Getting out into the desert to spend some time with Nature was my main priority for this trip. The place I wandered has changed a lot since I last visited it in early spring. The flowing streams are gone and much of the green has faded away. The desert is transforming.
Especially in the rocky terrain of this portion of desert, the colorless nature of this time of the year can feel quite empty. But when I take the time to stop along the way and really listen–and even feel–what’s going on around me, I’m always reminded that Nature is never truly “empty.”
I was able to spend time noticing the quiet things that grow during this time, the seeds that are falling from their dried-out places to wait for next spring, and the wind–especially the wind.
There’s something that intrigues me about the wind. I find myself stopping regularly during my hikes just to listen to it, to feel it, and to give it a little more of my attention. As strange as it might seem to stop and listen to some air moving around, I have yet to regret a single one of these stops.