Unexpected Beautiful Journey along the "Red Mountain Trail"

Of  all the hikes we've done, this was one of the most surprising. The trail head is off the 18 highway outside St. George Utah, on the way to the little town of Veyo, a place of fond memories from my childhood.  The town has a pool fed by a local warm spring, and it's where we had our High School graduation party  - many MANY moons ago.  It was also there I slipped on the wet cement, and broke my fall by crashing my knees into a brick wall.  That was probably where my knee problems began, lol.  But back to the hike.

The trail head begins over some big rocks and boulders lined by a fence on both sides.  Also thick groves of Juniper trees, shrubs, sage, and when we went, it was also spotted with beautiful cactus flowers in a variety of colors. The trail's name indicated that at some point we would see the red mountains common to this area, especially through the beautiful Snow Canyon State Park.  Little did we know that the trail we were on would lead us to an overlook high above Snow Canyon, where we could look down on the majestic landscape we'd walked many times before.  The trail map made it appear that it was only about a 2-3 mile round trip hike, but 7 miles later we returned to the car, thoroughly exhausted, yet basking in the beauty we had witnessed.

A local dormant (we hope) volcano in the distance

My hiking partner Jamin and I (Steve sometimes joins us on shorter hikes) hadn't planned on hiking that far or for that long, so we only had one camel pack of water between us, no snacks, and no jackets, and the weather had turned chilly and a bit windy.  But the walk kept us warm, and the views made all the discomfort worth it.

Jamin taking photos of the grand view below of Snow Canyon

Lovely yellow Cactus flower

If you plan to do this hike, give yourself at least 3 hours, wear good shoes, and bring plenty of water.  It's higher in elevation than St. George so it's a bit cooler, and the path is mostly lined with trees, so there is ample shade (depending on what time of day you go - at noon, maybe not so much.  But summers here can reach 100 or more, so plan accordingly.  And the view at the end, is definitely worth the effort to get there.

Welcome to Spiritual Walkabouts

Jamin relaxing on rocks - Kanarra Falls Hike, Utah

A healthy addiction to hiking inspired this website. Feeling the need to go out into nature and experience this magnificent planet in all of its splendor, but also needing to spend a great deal of time working the crystal and gem business I began several years ago, "The Joyful Mystic" left me in a conundrum. How do I justify taking hours away from my computer every week, when even working the business full-time barely pays the bills? Enter Spiritual Walkabouts.

Every hike I've done left me feeling exhilarated and renewed, even though I often came back hobbling and exhausted. And if I had cell reception, I often posted pictures along the way, and if not, I would immediately upload them to my computer when I got home, and share them as soon as possible. I've posted thousands of photos on Facebook of my adventures, starting with the treks in Zion National Park, and my most challenging one to date - Angel's Landing (both pictures below are from the top of Angel's Landing) and many people have commented on how much they enjoy living our adventures through the pictures.

Top of Angel's Landing - Zion National Park Utah

So I've decided to combine the two, "The Joyful Mystic" and my love for hiking, and for those who make a donation to keep the Walkabouts going, I will send a FREE CRYSTAL. The larger the donation, the more valuable the stone, or stones. I also began doing chakra meditation videos in nature to help teach about the amazing energy centers in the body. I learned about the chakras about 15 years ago, and shortly after, I began having VERY unusual experiences, especially with the lower chakras. I would awake in the middle of the night with them jumping and spinning and then dancing rhythmically with one another, somewhat like the little song in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". It was then I realized they weren't fiction - there actually were 7 energy centers in the body that I could feel, and the more in tune I became with them, the more balanced they were. And the more balanced and alive they were, the more prosperous my life became. Shortly after my lower chakras began awakening, my income increased significantly. I can't promise this will be your experience, every one of us is vastly different. Those with really awake and balanced upper chakras often have a very clear connection to the unseen world of spirit. But without clear and balanced lower chakras, stability in this mortal world can be difficult. And those with strong and balanced lower chakras often experience abundance in their lives. But if their upper chakras are sluggish or closed off, they may not experience much spiritual energy. So learning about and working with the 7 chakras is vital to help us have full and balanced lives.

Artwork by Steve Lawson

Another reason for these hikes, especially in the past year, is to help my son Jamin regain his independence. He was diagnosed as bipolar about 10 years ago, the same time my daughter - his sister, Shelsi - was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully she is now cancer free after a stem cell transplant saved her life. But in the past decade Jamin has struggled to maintain relationships with his family, he's burned all the bridges with friends, and he has been unable to hold down a job - not getting fired, but walking-out when the stress became too much. At times he's been homeless, and went years without contact with his family. His desire to heal the past and get back on track has grown significantly in the past few months, and these adventures we take are making a huge difference. So not only will your donations to the Spiritual Walkabouts help us financially, it will help him feel more stable and secure, and feel that he is not being such a financial burden, and hopefully give him the impetus to venture out into the work force again to find his path. He is extremely intelligent, but has struggled with maturity emotionally. We are working on that with a therapist and have great hopes for his future.

Jamin exploring a small cave on the Zen Trail - St. George Utah

So with every donation to keep the "Spiritual Walkabouts" going will also include access to the chakra meditations. We've done 6 videos already, and soon there will be a video on all 7 chakras. Then each meditation will involve using all the chakras together to achieve a more balanced and abundant life. There is a 'Buy Now" button on the top left side of home page where you can make a donation as small as $10, all the way up to $1,000 for anyone who wants to really help jump start this new adventure.  But any and all donations are GREATLY appreciated!  Another option for donating if you have a PayPal account is, you can use the "Send Money to family and friends.  That one is free, and no money is deducted for the service.  Once I've received your donation, I will get your address to send the FREE crystal. And I will also continue keeping the Joyful Mystic Crystal Business running, but hope to not have to rely on it alone to keep us afloat.

Weeping Rock, Zion National Park

Paria River Escalante Grand Stair Case, AZ & Utah

So to recap, on this website we will post links to all the chakra meditations shot on our Walkabouts, and we will post a sampling of photos of each of our adventures. We hope you enjoy them and find value in seeing the different landscapes we venture into.  And also hope you find value in learning about the Chakra energy system we are each blessed with to help us navigate this often complicated mortal life.

Jamin walking on the White Rocks of Snow Canyon State Park Utah

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone following our journey.  Many of you have been supportive in more ways than just financial. I know that finances are an issue with many of us.  But just sharing this website to get the word out will help significantly. Thanks again to all who have supported us, may your path be joyful.

Love and Light

Sage (AKA Sheri)