It will be objected that the book deals too much with mere appearance, with the surface of things, and fails to engage and reveal the patterns of unifying relationships which form the true underlying reality of existence. Here I must confess that I know nothing whatever about true underlying reality, having never met any. There are many people who say they have, I know, but they’ve been luckier than I.
For my own part I am pleased enough with surfaces — in fact they alone seem to me to be of much importance. Such things for example as the grasp of a child’s hand in your own, the flavor of an apple, the embrace of friend or lover, the silk of a girl’s thigh, the sunlight on rock and leaves, the feel of music, the bark of a tree, the abrasion of granite and sand, the plunge of clear water into a pool, the face of the wind — what else is there? What else do we need? – Edward Abbey
I’m keeping up with my pledge to re-read Desert Solitaire after spending time in Arches National park in June. There is something wonderfully primal about his writing… and now that I’ve climbed the slickrock and hiked the canyons he talks about I can appreciate it even more.
Still need to pull together my journal from that trip…