June 29, 2011 My Spiritual Moment in Zion

Now, I know the Grand Canyon is supposed to be the most impressive place in the lower 48.  I know people flock there from all over the world to wonder at how vast it is.  I admit, I went and I was impressed, but it was not my most favorite place to see when I went out West.  That honor has to belong to, none other, than Zion National Park.

I am not a particularly religious person, although I can appreciate the sense of community and the comfort that an organized religion can give someone.  I tend to lean towards my own brand of spirituality, taking the best of what I have learned from others and attempting to apply it towards my own life.  That is why, I was a bit skeptical that a place called Zion would be of huge interest to me.  I was wrong!  I have been to many beautiful places, but this is the first time I could feel what it might mean to have a "religious experience." 

Great Basin Desert

The day before, on our way to the Grand Canyon, my friends and I had traveled through The Great Basin Desert.  It was a land both beautiful and desolate.  Huge mesas lined one side of the highway, while the other side was scrub land as far as the eye could see.  Much of the land that we saw had been given to the Paiute Tribe of American Indians by our own government many years ago.  As we drove through this area, we kept commenting on how difficult it must be to earn a living here, how this land did not seem to have much usefulness.  It was a barren wasteland that could support very little life.



Zion National Park





   Which is why, I did not expect that, 20 minutes from this arid land, would be a place so majestic and bountiful.  The day after seeing the Grand Canyon, we drove into Zion National Park and could not believe what we were witnessing.  A cold, meandering river; green trees; and green grass stuck, seemingly, in the middle of nowhere.  A hidden canyon full of lush vegetation and animal life!  Never, in my life, have I been somewhere that was in such stark contrast to it's surroundings.  I could picture early pioneers, many of them Mormon farmers from Salt Lake, crossing the Great Basin desert, feeling thirsty and tired and maybe a bit disheartened.  As they traveled, they would slowly begin to see trees and grass and know that hope might be nearby.  What did they feel when their eyes first took in Zion?  I think it must have been a spiritual experience for them.  I think they may have felt that God had given them this place as a reward for crossing the treacherous desert.  In fact, the Mormons named Zion Kolob, which roughly translated,  means the heavenly place nearest the residence of God.  I can see why, after toiling through deserts and rough terrain, the Mormons would have stopped here and found their promised land.

Court of Patriarchs Zion

My friends and I took the shuttle bus through the canyon, stopping at each stop to get out and wander around.  I loved how interactive Zion was, you could touch the rocks, swim in the cool river, and wander the trails to your hearts content.  One day was certainly not enough to get the full experience.  Next time I will spend more, and maybe even attempt some of the hikes around the river and the canyon.  For now, I will be glad that I was able to see a place this unexpected and beautiful!

Happy travels and I hope you can find a place in your life that can make you feel "nearer to God."