Thursday, November 15, 2007

grand gulch


About a month ago I went on a short weekend backpacking trip to Grand Gulch with my friends Lindsay, Grant and Matt. I hadn't been to GG since high school and it was so fun to revisit old ruins and reacquaint myself with that beautiful canyon. It was a perfect weekend, not too hot or cold, all the cottonwoods in glorious yellow array, and a pretty nice length of hiking through the canyon. I really love being in southern Utah, so so much. I'm so grateful my parents raised me with the canyons as my backyard and that I am so lucky as to have traversed a fair amount of wilderness territory. Being on this little trip made me remember/realize how important being outside is for my soul. I love backpacking because there is so much time to just BE in nature and notice small details and think about the natural processes of the rocks and organisms, or your life, or nothing at all. I love the quiet and the stars, and sleeping so well outside. Someone once said that we love being in nature because we are surrounded by beings who are all in total compliance and obedience to God's laws. I like that idea, being in nature can't help but make me think of the most important things and make me feel like I'm a part of it all.

1 comment:

Geo said...

This post makes me say, "Aaaahhhhh." I think about that idea too when I spend time outdoors, especially away from everything civilized(?). I especially love to be by water on the move—a river, a healthy stream—it always reminds me of scriptures that describes the voice of the Lord as the sound of the rushing of great waters. I'm not sure there's any sound more lovely to me.