If someone were to ask me if I believed in god I would say, no I’m an atheist. (Although I admit that when I’m really scared I say to myself “please god, please god, please god, please…"
Driving through Gila National Forest, NM is a religious experience. The gentle, (by comparison to Big Bend, TX), tree-covered mountains, the sun dappled forest trails, the bluest skies, the motor-less quiet, the foreverness… I was awe-struck.
Yesterday we took the perfect hike -- right length, right level of difficulty, right amount of elevation, right temperature, right company, outstanding views, beautiful vegetation, right number of birds (a number that doesn’t double the time out while the Ambrose brothers birdwatch.)
Sometimes, this magnificent earth makes me wonder about the “higher power” compromise theory of god. Of course I believe that higher powers created the universe, other universes, and this gorgeous earth that we are ruining. But I don’t feel that much more indebted to those higher powers than the ones who created electricity, the internet, buildings, fire, and the wheel. After all, the only thing I can create is a decent dinner. So I feel grateful to all the higher powers who do good and hateful towards all the higher powers that do bad.
On the Pinon and Angel Loop Trail up to Gomez Peak (elevation 7280 ft, 4.57 mi) in Gila National Forest with Brose's brother Robert and his wife Linda.