Intuitive Geology 6-23-24

 6-23-24 POBR


Our day started off early as ever and with a slap of cold air on the back. I find comfort sitting in the back seat, squished between Ilene and Virginia, I think we all find a bit of comfort. As Dr. Black stated, “They are conditioned to instant slumber.” Our expedition began at the cobble stone plains where we learned to use our hammers and how to identify the rocks we were indulging in. Our second stop was Brennan Van Alderwerelt‘s first of many story times; this one was the scientific tale of Mt. Mazama’s eruption told by the Klamath tribe of Oregon. Truly a beautiful representation of Indigenous interaction with nature, Brennan continuously circled back to engaging with geology in an intuitive way that he swears the Indigenous peoples must have known through tradition and passed down knowledge. Come to find out most of our horizon has been affected by the collision of tectonic plates that created the Cascades. That includes The Painted Hills, the balding hills, the cobble stone plains, every square inch of this area. Our last observation was how deep the water at John Day River goes. Only way to find out is to splash around and find a way up the sharp rocks to jump into the water. While swimming across the river, I once again felt that disassociation from time and space and felt absolutely unfamiliar. I sit here with mosquitoes nipping through my thick leg hair, contemplating the health of that phenomenon. 

Mount Old Guy


(Graphite drawing of the remnants of an old volcano and it's landscape)

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