I have hiked around the desert and encountered objects and areas which dramatically shifted my thinking about my world and reality. Sometimes, these interactions make me feel like I am dreaming and come in contact with a different reality. Take, for example, these thoughts written at the conclusion of my time wandering through Arches National Park:
“As I stepped into the desert valley, a sense of quiet and peacefulness descended upon me. As you enter, the winds and noises disappear. I was awestruck. The desert has great beauty and serenity to convey to us. For me, it is one of the most reverent places I have visited. Even today, I can instantly recall the feeling that overcame me that day.”
This is the beauty of hiking and interacting with nature. As I complete a hike, oftentimes, my mind will sink deeply into the surroundings to create a vivid interaction with nature. Encounters on the hike suddenly mix with recent life experiences and offer new insights. The interaction alters my perspective. My mind shifts allowing the new thoughts to juxtapose against my current condition. Under this new circumstance, I experience a whole new understanding of myself. Indeed, this was my experience that day in the desert.
What About the Desert Creates this Condition?
I find this phenomenon happens most frequently when I dramatically alter something about the hike. For example, when I hike during inclement weather or through challenging terrain, I engage my mind more deeply as part of the adventure . I have hiked through many different environments and situations but only a handful of journeys have truly engaged my mind. One such hike was my winter hike through the woods in December. Another outlier was the hike cited above about my encounters in the Utah desert. I have discovered 3 incredible reasons why I think this hike in the desert triggered my mind so deeply. So deeply, in fact, that I want to recreate and relive that hike over and over again.
Shhh!
The desert can be extremely quiet. Desolation eliminates a lot of noise. Few people or animals are there to disturb things or challenge the silence. Neither are there big trees or plants which rustle in a slight breeze. The weather rarely changes. With little moving or making noise, quiet settles in. Other places are quiet, but in the desert, it is so quiet, you feel it. It seeps into your soul.
Quiet eliminates distractions. It focuses your mind on taking things in. For me, I am constantly reacting to multiple stimuli and have difficulty concentrating during my daily life. These distractions go away in the utter silence of the desert. In its place, you allow yourself to take in the beauty and marvels of the planet with utter awe. Nothing stands in your way.
It’s hard to find quiet in our lives. Even our sleep is often interrupted. Therefore, we dream less. The dreams we do have are less intense. Our minds need quiet time to think and unpack all that life throws at us. This reflection time lets us deal with our worries and anxieties while also finding the energy to feed our inner spirit. We all have dreams but we don’t take the time in a quiet location to develop what is required to reach them. You do not need to find a desert to get quiet and explore, but you do need to find it somewhere. Quiet reflection and meditation is what you need to fully develop plans to reach your dreams.
Challenging Conditions Hone Excellence
Living things stand out more when you are in the desert. When there is less of it, the life that is available is more easily noticed. Plants and animals that survive and thrive in these conditions are tough. It’s interesting to observe and think about their adaptability. Some things will thrive where they find shade or better access to food and water. Others live out in the open with little to to protection. They may live but they have difficulty thriving. I discovered an interesting, illustrated guide showing California desert plants here.
What can we learn from various plants as they struggle to survive in the elements? Plenty. First off, are we looking for shade and protection from the elements or do we prefer to go out there and tough it out? My mentality has been more to go it alone and do little to seek assistance. I have had success in my life but it can be challenging when the elements get really tough and bear down on you. I am finding more times in my life where I seek shelter and protection. Thankfully, I am also finding there are many friends out there willing to help. How are you thriving and who is out there protecting you from the elements?
A Fresh Perspective
The desert is almost always sunny. With less than 10″ of rain annually, there are few cloudy days. That may sound mundane, but the dryness and lack of humidity lead to clear skies. Beautiful sunshine with no clouds or humidity to stop the light from saturating everything. I love it when I can look up and see nothing but blue skies. Everything seems so clean and fresh. A new canvas right there for you to use and draw upon.
A fresh canvas creates the best opportunity to contemplate what you intended to do with your life. Instead of being scared of the blank space, think about what you truly enjoy doing. If you could do anything, what would you be doing? So many times, we get pigeon-holed by past experience into maintaining the same course. Well, there are no pigeons in the desert, at least none that I have seen. Only blue skies and opportunities to think about exploring new horizons.
Seeing the Forest and the Trees
Nature is our creator’s place to allow us to contemplate and think. Our spirit seeks places to meditate and dream. Opportunities exist all around us. It doesn’t need to be the desert. It could be the woods in the dead of winter or a nice babbling brook meandering through a meadow during a spring shower. Wherever you decide to go, seek a place where you can skew things a bit and find space to think, meditate and dream.
When I experience deep reflection after a hike, my mind rejoices in a manner similar to a runner’s high. It wanders and connects thoughts that I have struggled to fit together. The reflection enables new connections. I can feel like I am dreaming and I am wide awake. To me, that’s the beauty of nature. Experiencing nature resets your thinking and engages your mind. At that point, you may think or contemplate or reveal ideas to your soul. Sounds deep. It is. I don’t often make it all of the way to that point, but I enjoy trying.
I encourage you to get outdoors and try to get your mind into a “hiker’s high”. You don’t need to go to exotic locations. It also does not have to be an all-day or multi-day excursion. It does need to dramatically tweak some elements, however. Try hiking in less than ideal weather or with a different partner. Most importantly, get out there and provide your mind with different stimulus to chew up and digest.
