july eleventh~time lapse

     We have moved again! (Days ago, actually, I haven't written in a while.) We have swapped our rainy canyon for higher, dryer ground. (Although I do miss our stream side location and waterfall hangs.) We are now camping in the lower Hermosa area, just barely outside of Durango. Camping is still free, but the grounds are vastly different. There are a lot more people, more trails, and infinitely more cows. Cows are all over the road, trails, and campsite. I would say my shaking in my boots phase has ended, but that would not be true.

     We hiked around yesterday, just at our campsite, as far down toward the Animas River as we could make it. We came across animal bones (a jawline maybe?) and found a huge incisor tooth. I don't want to know what beast lost that prize. We also found an arrowhead which sort of made up for the carnage. I can't say I am not still terrified of a possible wild animal attack. Thankfully, the cows are the only ones I have seen approach our campsite. Well, the cows and the millions of chipmunks that inhabit the woods around us.

     Living in the woods has been a different experience than I made up in my head before we set out. The idea of living next to a society, but not immersed in it, has been like nothing else. We have small responsibilities that fade compared to the responsibility that we have to ourselves to live moment by moment every day.

      Time passes strangely. Quickly, and then not at all. Long stretches of time create days that start with a hike or a swim in the creek/river, then meander into town when the rain rolls in, where we wander among the people, then make our way back to the woods, hide among the wildflowers, eat delicious food, immerse ourselves within the pages of our books, toast ourselves by the fire, and glisten beneath the stars. I am enchanted.

     I have had the most wonderful time exploring Durango, figuring out the town, baking in the sunlight, and even the rain. While I haven't been thrilled about the rain, there is something comforting about the clockwork arrival of the clouds each afternoon. It is as if you wake up not knowing what to expect among the expected. I have felt more inspired lately than ever, if I could only just sit down long enough to squeeze some of it out. It is hard to sit and work when all I want to do is run into the river or climb up a trail.

     I am looking forward to so many things- each rising sun, the prospects of finding a home for the winter, the upcoming school year, finding a job (yes, really), decorating my new place, writing papers (really again), learning, continuous exploration, joining a sports team, joining a gym, all of these wonderful things that life has in store and so many more that I can't even imagine yet. I am also excited about the moment by moment lifestyle I have become accustomed to. I want to do everything all at once, and I am so grateful for the opportunity (try) to do so.
~Brianna