Tree in Solitude

"I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity." - Albert Einstein

I read this quote from Albert Einstein and almost passed it by, before scrolling the page back up to look at it again. Then I imagined this tree, hunched over the canyon rim of Dead Horse State Park in Utah.

How fitting.

I had spotted this tree years ago on a trip to the southwest. The setting was simple - nothing in the background to distract except a dark grey sky. It was a vision of solitude. As a sapling, it must have struggled and fought for every inch gained for its roots and drops of water. Wind must have buffeted the poor young tree, threatening to tear it from the cracks in the rock. Maybe, if it had  other trees surrounding, the elements would not have been so harsh. Yet the tree withstood to grow in maturity with strength and beauty.

How many times in our youth do we yearn for someone to stand with us against the elements and when we turn to look for someone to buffer us we're standing alone? The only action we can take to survive is to dig in and hang on to our vision, beliefs, and selves. And in time, we too grow into our beauty and strength. We find we can stand on our own.

Big Horn View & Rim Trail

4/3/09

I woke in the morning excited about hiking along the rim of Dead Horse Point. Clouds drifted through but there was enough sucker-holes to make me want to get on with it. So I grabbed my pack and the dog to explore the rim views and formations - hoping to see potholes and maybe a few animals.

We first went north from the campground to Big Horn View to see the potholes and at least get a couple of miles in just in case the weather turned yucky as it was predicted to do. Hiking in the desert is a lot different than hiking here in the northwest. The trail isn't always obvious and is often marked with little stone cairns which are easy to miss if you're not paying attention. I got side-tracked several ties where needed to stop take stock of the "trail" and turnaround for the real one. Even though the country is so open, I could easily see how I could get lost.

I let Olympia's leash drop so she could explore a little wider scope. But I held her close as we approached the cliff walls. I could also quickly grab it when people came by to both give the others a sense of security that my dog wouldn't jump all over them and give them kisses, plus the added sense that we were following the rules of the park. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but come-on - it's Olympia, you know, Ole-Gimpy? All she wants to do is get belly rubs from anyone willing. And wildlife? chasing them is out of the question. She couldn't even chase her own tail with the legs she's got right now. So if letting her drag her lash behind her in the sand is evil, then I am sorry for you poor state of judgement.

We got back to camp for lunch and I downloaded the images I had so far taken on my trip. Then the sky cleared and Olympia jumped on the trail heading southward to the point. I figured we could hike that and be back in camp in time for dinner, relax a bit, get up early for sunrise then mosey on home. Yeah, I noticed that, I was already stretching beyond the day in my plans. Remember I mentioned the weather report? That the weather would take a turn for the worse? Well, what we had was the largest sucker-hole I'd seen in a long time. We were out for 2 hours enjoying the warmth and the views when the wind kicked up. Followed by rain, which in turn was followed by snow. and wee weren't even o the point yet.

The image above illustrates the drama a storm has as it slowly moves across the canyonlands. By the time wee made the point, both Olympia & I had had about enough but we still had a couple of miles to go before it was over. We hurried through the second half of the hike. I kept note of some of the views I wanted to see again but mostly wee just walked as fast as we could through the wind and snow.

Olympia went straight into the tent as I quickly heated up a can of chili and we ate in the pseudo-comfort of the tent. Winter was not quite over in the canyonlands.

6th Stop - Dead Horse Point

4/2/09

How this little section of Utah's canyonlands didn't become part of the National Park system is beyond comprehension. Utah definitely got the better end of the deal. The scenery from the rim all around the state park is jaw-dropping. I honestly believe that Dead Horse Point State Park contains better views than Canyonlands National Park. Michael was right, I was going to enjoy my stay in this little park.

Dead Horse Point got its name from an unfortunate incident back in the pioneer days. Cowboys would round up wild horses on the "point" of the mesa which with its narrow neck made a natural corral. The cowboys would then pull out the horses they wanted and release the ones they didn't. However, they didn't always release the horses and the captive horses would soon succumb to death from dehydration. Sickening, really. But that was the way they thought back then. So glad we know better now.

Still, the views are well worth any effort to see them.