Rejuvenate, Refresh and Embrace the Wild and Free
It’s March which means that spring is just around the corner. The weather warms, the ground defrosts and the snow begins to melt, and the earth comes alive again reinvigorated by the sun. As nature shakes off the heaviness of winter and renews itself with a fresh, green start, our spirit of adventure often does the same.
The warmer weather and longer days make us feel rejuvenated and refreshed as we awake from the winter. These longer days reveal our desire to be wild and free and travel to enjoy nature as it unearths.
We can witness the arc of the sun across the sky shift to the North, bringing new wildlife as the birds follow the path of the sun and migrate north. The days get longer and this increasing sunlight actually triggers the birds to start singing. The warmer weather and longer days also signal to the trees, shrubs, and flowers that it is time to unearth and start to flourish.
This year the spring equinox which officially marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, is on Thursday, March 19. This makes it the earliest spring we’ll have seen in our lives (so far). Fun fact, the last time spring arrived this early was in 1896, 124 years ago! The reason behind this early arrival is related to the leap year and the spring equinox will get even earlier in a few years. Every four years, there will be a brand new earliest start to spring, until the calendar resets itself in 2103.
What is the equinox? The word originally comes from the Latin words for “equal night”—aequus (equal) and nox (night) and it is the moment when the sun crosses the equator.
On the equinox, the length of day and night are nearly equal in all parts of the world. With the spring equinox, we enjoy the increasing sunlight hours, with earlier dawns and later sunsets. These longer days give us more opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature.
Our ancestors were more connected to the sun than we are today. They used the sun and moon as a clock and calendar by observing the sun’s path across the sky and tracking how the sunrise, sunset, and day length changed throughout the year.
In fact, there are several ancient sites that mark the equinoxes and one of them is right here in New Mexico in Chaco Canyon at Casa Rinconada. We take you there on our Chaco Canyon Spring Equinox glamping tour, where you can witness the sunrise aligning with the ancient east and west doors of the kiva. For the ancient civilizations, this was their way to know that spring had arrived.
Spring is known as the season of rejuvenation. When it approaches, we naturally get the itch to get outside and enjoy nature.
As the snow melts, the rivers in New Mexico fill with the fresh water and river season opens. The snowmelt causes the rivers to flow swift and free and the sound of the water as it gurgles past, unearths the wild side of our spirit. While it might still be a little cold for most people, this is a signal that we need to get ready for summer river activities like river rafting, paddle boarding, and fishing.
Spring is also the time to start planning your camping and hiking trips. At Heritage Inspirations, we offer a variety of day hikes that you get you outside to feel the fresh air on your face and the earth beneath your feet. The mornings are cool and crisp before the sun warms the day, making it the perfect time to hike some of our favorite places like; Bandelier, Tent Rocks, and Ghost Ranch.
As the earth awakens with the season, we embrace the desire to travel and see new things. The sunny days lift our spirits, invigorating the sense of adventure in us and our desire to be wild and free.
In the famous words of Elvis Presley,
“Gonna travel, gonna travel wild and free.
I’m gonna pack my bags because this great big world is calling me.”
Refreshed and ready for summer the Land of Enchantment is calling you. Unearth your inner child and come explore the majestic mountains and endless skies of New Mexico with Heritage Inspirations as your guide.
