The Swell

The Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province is full of contradictory features. How do we winnow the exceptions from the rules?

Back Home: Gallup, New Mexico

There’s nothing like a pilgrimage home — even if you’ve made the trip a thousand times.

Living Crystals

Post-Gila journal extract: A meditation on the similarities between plants and crystals.

Caving In The Guadalupes, Part 2: Hallowed Ground

There’s a radical transformation that takes place for those who descend into the caves of southeast New Mexico’s Guadalupe Mountains — as if the world were changing before your very eyes.

The Gila’s Sleeping Giants

Hikers who make the effort to head down to the Gila will be rewarded with an incredible array of terrains, from slot canyons to meadows to 10,000-foot peaks. This stunning variety is largely thanks to a quartet of supervolcanoes!

Caving In The Guadalupes, Part 1: Wen, Christmas Tree And Lake Caves

A first cave-centered pilgrimage to “The Guads” induces awe and reveals cosmic mysteries.

Piles Of Dead Bodies

The Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico and West Texas are a vast playground for climbers, hikers and cavers. Crazy thing is that they’re composed almost entirely of defunct sea creatures.