Periodic Springs

Periodic-Intermittent Springs

Afton, Wyoming

by Lisa Hudkins

Contemplating my journey to the Periodic Springs, I realize that all of my senses have become alive and active. Upon arriving, we were welcomed by a gravel trail lined with willows and Wyoming wildflowers. I sense this trail has been here for hundreds of years. It leaves me wondering about the millions of kindred souls whose footsteps have graced this pathway.

I glance to my right and see Swift Creek, an ancient waterway fed by mountain snows and springs. The air around me becomes cool as the water gushes downstream and swirls around us.

I am noticing the Wyoming wildflowers like yellow daisies and purple asters that line this pathway. On my left are the jagged rocks of long-ago mountains that covered this area. They are now glacial erratic’s that are strung along the wayside. There are tiny crevices that serve as hiding places or homes for the woodchucks and marmots that I see frolicking along in front of me. I wonder what they think as they scurry past me.

As I round a curve on this trail, the sheer majesty of the mountains looms up before me. The scent of sage from the surrounding brush is such a pleasant accompaniment along the way. I am transfixed by the sheer beauty of the mountain’s waterfalls, falling from a small gaping hole that is almost 7,000 feet above me. As I watch it trickle down towards me at a steady pace, I realize that suddenly it has moved from a trickle to a gushing surge as it flows past me. Ah, yes! The Periodic Springs are an intermittent spring, at 18-minute intervals they begin to gush down the mountains for a few brief moments, then draw back to a small trickle.

God’s plan that was designed to bring us awe, and in me, it has succeeded. I stepped into the crystal-clear flow of water that is next to me. At about 45 degrees, it is almost too cold to fully step into. Suddenly, a very warm summer day feels like the winter solstice! I pull my foot out and feel warmed by the rocks that now lie under my feet.

I am intrigued and mystified by the whirlpools of water that swirl by. This is new life, a rebirth of oneself in the midst of boulders, rocks, pebbles, stones, driftwood, sage, flowers, animals and mountains. For it is here in this remote space that the Divine lives and is fully alive. I am here to witness and give testimony to God’s wonder, to the mystery of creation and the privilege of life that is mine to contemplate in this moment.

This experience has changed me. I have become more aware of the beauty of nature and its power to transform my mere existence by appreciating nature in its natural state as I observe the wonder of my surroundings.