I Found A LUSH OASIS In The Arizona Desert

Hello friends, welcome back to Field Notes. Today I'm hiking to a place called The Crack at Wet Bieber Creek. It's been years since I've been here, but it's a really cool place. I'm excited to show you guys. The trail is pretty exposed and scrubby for the first few miles, but then we drop down into this little small canyon with a creek and big trees and hopefully running water. I brought my painting stuff in case I find something that really stands out to me. I find these kinds of places fascinating, where you've got an arid desert environment and then cutting across it like a green ribbon. You've got this little corridor of life that grows next to where the water is flowing. This guy thinks my tripod is a flower. Sorry dude, there's no nectar in there. This is actually a pretty nostalgic place for me. We would come camping up here every summer when I was a kid. Back that way, there's a campground. I grew up camping, hiking, doing all this kind of stuff, and I remember the feeling of being a little kid and just being out here in a place that felt so magical and rich and full and vibrant and kind of all-consuming in a way that's a lot harder to find as an adult with life to worry about. But I'm learning more and how to access that space of just pure aliveness. It's hard to really even put a word to it, but whatever it is, it's the feeling and the experience of being out here in a place like this. As a kid, the world felt like such a magical place, you know, and then the older you get, the more life beats that out of you. There are definitely things you can do to get back to that state because that is your natural state, a state of pure flow and just being. And I've realized the only thing standing between you and that state are a bunch of thoughts and beliefs and identifying with those thoughts, thinking that you are those thoughts, those thoughts that tell you you're not good enough, those thoughts that say I'm never going to make it, those thoughts that say life is meaningless, that there's no point to anything. Every single one of those is just a thought. It doesn't actually mean anything. And coming out to places like this really helps me see that more clearly. Looks like this agave is about to go into bloom. This sandstone has the craziest texture. Look at that. You can tell that we're really close to Sedona all these sandstone rocks. This place looks like a miniature Zion National Park. Just beautiful. There's so many people here today. I should have realized there'd be so many people here. It's about 20 degrees warmer than it should be at this time of year, late March. That's better. There's way too many people back at the crack. And a big crack in the rock wasn't the only kind of crack I saw. Oh that feels good. Might have to get all the way in. Oh I might end up that way anyway if I fall. These rocks are so slippery. I feel like a new man. Apparently I wasn't filming for most of that so I guess we'll just start from here. First wash is done. Now I need to add all those beautiful shadows that have been cast on this rock wall. Not too bad. That was super enjoyable. Very relaxing. I feel totally refreshed and reset. Well it's time to start making my way out of the canyon back to my car. It's getting kind of late. Man it's a lot hotter. I'm not in the shade. Wow that's crazy. And of course my dumb ass forgot to bring all the snacks that I brought with me in my backpack. They're in my car so I've got to get all the way back to my car to get food. But god it's beautiful down here. It's so pretty. Now it's a long hot trudge back to the car. I mean it might be a long hot trudge fest but with views like that can I really complain? This plant right here is called Mormon tea which I think is really funny because if you know anything about Mormons they do not drink tea. I used to be one so I know. Well my friends I hope you've enjoyed this little excursion out here in this absolutely spectacular piece of Arizona wilderness. If anything interesting happens on the way back to the car I'll turn the camera back on but I'm just gonna keep one two one two all the way back to the car. Something so satisfying about having such a simple goal. Just walk. That's all I'm doing. Just walk. But trying to be as present with every footstep as I can be. It's all happening right here right now. I'll see you in the next one. Oh look. Oh it's the parking lot. It's just not my parking lot. Mine is at the top of this hill. Who put this hill here man? Who did this? Who put a hill at the very end of the hike? They should be fired.