I first read Edward Abbey's chapter about the Maze "Terra Incognita" from Desert Solitaire almost a year ago. At that point in my life, the desert was growing on me. I wrote about its silence, peacefulness and delicacy. Reading Abbey's classic was only the beginning of my love affair with the American Southwest.
On our third night in the Maze, my friends and I were in our sleeping bags by 7:30. Typical for the backcountry, once it gets dark, its time for bed, even if that means you may be laying horizontally for twelve-ish hours until sunrise. This always throws off my sleep schedule once I return to civilization, because I find myself longing for bed at an ungodly early hour and then being ready to start my day at yet another ungodly hour... I digress.
At 7:30 we all snuggled in our sleeping bags and gazed up into the night sky. The milky way was in full bloom, there was no moon, it was perfectly dark. I love that desert sky. No critters rustled in their homes, no wind shook the leaves, nothing made a sound. I love that desert silence.
I've become almost too comfortable with the night sky in the desert, every time I return I feel as if I need to remind myself that you don't get to see this everyday, these dark skies are a luxury. A simple camping trip on the west side of the divide in Colorado doesn't seem to cut it anymore. If you've never experienced a dark night in the desert, move it up a few places on your bucket list. The stars are incredibly clear, it never seems to be totally real.
And unless you find yourself to be moving towards hypothermia, sleep outside. Tents are overrated.
My friend pulled out her copy of Desert Solitaire and began reading "Terra Incognita" outloud. I loved listening to Abbey's account of the remoteness of the Maze and difficulty of getting here now having experienced the extensive journey that it takes just to get to the edge of the area. I was reminded of why I loved that book— for Abbey's sarcasm, witty criticisms of humanity and his awareness of his own hypocritical nature. Yes, us environmentalists hate cars for their pollution and encouragement of development... yet we all drive them.
He described the Maze as a "labyrinth with the roof removed". That's exactly what it is. The Maze is a series of canyons that are seemingly endlessly winding through time. And gazing upon the Maze from above at the Overlook lead me to the exact thought that it lead Abbey to some fifty years ago— a labyrinth with the roof removed.
"For Abbey's sake, leave this country alone! -God"
We finished the chapter, all laughed at the relatability of Abbey's words, were amazed by our lack of knowledge on which constellations are which, and commenced to an uninterrupted twelve hours of sleep under the desert sky.