Monday, August 27, 2007

caught in a storm

Today i had a very singular experience. as part of my trip to AZ, i wanted to take a hike alone to one of my favorite swimming holes. i went fairly early this morning, hoping that i would have the trail and water to myself. i did. for the 6 miles out i saw no one, and for several hours i dozed in the sun and swam in the cool pool.

sometime in the early afternoon, heavy clouds and rumbling thunder rolled in, so i made my way out. however, as i went along the trail, i saw this was an unusual weather pattern. i was actually making my way into the heart of the storm. the wind whipped around me as i scurried along the cliff side - lightning and thunder cracked ahead of me, the sound reverberating on the canyon walls. no matter which direction i went, i would be in the storm, and i felt i'd be better off getting to lower ground, so i continued on.

a little further along, i spotted a very small overhang in a rock wall next to the trail. i pulled my towel out of my backpack, laid it down in the fine red dirt and curled up under the shelter to watch the storm as it got more intense. the rain had not yet hit hard where i was, but i could see it was raining very hard to the S/W - further down the trail. i listened to the thunder continuing to echo through the canyon and thought about Native legends of sky gods. Then, i witnessed one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen - i watched the rain march its way up the canyon towards me, and heard its approach. many times i have watched rain move across a landscape, sometimes in a great approaching wall, sometimes as faint straight rays of water moving in the distance, but this rain rippled and danced its way gently up the canyon. The way the light hit the streams of falling water seemed to illuminate them as dancing grey ghostlike figures swaying and undulating in the strong wind. it was as though i could feel the rain gently giving its gift to the parched desert land. there are no words to describe what i saw, but it was marvelous.

soon, the birds twittered and came out of hiding, and a small gold finch came and sat on a catclaw bush in front of me, signifying that the worst was over. So, i moved along the path, sometimes in a gentle rain and sometimes in the sun.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." ~ Lao Tzu

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