Utah Juniper

My fondness for this tree began long before I visited the redrock desert around Moab, Utah. Having lived in California until I was 26 years old, eighteen summer vacations were spent in Yosemite National Park. As a child, I hiked with my mom, always walking behind her on a trail, a practice that would continue throughout her lifetime. Each year we made a pilgrimage to the top of Sentinel Dome in Yosemite where my best-loved tree, a Jeffrey Pine, defied the elements. This iconic tree was wind-swept and stood there for ages. Sadly, because of drought, the tree perished in 1976.

I moved to Utah with my husband and two-year-old little girl in the Fall of 1976. Years flew by and three more children arrived. We had never ventured south to the redrock desert of Utah until I was asked to chaperone my daughter's 4th grade class on a field trip to Arches National Park.

"This is Coyote's country--a landscape of the imagination, where nothing is at it appears. The buttes, mesas, and redrock spires beckon you to see them as something other: a cathedral, a tabletop, bear's ears, or nuns." ~ Terry Tempest Williams, Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert.

And so it began. Year after year, we traveled to Southern Utah to walk on red sandstone and sit in the October sun. I don't remember exactly when I discovered this lone wind-swept tree, overlooking the Colorado river some 2,000 feet below. I was immediately drawn to its shape and form as it resembled the Jeffrey Pine of my childhood.

"River. The river is brown is red is green is turquoise. On any given day, the river is light, liquid light, a traveling mirror in the desert." ~ Terry Tempest Williams, Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert. 

My children have been bringing their children to redrock country for over 16 years. My grandchildren began coming as babies in mother's arms, toddlers carried in backpacks and some, walking on their own holding my hand. I take a picture of this tree every year in October. The desert changes very slowly and my photos of this tree change only by the color of light or clouds in the sky. It seems to be a constant amid the change of how we explore redrock country these days. The ages of my grandchildren range from 10 years old to 23 years old and, of course, there's much less hand holding and much more exploring on their own. It's how it should be, but it's bittersweet in letting go.

Next year, 2024, we'll journey, once again, to Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point to walk on redrock and sit in the October sun. We'll marvel at how much we've changed and miss those who can no longer journey with us. 

"Wherever a beautiful soul has been...there is a trail of beautiful memories"

And, I'll take another photo of the Utah Juniper.

Iconic Jeffrey Pine-Sentinel Dome
Yosemite National Park
Photo copyright Ed Cooper Photography, Helena, Montana
Used by permission.

Iconic Jeffrey Pine-Sentinel Dome

Yosemite National Park