Apache Fire Trail is just one of the many hikes at Red Rock State Park. We love the name of this trail because it reminds us of the wisdom of native cultures, and the ideas that get sparked on the trail.
The trail is named after the House of Apache Fires built by Jack and Helen Fry in the 1950s. Red Rock State Park, wasn’t always a park, (which is a reminder that our public lands aren’t a given). The House of Apache Fires was built by members of the Yavapai-Apache Nation. At night, the Yavapai-Apaches lit fires on the banks of Oak Creek where they camped, and that is how the house got its name.
“There is another world, but it is in this one.” –Paul Eluard
The Apache Fire trail is a winding path climbs to an elevation of 3,973 feet. If that isn’t high enough, you can keep climbing to the top of Eagle’s Nest, which reaches 4,099 feet. The total climb is about 2 ½ miles, and gives you a stunning view of the riparian habitat snaking through desert southwest, where the vista will give lift to your contemplation as wind to wings.
Looking out from these heights is a perfect place to examine our own lives. We see that nature includes not just simplicity and order, but also complexity and contradiction. Just like our own life can feel simultaneously simple and complex. In the midst of this we can learn to trust in nature, and trust in ourselves.
“Venerate your faculty of judgment. Act in accordance with nature, and your ruling center.” –Marcus Aurelius
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