Call It What You Will

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Yesterday we hiked along Taylor Creek in the Kolob section of Zion, traversing the creek several times, passing wildflowers, woods, and two recently restored log cabins, and finally arriving at Double Arch Alcove, the spectacularly sculpted and colorful rock formation pictured above.

"This is a good place to get spiritual," Monte said. And it made sense to me, since I was already feeling sort of spiritual, by which I mean I was experiencing a sense of awe and gratitude, a connection to something beyond ourselves.But it didn't sound like anything Monte would say.

"You're getting spiritual?" I asked."Spherical," he said.

"I'm trying out the spherical thing on my cell phone camera. It pieces together a series of pictures, from where I'm standing to the sky above, and 360 degrees around, if I want to. The full effect of the place."

Ah.But call it what you will. We were there amidst the grandeur of nature, free to be outdoors together in the middle of the week, able-bodied, attentive, paused before beauty like pilgrims at an altar. I felt the presence of things seen and unseen, and I felt transcendent and appreciative and loved.

It was a spiritual moment. Spherical too.