It struck me as I drove south towards Cottonwood through Joshua Tree – the natural splendor that surrounded me was so much more than eye candy. The feeling I had is difficult to name…a sense of peace? Resonance with my core self? Balance between self and the outside world? I knew happiness had its place because every time I hit the road I’m grinning from ear to ear, partially in anticipation of what new experience I’ll encounter next, but also because of the beauty I see surrounding me.
During my three days in Joshua Tree I hiked (I’m using the term loosely…some were more like walks and they ranged from a quarter mile to three miles) everyday – checking out Arch Rock and suffering the frustration of not being able to climb on the plentiful large smooth rocks, strolling around the Hall of Horrors feeling nothing close to horrified (but then again I wasn’t trying to climb the slot canyons!), exploring Hidden Valley and learning that the creosote plant emits chemicals when other plant roots get too close, threatening it’s scarce water supply and seeing petroglyphs, and hiking Split Rock which proved to be my toughest hike since breaking my wrist and which provided a much-needed psychological boost to get past my fear of falling. I also took the Barker Dam and Wall Street Mine hikes.
When I first arrived in the park I did not have the OMG! reaction I had at Arches, Canyonlands or the John Day Fossil Beds. It didn’t take long, though, to develop a deep appreciation for the geology of the land along with the character of the plant life. Joshua trees are expressive, many seeming to convey an attitude or body language with the formation of their branches. Fields of these trees were a beautiful sight.
And then there were the chollas. My first experience with a jumping cholla was years ago when I was in Arizona for a conference and a couple of colleagues and I went for a hike one afternoon. I distinctly remember the ranger warning us about the jumping cholla and to keep our distance. These buggers would seem to leap into a leg or some other body part if said body part got too close. The ranger said that if more than a few of the needles jumped embedded themselves in you it would be a medical emergency. Naturally, as we walked I got too close without realizing it…a couple of the needles leaped into my boot, luckily not getting past the leather into my skin and one of the other hikers was able to pull them out with her utility tool. Yikes…seemed like a close call!
As I looked at the Cholla Garden and other congregations of the lovely cacti I couldn’t help but recall that experience and heighten my vigilance.
One of my takeaways from Joshua Tree is that I want to return in the spring when the plants bloom; another is the diversity of plant life in the desert…I previously had a very narrow view of, expecting to see cacti and nothing else.
Back to my awareness of the range and scale of my feelings as I drove through the park, it occurs to me that the power of nature has many facets. The beauty of it is perhaps the most obvious, then there’s the intelligence of plant life, such as how the creosote protects its water source. Add to that the geology over an unimaginable span of time that results in what we see in the rock formations, colors, and textures before us and then the many ways we interact with it – there were rock climbers all around and lots of people enjoying the natural jungle gyms nature had created as well as the remnants of a dam and a mine, both of which contributed to economic activity. Finally, the petroglyphs are a reminder of the many ways humans have communicated over the centuries.
The day after I wrote the first draft of this post II went to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and was fortunate that in honor of Native American Heritage Month, they had scheduled a lecture presented by a Navajo scholar, Shawn Price, on the subject of FDR and the New Deal for Native Americans and a traditional Navajo dance presentation. At one point in the Q and A Mr. Price mentioned bringing our life energy into the world intentionally, balancing our minds, hearts and bodies for the good. Somehow he summed up my experience driving through Joshua Tree. In addition to recognizing the moving parts within ourselves, within our communities, within our environments – those we exist in day to day as well as those a step or two removed – it’s valuable to increase our awareness of the different parts and be intentional about how we express, navigate and interact with them. More on my experience at the museum and the lecture later.
I had decided to take the trip to Joshua Tree because I thought it was only a three hour drive from where I was in Arizona. Turns out it was 4.5 hours and I’m really glad I didn’t know that since I might have decided I didn’t want to drive that far. Lucky for me, I went and not only enjoyed my time immensely but also feel like my experience there expanded my thinking and opened me up to a deeper experience.
Karen in the Gap 
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