Category: Desert Poetics

Four miles down a creek in the Gila Wilderness, I noticed a dark opening in the mesa above. The crack towered. It was possible a cave stretched behind. Throughout history, people have visited this area for its small caves and rock shelters. Indigenous cultures, like the Mimbres people who lived here around 1,000 CE, used… Continue reading Gila Pictograph →

Wallace Stegner said that to appreciate the arid west, "You have to get over the color green; you have to quit associating beauty with gardens and lawns..." I sometimes call Albuquerque the Big Brown. Not as an insult. Not with full affection. Perhaps somewhere in between, depending on how I feel. Tan, chocolate, taupe—there’s a… Continue reading “Getting Over the Color Green” →

We ascended in deep snow. The trees relinquished their embrace and the air’s rare moisture crystallized and was made visible, glittering in the sun. As our view expanded, the flickering spirits of ten thousand small gods swarmed us. Their gentle flurry felt like a greeting. Here’s the thing. I haven’t crossed frozen earth or traversed… Continue reading Don’t Argue with Desert Mountains in the Winter →

You should see this place for yourself. It’s hidden. I won’t tell you how to get here. I will, however, take you. It’s a spot not too obvious. The location is not misplaced. Being here does not arouse suspicion. There are no human tracks, and no litter unless you count the occasional 400 to 700-year-old… Continue reading I’ll Take You There →