Zion
Utah is hot and rocky. Outside of Salt Lake, we felt the energy of that. The desert landscape, heralding back to the days of Earth’s creation and mass rock formations, was starkly different than the plains of South Dakota, where one can imagine Woolly Mammoths roaming. Both places of a different time yet stark in their contrast.
(Above photo taken in Salt Lake City, prior to driving to Zion)
(Above photo taken in Salt Lake City, prior to driving to Zion)
The town we stayed in outside of Zion was buzzing with tourists and restaurants offering patios with water misting overhead. It was strange to see such a precious resource given so unceremoniously and often times without the consciousness of the benefactors. It was a nice touch given the 100+ degree heat.
My Mom and I prepared to enter the park for our first day. We knew we wanted to hike and we knew we wanted to beat the certain afternoon sun. We found a small balcony at the end of the hallway overlooking the parking lot. Sitting in two rocking chairs, basking in the welcome reprieve of the late evening coolness, we scoured the park maps. Finally we found one: the anticipation of a sunrise hike in Zion!
Into the park we went and after driving through a tunnel (chiseled through the solid stone mountain), we arrived at the trail head. The park was quiet and still. It felt as though we had the place to ourselves and all the animals were sleeping. We knew this likely was not the case but from our unobservant and domesticated human eye, it felt so.
We wound up the steep mountain side, weaving in and out of hidden passageways and around narrow turns, doing the Zion Overlook hike. In the valley of stones we were walking, the rocks were our guides and our friends.
Zion has two distinct yet equally beautiful sides to it: one, a stone temple; the other, a canvas of the energy forever etched in rock. Often you hear people speak of the former, but you rarely hear of the majesty of the latter.
Throughout the park along the way are beautiful brush strokes and imprints of energy. Almost like a mirage – hard to tell where the rocks end and the vibrating pulse of the ancient water begins. Smooth yet energetic, they are a sight to behold.
The rocks along the trail were quiet and formed, more approachable and less vast than other parts of National Parks. Perhaps that is part of why people venture here: the human part of them blocked and absorbed by these stone walls/shapes, the innate and wild part brought to life by nature.
I found a large, friendly rock to meditate on. It was facing a giant boulder. I sat in stillness with my eyes closed, focusing on my breath and the sanctity of the moment. It is hard to say how long I sat but I sank into a deep meditation. I knew my Mom was nearby but I felt undisrupted by her spirit; the sign of true comfort with another – being able to meditate in their presence! At the end of my meditation, I opened my eyes and saw a giant nose and two closed yet wise eyes. It was the face of God, sitting lovingly and clearly before me. I have always believed that God works in the most obvious of ways and as I’ve gone deeper into my spirituality, this has been further confirmed. I saw the face of God and it was serene.
Later, looking at the rock, I could see the other marks I had spotted previously. The groves and such all looked familiar but the one thing I could not see was that same face.