The Divine Infinite

Hiking along the north side of Tortugas Mountain

It rained a little this morning just before Becca and I headed east around Tortugas Mountain to the Monte Vista area where a truck and an SUV were parked in the lot near the ramada.  When we got around to the south side of the mountain we heard a guy yelling loudly and two kids (probably his) whistling for their dog, which we later saw at a distance bounding through the desert.  Immediately afterward we encountered Pete--an avid runner--who was headed in a counterclockwise direction around Tortugas.  He and I greeted each other, and then he said, "Hello, Becca."  He always makes a point of addressing her.  That was it for our human interaction on this morning's trek.

On the south side, just before the intersection with the narrow trail that descends into the lower desert, we came upon an inscription penned with magic marker on a flat rock.  Before I could shoo her away Becca stooped to pee on it, but, fortunately, she missed the writing.  As you can discern from the image below, the inscription reads:  "The Divine Infinite does not ask for perfection, only the desire for more depth and the willingness to move through the chaos that creates it."  Perhaps this is the kernel of wisdom I've been seeking all these years. :)

Yuccas on the slope

Words of wisdom(?) penned on a flat rock south of Tortugas Mountain

Critter search

Looking back at the way we just came

Mountain/clouds

I might prefer this view to the previous one

Clouds over the Organ Mountains

Becca and the southern reaches of the Organ Mountains

There's a trail to the top through that distant draw, but we didn't take it

Looks more ominous than it was

Prickly Pear and the Organ Mountains

Closer look at those budding flowers

This and the next 2:  fruit of the Torrey Yucca

Like a yellow rose

The distant Organ Mountains

Way ahead of the pack

Waiting for me to catch up

Meh

South side of Tortugas Mountain

Boulders on the north side of the mountain