Pilgrimage West
Week Two
We’ve covered quite a bit of Southern Utah this week…we finished our stay at Arches, which I mentioned last week. One evening I lit our Coleman lantern and set it out by the car – Daniel was up the hill searching for a cell phone signal to call his girlfriend, Katherine, and it was a dark spot we were camped in. It provided a beacon of light for Daniel to make his way back some time later – he said it illuminated the kayaks with a strange, ethereal light that reflected off the sandstone rocks. It provided an easy way for him to stay the course, to find his way home, safe passage for the night…kind of like the Light that we follow through this journey we call life, the golden rays of love that shine through the generous Spirit of our Loving God.
Dead Horse Point State Park was our next stop (pictures 20 – 27). An interesting name, I thought. Horses were rounded up and driven out to the Point, where only a thin corral was needed as the mesa provided a natural corral, with the face of the cliffs falling off rapidly down toward the Colorado river some 2000 feet below. Legend has it that a herd of horses was corralled and left forgotten on the mesa, where they died looking out at the waters of the Colorado River far below. Sort of reminds me of the church, where many times we gather surrounded by the Living Water of the Spirit, embraced by font / table / pulpit / music / fellowship / life / love – and yet we get as parched and dry and brittle as the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel’s dream. How can we find our way down to the river, how can we drink deeply from the well of life? Jeremiah 6:16 says “yet the Lord pleads with you still: Ask where the good road is, the godly paths you used to walk in, in the days of long ago. Travel there, and you will find rest for your souls.
Okay, enough preaching, you can tell I’ve missed a couple of Sundays, son Daniel’s probably going to have to start listening to my ravings soon!
The park was awesome, the view from the point was inspiring, and we were there for an evening sunset and morning sunrise. A note of interest, the wind here was relentless, and we were out guying / staking the tent down at 12 am when it topped out at about 40 knots!
Canyonlands – Island in the Sky – I’m running out of adjectives to describe the splendor of Southern Utah – the air is clear, the views stretch outward up to 150 miles, the light is golden, the red rocks and sandstone provide the canvas that is painted before your eyes. The Green River Overlook provided our best landscape scene in the park (pictures 17 & 18). We hiked to False Kiva, an interested hike that took us to ruins of the ancient ones, and once again I was reminded of how deep the threads run that connect us to each other, to even civilizations that disappeared hundreds of years ago. We are all connected, we all count, people matter, our environment matters, and this journey of faith we’re gifted with is our turn to walk on this hallowed God created ground and take our turn at loving and learning and living… Oops, here we go again, preaching…
Escalante State Park is our final stop for week two (pictures 28 – end). Here we have some rather strenuous hikes to slot canyons that Daniel added into the agenda. The slot canyons are really unique – the slots are very small – a tight squeeze – it makes me wish I listened to Web Slaughter more regarding my diet / exercise! The picture above is where we hiked today – Friday, June 1 – to Neon Canyon / Golden Cathedral. What a special canyon – the walls are a deep red from the reflected light, and the Golden Cathedral features two large potholes in the sandstone ceiling. The canyon hikes have taxed my physical abilities for sure – Daniel has had to wait patiently while I wonder if my lungs will ever quit heaving trying to suck in this thin Utah mountain air.
I suppose I should end with a quote from the great philosopher Soren Kierkegard: “Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being, and walk away from every illness – I have walked myself into my best thoughts." I pray it would be so in my life, and in your life also. I pray I will see all of you at the end of this journey with stories to tell, and memories to share, and passion for our journey of faith together. Thanks be to God!
