All descriptions
fall far short of the beauty and magnificence
of these
areas. Each is stunning in its own ways. Earth,
air, fire, and water weave themselves together
in infinite varieties of landscape. What is temporal
or eternal, personal or transcendent is revealed
in differing features, textures, and balances.
We hope these few words are helpful and speak
to your heart and imagination as much as your
reason.
Death Valley
Southeastern California
(March) Immense, grand vistas,
Gold Rush stories, geological oddities. Graveled
washes in rocky canyons, sand dunes, vast sky,
stillness, sparse vegetation. Time stretching
into the distance, brilliant stars, silence punctuated
by coyote or raven.
Gila and Aldo Leopold Wilderness,
Southwestern New Mexico
(April and October) A rich
and diverse intermingling of mountain, desert,
and river ecologies. An area of stunning diversity,
grand cottonwoods, oaks, and other deciduous trees
thrive alongside ponderosa pine forests and the
pinion-juniper cactus zone characteristic of high
desert. Rugged mountains descend through dry grass
and wildflower meadows to lush river-bottom land.
Rich in animal life: deer, mule deer and elk are
common.
Vermont Quests
(May, late August, September)
Rolling hills and mountains, lush, fertile woodlands,
streams, and lakes. Loons calling at dusk, owls
hooting, morning mist rising from the water. Moose,
moss-covered boulders, beaver ponds, mirrored
lake reflecting mountain and sky. Islands emerging
from fog, spring wildflowers, gold and crimson
leaves in fall. Honking geese, quacking ducks,
eagle and osprey diving for fish.
Pecos Wilderness,
Northern New Mexico
(July) Preparation
in lush alpine woodlands next to sparkling mountain
streams. Fasting in stunning mesa-canyon country.
Red-rock cliffs striped in Georgia O'Keefe palette.
Bright sun, brilliant stars, cicadas singing,
summer thunderstorms. Pinion, cedar, mule deer,
canyon wrens, coyote. Wildflowers, sage fields,
prickly pear and cholla cactus in bloom.