I'm On Earth

08/19/2012 1216 San Francisco, CA

Chapter 3

Nature the Inculcator

Mexican Hat, AZ

We entered Roswell, New Mexico thinking it would be our final intermittent lodging grounds before we would acclimate ourselves in Lake Havasu. Unfortunately, this propagated the lack of expectations that I have had thus far and we improvised on the go. Mesa Verde, CO was our first stop.

Roaming through the ruins of Mesa Verde was an incomplete experience or rather exposed a blatant truth to myself; my disconnect with the Natives that stemmed from my aloofness in a sea of European and American tourists. It took hundreds of years to befriend Nature and distinguish allies such as raccoons and deer from foes like poison ivy and diamondback snakes. The course of man through space and time is lost and not kindled by a generation that is born head first on to a LCD screen. However to come to this realization I wasn't merely sprawled on a couch contemplating a Google image search; I coursed the beaten trails of Earth. 

Grand Canyon, AZ

From Mesa Verde we headed southwest to the state of Arizona that shattered my undefined wall of expectations. The evening was spent stargazing under the forest canopies, while drinking corn moonshine to ease my transition to sleep in the cool ambience of the grounds. Couldn't help but think that cosmic forces shaped this wildly beautiful terrain and in turn facilitated our birth as a species. We ascended the mountains with our own inventions, wheels, axes and concrete being the cornerstones in marking our establishment and comfort, while coexisted with the other guests of Earth. To foster such a harmony with the other guests in the forest trails we force ourselves to recycle and act mindfully on a micro scale so as to create the least possible minor disturbances with our passing. Whereas in our cities we lack (forget?) this inclination and get lost in a concoction of people among brick and wooden structures; we neglect our roots and how we became. We have created the iPhone and strive to create a better one to document our lives and communicate with each other. What shall we create next to please our desires to please? How much more shall this put us at odds with our inherent Nature?

Lake Powell, AZ

Our last stop in the wilderness was in Zion, UT. We had favorable predisposition for this site, due to its name and its scenery. We were partially right, as the name did the landscape justice, but not the groundkeepers, who don’t hesitate to cap butts with $125 fines for disorderly conduct and unreasonable noise. Was it unreasonable to be talk loudly on the outskirts of camp with a full family, parents and baby present? All the while we suggested receding into our tents to avoid further locomotion. The unidentified Mormon park ranger enjoyed shining flashlights in our mugs, while dictating us. 

Anyway, you can't have ups without downs. That didn't dismay my broke ass. Not at all, because I was on a mission to Angel's Landing. Not a location for the average person that is fearful of heights. Yet I thought, if I don't confront my fears, if I don't take myself outside of my zone of comfort, what teachings of Nature will I omit?

Angel's Landing, Zion

Zion, UT

 I was cautious and felt gravity pull on me near cliffs, where there was nothing between me and a sheer 900 ft drop. But I took it one step at a time and climbed edges, stood by cliffs, felt the vertigo. I internalized it as a lesson to my brief life thus far; the need to take things one step at a time. I'm addicted now to hiking steep cliffs. To conquer a fear is to live outside your knowledge; to have a mouthful of what you don't rationalize.

Now I'm off to the West Coast, my final destination before I start off a "real" life.

Oh below is a gem from New Orleans. The lady in the pink is a momma. 

Cousin Ben and the locals, NOLA