Elemental Camping June 24-25, 2006
Graced with Gentleness (but packed with a Wallop)
Cloudy and gray and sharp shooting sunshine followed us South, giving us some hope for a bright day then taking it back playing with us in a Colorado way.
The road tournament dropping the roar of the highway like a bad habit.
Suddenly smells invaded the truck, pine, green, brown, dusty and quiet tumbled in through the windows. Bouncing our way up the red rocky road - it felt like coming home.
Fires had been circling the area but when we arrived at the land we found green happening all over. Scrub oak had taken off and built cave woven atriums amidst the pines. Cacti had bloomed, wild flowers sprung out in luminous hues from the most surprising places. Everything welcomed us, but best was the overwhelming peaceful, restful harmony that emanated from the most sacred of spaces.
Walking gently down the hill following the wetland to meadows and woods, slowly circling around and back again, taking deep healing breaths.
We set up camp and sat and communed in quiet ways. The sun strong and warm, the sky blue and clear, the misty clouds capping the purple mountain. We walked up the sloping road, marking the perimeter, checking and appreciating the graceful form of the slopes and valleys, connecting once again.
We ventured into the heart of land through thick scrub and low slung briars, twisting and turning our way through uncharted country, bent over double at times then finding ourselves in small open spaces that smelt of fairies and flowers. One such space was the home of the tallest tree, protected and left to grow to its hearts content.
The night rolled in late as it was just days from the solstice. The stars started showing up in a bright clear night but just as they got going the old Sheep Mountain brought some clouds from the north and closed down the place for the night. So, with no argument we went to bed.
A Personal Best!
The land has three treks or roads that pass up the mountainside. The middle one is the longest but with the most gentle grade. The East one is the shortest but with a sharp incline that is mostly rock it is a runoff for the mountain and a hard steep climb. The Western one is steep and long and quite the most arduous climb. We went up and down each one at least once this was quite an accomplishment for me as I experience asthma but was able to make the treks without using my inhaler.
The morning was bound to be delightful with its easy sunny ways and soon the smell of coffee was perking us up. So sweet and low was the vibration one just had to stroll and smell and let it wash over you like a clean wave.
Eating, clearing, enjoying, being was the call of the day. Roaming up and through the gracious land, taking a couple of stones to be reminders at our homes, being thankful for the gifts led us to homecoming time.
Soon back on the highway, just drifting with the roar homewards, then crash back and wallop we were in the biggest deluge of rain, hail, mist, lightning and thunder and flooding. Threading our way back northward we were slowed to patience but arrived safely.
Never been elemental camping without the elements dancing and showing their power in some way or other but then that's why we call it elemental camping.
