Bisti Badlands Part Two

 When you're in the desert, you look into infinity.... It makes you feel terribly small, 

and also in a strange way, quite big.  David Lean

Click on the photo to cycle to the next...

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Part 1

There are distinct voices inside rocks, shallow washes, shifting skies; they are not silent. And there is motion, subtle, unseen, like breathing. Joy Harjo 

The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is an amazingly scenic and colorful expanse of undulating mounds and unusual eroded rocks covering 45,000 acres, hidden away in the high desert even less publicized. Consequently, the cracks are the result of differential weathering conditions, whereas the speckled appearance due to mineral deposits in the stream that cut through the sedimentary rock. In this beautiful landscape here wind and water erosion over a long time. The area has carved an imaginary world of bizarre rock formations and hoodoos in the form of pinnacles, spires, mushrooms. Other rare forms that have fascinated names such as “Cracked Eggs”, “Bisti Wings” and “Rock Garden”.

 

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness New Mexico

Step On A Crack

Break Your Mother's Back

 

I took over 500 pictures when I was visiting Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness so there will be several blog post dedicated to this. 

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness was such a special time for me and it was the beginning of recovery.  It was my first long hike.  In the first part of July I broke my back. This started a chain of events in my life and most of which was beneficial. One of them was I learned to gauge my pain by my blood pressure. I actually bought a monitor.  I learned the fracture was caused by a weak spot in my back due to 20 plus years of osteoporosis that is now osteopenia.  I probably have other weak areas.  The most important event was finding a new doctor that supports me and my decisions that I make with his advice.  

I am one of those people who doesn't react to pain by crying, moaning and groaning. Unless it creeps up on me unexpectedly.  I acknowledge it and try to work around it, over it, through it... I will say this now, it hurt like hell. My housework suffered. I couldn't make the bed, sweep the floor... My giggle was the few times I actually fell and landed on the floor is when I noticed how dirty my floor was. Several times my BP was 200 over something... I got through all of this without chemicals. Two weeks after the break I was hiking. Maybe a one mile hike is not much but I celebrated. Then I continued. The irony is there are some who think I am a hypochondriac because of the way I deal with pain. The X-rays don't lie. I still have bad days but they are getting fewer. 

There were restrictions and because I am scared I continue a lot of these restrictions that maybe I shouldn't. It was a worrisome time.  The end of July I was carefully hiking Colorado. At the end of August I was hiking Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness. Yay!!!!  My doctor told me I had to keep my backpack weight down. Usually it weighs over 15 pounds when I am seriously hiking. So I just carried water and very little food. The temps were 90 to 100 degrees. The total miles was 7, which is good under the circumstances. I was in pain but at least I wasn't falling and I wasn't hiking alone. I was paying attention to my body and what I needed to do. I found shade and I rested. I was not putting myself in jeopardy.

My goal is to return to Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, hike it again, alone. I want to bring my flute, my rug, and just embrace the spirituality of this wonderful place. I also want to do it in cooler weather. 

I will be working on Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness pictures and posting them later.