My first memory was when I was 3 years old. My family was driving through Yellowstone National Park. I had fallen asleep in the back seat of the car. My memory is of waking up, looking out of the car window and seeing a moose. I have a distinct body memory of the beginning darkness of dusk, the rich green-lush magical world, the absolute silence. It was that experience that imprinted on me, heightening my senses and awakening my soul.
Yesterday I spent the day driving with a friend to Steamboat Springs. One of the amazing things about living in Colorado is being able to go to the mountains often. We drove through Rocky Mountain National Park both ways to and from Steamboat Springs.
As we entered the park I was flooded with the memory/experience that had taken my breath away when I was three. I could feel my heart quicken, my body begin to relax, my senses on alert. I rolled down the window. A blast of cool air filled with the intoxicating smell of conifer trees hit my face and nose. The feeling of letting go of my everyday world gradually followed. I was entering an old familiar place of hightened awareness anticipating sensual surprises that might present themselves.
The first animals we saw were elk. It was a sight I had never experienced. An entire herd of elk was migrating across a river in the early morning sun. They lowered themselves into the water without breaking stride and swam across, slowly walking up on the other side. There were females, youngsters, males with large racks and, bringing up the rear, the oldest male with a rack so enormous he could hardly hold it up. They grazed their way across the road in front of our stopped vehicle and were occasionally nudged forward by a high-pitched call from one of the large males. It was awesome!
After we continued our journey, we saw hawks catching currents, floating and gliding way above the trees. They would suddenly drop into a straight-down dive as they hunted unseen-to-us creatures on the ground. We also saw lots of squirrels and hundreds of tiny chipmunks scampering ererywhere. We even saw a rabbit by the side of the road.
As we climbed toward the tundra the conifer trees began to thin out. We began to see beautiful groves of huge aspen. Even though it is still August, patches of their gold leaves were shimmering through the sun beams.
When we reached the tundra and drove along the trecherous winding road, it felt as though we were on top of the world. We crossed the Continental Divide where the water flows East or West on our continent. As I was contimplating that fact, I looked out over layers and layers of mountains. The morning sun hit the various faces depending on the direction of the mountain. Pinks, blues, greens and greys popped out of the haze as far as I could see.
We started our trek down the other side. By this time the amazing beauty and lack of oxygen had put me into a state of joy and bliss. In between moments of silence I found myself smiling, laughing and singing at every turn of the road.
Then we spied her. A gigantic female moose was next to the road in a swampy area munching leaves. We quickly pulled over and got out to take photos and watch her. We had to be cautious, knowing moose can get aggressive. She was strong and I was surprised at how small and closely set her eyes were. She was simply magnificant! After she had munched a while she began to come up the embankment. We quickly got back in the truck and continued on.
We drove along the Colorado river and watched it meander in and out of the mountains. We curved our way back down from the tundra, seeing in reverse order shrubs, aspen and then the conifer trees surrounded by huge boulders.
We arrived at Steamboat Springs. Our destination, after getting directions from some locals, was an outdoor hot springs with seven cascading pools with progressively hotter water. The springs were surrounded by aspen trees that were so tall--when I floated on my back they looked like they touched to sky. After a marvelous soak it was time to start back...
To our amazement, the mountains on the way back through the park looked completely different than on the way over. It was raining lightly and gradually moving toward dusk. The mountains looked huge as they popped up out of the mist.
I lost count of how many rainbows we saw! At almost every turn was another breath-taking view of the mountains with an intense rainbow. It was totally magical and spectacular! We couldn't help but stop at practically every turnout to take photos. As we climbed higher and higher it got colder and colder until it was too cold to get out of the truck.
When I finally got into bed that night I felt fulfilled and deeply blessed. My body was relaxed and all my senses were humming. My emotions and mind were still and I was filled with a calm sense of contentment. My soul was fully awakened, aligned with myself in perfect balance. Just before I fell asleep I remembered my 3 year old experience of waking up and seeing the moose. I smiled...
