The desert landscape though seemingly barren is a hidden oasis that reveals itself to those who explore beyond the neon lights. Every year when traveling back home I take some time to connect to the Fire Goddess whom I met years ago and journey to the mountains to listen to the stories of the plants. Together with a close friend we journeyed to familiar stomping grounds, Mount Charleston and decided to take the North Loop Trail.
Very early on as we were driving to the trail head I started witnessing flowers like, Blazingstar Mentzelia laevicaulis. I felt this bubbling of joy rise up in my belly and heart for we were going to see the wild flowers that come and go so quickly. The North Loop Trail resides in the Spring Mountains off the State Route 158. It’s a moderately strenuous hike that takes you up hill for a couple of miles. Our destination this time was to the Rain Tree, one of the oldest Bristlecone Trees in Nevada. It is estimated to be 3,000 years old.
Along the trail I felt the magic call out to me as flowers made themselves known. I found familiar plant families that dwell nearby my home in California, like the Arizona Lupine Lupinus arizonicus and Howards Evening Primrose Oenothern howardii. When I journey to the desert I am reminded that like flowers we too have a inner strength that stands out from the rest. Within our own unique expression we find common ground that supports the whole. Each flower, plant, and animal within the desert plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
We climbed up to 9,968 feet in elevation and got to watch the life zones change from Sonoran influences of dry desert plants the Creosote to Juniper Pine Woodlands to Hudsonian Forests with Bristlecone Pines. The desert is not a waste land but home to many plant and animal species. At the end of the 6 mile hike I was exhilarated and charged by the raw energy that awaits you on a desert trail.
Have you been swept up by the raw beauty and fire magic of the Desert? What experience have you had that have shaped your life? What plants have you connected to?
Would you like resources for your next visit? Check out
http://www.birdandhike.com/index.htm
Or
www.gomtcharleston.com/