughts, music played silently in your head while watching a sunset. Later the stars will only enhance your inner peace.
Eighteen years ago John headed west, settling in Heber, Utah. Focusing on the environment and giving back to community soon became as natural as his beautiful surroundings. Departing the corporate world in 2006 John immersed himself in a year of graduate studies at the Teton Science School, Jackson, Wyoming. Place-based education opened new perspectives on nature and spirituality. After graduation several seasons were spent as a wilderness therapy guide and conservation corps crew leader. Mentoring to these “kids” remains one of his proudest achievements.
