Awe
Do we need it? Should we protect areas that inspire awe?
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Awe
(Merriam Webster) an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime
(Oxford) feelings of respect and slight fear; feelings of being very impressed by something/somebody
(Cambridge) a feeling of great respect sometimes mixed with fear or surprise
When is the last time you felt awe from your natural surroundings? The scene in front of you is so incredible, you have to stop in your tracks, take a breath, contemplate the scene unfolding in front of you. You are speechless, or simply say, WOW! Perhaps you could not find words to describe the feeling of what you are seeing. There is even evidence that Awe is good for your mental health. In my travels, I seek out new places, sometimes it is just a site I have never seen and it is wonderful, sometimes it is awesome.
As I’ve mentioned in prior posts, I love looking at maps. Years ago those maps were paper purchased either via mail or by walking into a USGS location and picking out which tiny section of earth you wanted to explore. Now, those maps are on my computer and on my phone. So using the digital map can be pretty fun. As you zoom into a location, more and more detail comes into view. One little corner of the earth I’ve driven by numerous times is located south of the town of Price, Utah. I’ve driven down US 6 between Salt Lake City, Utah and Green River, Utah countless times. But I have never driven on Utah Route 10 that goes south of Price through the towns of Cleveland, Huntington, and Emery on its way to I70. If you look at a map there is a triangular piece of land north of I70, east of Utah 10 and west of US 6. A large part of this area encompasses the San Rafael Swell. Every time I drove south of Price on US 6 I’d look off to the west and wonder, what’s over there?
Turns out, a lot. Driving up to the rim (the Wedge Overlook), of this canyon you do not expect much to be there. Just more Pinyon Pine and Juniper trees. But then suddenly, the world falls away and you are standing a thousand feet (330 M) above the valley floor. It is just 1 mile (1.6 km) across to the other side. Awe. The day we arrived, the air was exceptionally clear, the sky a deep blue with a few clouds in the distance, the temperature was warm but not hot, a handful of people were spread out along the 20 miles (30 km) or so of accessible rim above the canyon. It was quiet, as the awesomeness of the scene filled our senses.
If walking to the edge of a canyon, that you didn’t know existed doesn’t elicit a sense of awe, how about sunrise in Goblin Valley?
We arrived in Hanksville, Utah late in the afternoon. Looking at our options on where to go for the next few days we had an almost endless list of possibilities. Despite being mid April, temperatures were warm and hiking in mid day was not our preference. So our first day we got up at 5am, headed to Goblin Valley State Park to catch a sunrise. And catch a sunrise we did! We arrived at Goblin Valley about 6am. The place was quiet, nobody was at the trail head. We were the only ones present shortly before sunrise when the sky light up like fire. For the next 2 hours we wondered among the “goblins.” At first, we were the only ones present, then gradually, a car at a time, over the next 2 hours more people arrived, filling the valley with gleeful voices astonished at the crazy landscape they were immersing themselves in. It was the sound of people experiencing awe.
We had picked the Hanksville area as our base because this was one of our lesser explored areas. Sure we had been to Capitol Reef National Park many times, as well as the route along the Burr trail over the crest of rocks making up the Waterpocket Fold. But we had never been south to Bullfrog, Utah. So that is where we headed next. A 70 mile (113 km) stretch of road, part gravel, part paved, with very few people along its entire route.
On this trip we decided on a leisurely pace as we wondered around. a few nights here, a night there, a few more nights somewhere else, but never traveling far when we moved. This gave us the opportunity to visit new places and places we had been to long, long ago.
Many years ago I had spent time on Cedar Mesa south of Natural Bridges National Monument. I had explored many of the cliff dwellings that dot the many canyons of the area. Even finding one cliff dwelling that I am positive we were the first to encounter since the original inhabitants packed up and left about 700 years ago. So on this trip we took a quick side excursion to McLoyd Canyon to get a view of the famous Moon House cliff dwelling. We have been to many cliff dwellings in the past and we know the wear and tear even a single person does to these delicate ruins. So we opted to not go to the ruins and were content to stay on the canyon rim and relax. These ruins are nearly a thousand years old. Tucked under a rim out of the rain and snow. What a place to live. Awe.
It seems nature has a way of shaping rock into an infinite number of shapes. From cobble stones shaped by rolling down river beds, sharp shards of lava, and smooth layers of sedimentary rock, shapes are endless. New Mexico has a couple of sites that are out of this world, Rain and wind shape the soft rock into an endless variety of shapes. It’s not easily accessible, perhaps for the best as these rocks are not all that hard and a lot of human interaction would turn the area to dust. This site is on Navajo land, different rules may apply from other BLM locations. Show respect for land the Navajo have called home for generations. The Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness is an awesome place.
I read a very good article in On Landscape Magazine from a fellow photographer named Alex Roddie. He wrote…
“My philosophy of photography has evolved a few times over the last decade, but there’s a core question I keep coming back to: am I doing a thing in order to create images, or am I doing it to have an adventure and maybe create image opportunities along the way?”
Alex Roddie
On Landscape Magazine #322
I read that and thought…that’s me. I’ve been exploring places for as long as I can remember. I’ve been taking a more serious approach to photographing those places only in the last 15 years or so. Do I use photography to explore? Or do I explore and share what I’ve seen through photography? Does it matter?
Awe is good for the soul. Help protect wild places like this. Can you imagine a world where you can’t find awe? I hope that day never arrives.
If you have any comments, questions, criticism, or something you’d like to share about this area, or anything related to this post, please leave a comment. If you enjoyed what you read, hit that like button at the bottom, it means a lot.
Paul,
Amazing photos, as usual, nice description of leisurely pace.
You've explored an area of Utah that I have not, but most of those places are on my list of photography locations for the future. I love the inspiration! Great captures.