Is there something in nature that inspires you? Something that excites you? Something that you could gaze at for hours on end? Something that you want to revisit over and over? For me, something in nature that inspires me is slot canyons (narrow canyons formed by water). There are three aspects I experienced in Zebra Slot Canyon that inspired me and can also inspire you.

Visual

A few things that make nature visually inspiring are the colors, patterns, and designs. You can spend a lot of time studying the visual appearance of nature. The sandstone that makes up Zebra Canyon is a variety of dusty, neutral colors that paint the rest of the desert southwest. What makes the colors unique in Zebra Canyon is the combination of colors in a zebra pattern and the curvature of the rocks making the pattern and colors pop.

Unusual

Another thing that is inspiring is seeing something unusual, such as when you’re driving through the woods and the setting sun looks like a fire blazing in the trees. Zebra Canyon was full of its own surprises. Most of the slot canyons we have been to were dry. This one, however, was not. In fact, it had 4-5 feet of standing water. Another thing that was unusual was the Moqui Marbles protruding from the sandstone. Moqui Marbles are harder than the sandstone so the water erodes the sandstone first, leaving them to eventually fall out.

Physical

It’s hard to be inspired from just a photograph of something. It’s best if you are physically walking through the cold water and feeling the chills go all the way up through your body, wedging yourself against the walls as you shimmy up and over obstacles, and using the Moqui Marbles as handholds so that you can make it farther into the canyon. Physically experiencing nature is the ultimate inspiration.

What is it that inspires you? Let us know what it is—we would be glad to hear from you!