March 25, 2018

San Juan Reflections

Story and photography by Priscilla Sherman
All content © San Juan Publishing Group, Inc, All rights reserved.

I HAVE WANDERED in your lush meadows, forded your brisk alpine streams, and climbed to the great heights of your jagged peaks, discovering along the way the pungent fragrances of your forests and the marvel of your flora and fauna. Always, completely dazzled by your wildness.

My eyes have been filled with a maze of yellow, purple, red, and green, from the delicate flora that garnishes your steep hillsides and alpine meadows below. The determination to survive year after year in such harsh conditions and return with such magnificent displays of beauty and uncompromising strength is a tribute to a force greater than we acknowledge.

I’ve watched clouds fill your azure skies, attempting to close out your beauty, dusting your shoulders and summits with a magical white powder that glistens when the sun returns, changing it into the sweet water that nourishes your gardens. I am constantly reminded of all that you have endured over the millions of years of your existence and the changes that are still occurring.

In all seasons. I’ve witnessed so many miracles of life and nature. To some, these may be ordinary, but to me they represent an irreplaceable beauty that cannot be taken for granted.

As I often listen to the winds that stir the trees and something deep inside my soul… I take heed to your whispers and sweet songs of hope, inspiration, and solace.

Photographs, all by Priscilla Shermam
Top: Sweeping San Juans frame a field of wildflowers near Bullion Basin.
Left: Delicate wildflowers suvive the harshest climates to produce ongoing and everlasting beauty.

The Silverton Magazine was published by San Juan Publishing from 2000-2010. All content is copyright, in perpetuity, San Juan Publishing, Group, Inc. All rights reserved. For reprint permission, c ontact the publisher.