Yesterday we visited the birthplace of the mighty Colorado River… high up in Rocky Mountain National Park where it begins at La Poudre Pass. We came here with a sacred mission: To feel the life of an entire river from headwaters to the sea and awaken the dream that the entire basin is regenerated in the future.
It was incredible to feel the power of the Colorado so close to its origin. We walked onto the Colorado River Trail which begins 7.6 miles from the pass. Even at such close proximity to its beginnings, we could feel the water gushing and churning with energetic force.
Waters gather from all directions in the snowmelt high in the mountains
Here is a photo I took along the walk. It is like a forest of flowing life. Waters gather from all directions — anywhere that snow fell during the winter before. It is springtime and these life-giving waters all seek to join with each other in the new cycle of the North American continent.
You can see the tiniest trickles from a patch of snow feeding the currents of a river strong enough to carve the Grand Canyon a few hundred miles from here.
Tiny trickles flow from each patch of snow to join forces and become a great river
We are on a journey to #RegenerateTheColorado right now. Yesterday was our first day on the trip. Our task on this day was simply to bear witness to the birth of the Colorado River. It was incredible to feel these waters high in the mountains knowing that we will now follow them all the way to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.
Honoring the sacred with open hearts
We listen to the churning and gurgling of the water. Music high in the mountains. Feeling the life flourishing all around us even as we observe a hundred thousand acres or more of charred forest after a massive fire that took place three years ago. And hundreds of thousands more acres with standing dead trees from years of Asian beetle infestations.
Death and decay all around us from the wildfires and beetle infestations
Still the water flows with a power that cannot be diminished. The geologic forces involved are simply too strong for humanity to weaken the pull of gravity in the heart of an elevated continental ridge as large as the Rockies.
We gathered artifacts to bring as blessings to the Sea of Cortez. Holding them in our hands we could sense the spiritual connection to all of the landscapes of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, California, and Baja California that receive these life-giving waters.
We gather gifts to bring to the Sea of Cortez as blessings for the health of the river
You can join us in awakening the dream to regenerate the Colorado Basin by signing up for announcements here. (Please consider making a donation too — we are funding this trip in the spirit of the gift.)
Our intention is to hold community dialogues everywhere that we are invited. Go here to see the calendar of public events in the headwaters these next few days. Maybe we will meet you on the road!
We gathered water from the river that will be carried as a gift to the sea. Feeling the connections from top to bottom at continental scales. This human experience of direct experience is key to regenerating the Earth.
Onward, fellow humans.
Joe Brewer is co-founder of the Design School for Regenerating Earth and author of The Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth. He will be accompanied by Penny Heiple and Benji Ross on this sacred journey in service to the Colorado Basin.
