The Vibration of Being

Early this morning Jim and I hiked 500 feet into the canyon. The morning air was cool and the sun bright as diamonds. We were the only ones on the trail and the quiet except a buzzing fly and occasional bird was majestic. The trail was well maintained and a reasonable width (not as narrow as Grand Canyon). Way off in the distance the river and horses grazing. But it was the canyon walls that riveted my attention … the smooth reds, blacks, bronzes of nature … sheer drops of about 600 feet.    

After crossing a footbridge and coming up to the ruins I looked at some of the Navajo jewelry for sale. The craftsmanship was incredible … one double-sided pendant with a shadowbox insert of a semiprecious stone (red, and I can’t remember the name). Elaborate carved silver with miniature canyon views and Navajo symbols alongside very simple $5 bracelets. I enjoyed looking and some conversation with a woman who said she was born and raised in the canyon. Said her mother jumped off the horse and birthed her and that’s why she liked making jewelry with horse images. I did not buy anything and I walked away with complicated feelings … guilt for not buying … sadness about the Navajo history … and a sense of truly not knowing anything about the culture of this nation.  

The ruins were quiet yet the buildings and drawings on the rock wall spoke hauntingly in a language that I could not understand. Standing at the foot of the cliff I tried to imagine the people and their way of life. I wanted to catch a glimpse of their family gatherings, listen to their stories, feel their eyes focused on my eyes. An empty ache in my chest … a longing … and a deep gratitude that this sacred place was recognized as sacred and although tourists were allowed there were strict guidelines about where and when. Signs instructed us to not take pictures of the Navajo people without their permission. The White House Trail is the only trail that visitors can hike without a Navajo guide. Tours of the canyon are available from Thunderbird Lodge and I saw that they were either half day or full day ($66 per adult).

Pictures are helpful to give you a glimpse into a place but they can’t begin to convey the intensity and power of such a place.