Welcome! I am a contemplative thinker and photographer from Colorado. In this blog, you'll discover photographs that I've taken on my hiking and backpacking trips, mostly in the American West. I've paired these with my favorite inspirational and philosophical quotes - literary passages that emphasize the innate spirituality of the natural world. I hope you enjoy them!

If you'd like to purchase photo-quote greeting cards, please go to www.NaturePhoto-QuoteCards.com .


In the Spirit of Wildness,

Stephen Hatch
Fort Collins, Colorado

P.S. There's a label index at the bottom of the blog.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

The Narrows Hike Blends Us All into One


The trek up the Narrows of the Virgin River is an utterly amazing experience. Here, hikers walk right in the rushing, singing water, with thousand-foot cliffs shooting up on either side, glowing orange and gold with reflected light, or looming black where the canyon narrows to just twenty or thirty feet. In a festive, exuberant mood, hundreds of people make their way up the river - people from all different races, many of whom would perhaps rarely associate with one another during normal city-life. Hispanic people, Asian people, Black people, Anglo people, people from India, Native Americans - all helping each other find the best route up a rocky riverbed running with water that is thigh or even waist deep in places. Here, in the wilds of southern Utah, the joy we all feel in the presence of such natural beauty melts us together into One, while the river turns our voices into mere echoes of eternity. What an amazing experience!



Photos: Cliffs, a waterfall and silver water streaks; The Narrows of the Virgin River, Zion National Park, UT; August 30, 2014


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