Hello Red Rockers:
We find ourselves in a new age when all we took for granted is suddenly upended. We often find much later in time that there is positive that comes out of the most negative life circumstances. So too one may find that people on this planet will change for the better. May it be so.
We have become so disconnected from nature that we often forget the gifts that the earth gives us. Red Rock has an appeal to many of us because we can visually see how stunning the majestic canyons and geologic formations are that give us a sense of peace and inspiration.
There is however, so much more than the physical beauty of nature that provides for our safety and survival that we have taken for granted. Too many people do not know that modern day medicines and pills were in fact derived from plants and botanicals. If you have a headache, you reach for the aspirin bottle that you get from the box store that you drive to. If you had access to white willow, you would know that it can provide the relief for headaches that we get from over the counter pain relievers. This is just one example of the countless gifts to be found from the plant world. Wildlife and Rock Worlds (just to name a few) also contain an abundance of contributions to life as we know it. Who knew that “Venom from snakes is an important agent for curing many types of cancers.” Please keep in mind that too much of something that cures can also kill. Balance is key. The point being that nature has been taken for granted as time has gone on since the 1950’s and we have become a society using convenience and consumption as a major way of life.
Now would be a great time to connect with nature’s bounty and beauty. In addition to the physical aspect of nature which is the basis for countless items in our lives, we cannot forget the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects it provides. The sense of peace and calm that comes from going outside and appreciating the basics of earth and sky has incredible beneficial rewards.
So in closing for this week, thank you for being one that already gets how awesome nature is and what it provides for humanity. You wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t a Red Rocker and an afficionado of Red Rock Canyon State Park. Keep on Rocking. Keep on keeping on.
Hello all Red Rockers, the Brave Hikers who accompanied me up Nightmare Gulch on 10-30-2021, and all Future Hikers in and around Red Rock Canyon: THANK YOU to all who accompanied me up the Gulch Canyon last Saturday. I apologize for not making it all the way to the Magic Silent City. Please check the activities list for next October, as I may try this again, NOW that I know the route better.
I hope that all hikers still could say they had a wonderful adventure up Nightmare Gulch (NG) despite not getting all the way to Silent City. The area where we stopped for lunch greatly resembled the City. Unfortunately, the leader (me), had only been up NG only one time previously, and I was unsure I’d make it all the way to Silent City from the get go. Thanks to Ranger Martinez for downloading a GPS map of the area which featured past routes that others had taken up the Gulch. So when I took the group too far to the west, we checked her map and soon was able to return to the main route.
I think our hiking group, as well as other intrepid explorers to the east side of Red Rock Canyon, can more clearly understand that it is currently a very wild and rugged landscape, with no established or groomed trails, much less a graded road able to handle highway licensed vehicles. I hope they, and others who love this Park, can see how established trails, graded access to unique areas by other than 4WD vehicles, and perhaps a campground or two, would enhance a visitor’s experience while exploring all portions of this unique and special State Park. Please use your voice to support more access by graded roads, and trail development by foot or horseback, to all portions of Red Rock Canyon, while protecting preserves, rare and sensitive plants and animals, unique geological and paleontological formations, and nesting sites.