Something about a cave must be conducive to meditation, contemplation and prayer.
For centuries, Buddhist monks, Christian mystics, native peoples, New Age seekers, wilderness wanderers and others have settled down in small caves or rocky alcoves to ponder life's mysteries and tease out its truths.
You might find — even in these modern times — that a shallow cave can be an inviting refuge, a primitive but pleasing place to sit in quiet reflection.
If so, you're in luck. We live in a land of rock. Caves, crevices and sheltering overhangs are abundant in Arizona mountains and canyons.
Some little alcoves lie just a short walk from roads such as the Catalina Highway northeast of Tucson. Others are tucked away in remote canyons — reached only after hours of hiking or horseback riding.
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Many of us who have trekked the backcountry over the years have plopped down occasionally in the mouth of a cave — for the sake of shade or shelter from rain, if nothing else. For some, those impromptu visits have resulted in a pleasing sense of being centered, or unusually calm. Others, finding a hole in the rock to be fearsome rather than beckoning, can't leave soon enough.
If you're inclined to try a cave sit, you might start with a casual stop at a sheltered overhang near a road. Once there, you could think about family, say a prayer, contemplate the cosmos or just savor some moments of stillness.
One spot to find some cavelike alcoves and sheltering rock overhangs is in Soldier Canyon northeast of Tucson. Take Tanque Verde Road to the Catalina Highway and follow the highway to the base of the mountains. When the road starts to climb, you'll see the entrance to rocky Soldier Canyon at the first switchback less than a mile into the drive. A parking pullout is just down the road from the canyon.
More shallow caves and alcoves await elsewhere along the Catalina Highway — including an area about a quarter-mile past Windy Point, which is near Milepost 14.
Geronimo Cave, in the Superstition Mountains southeast of Phoenix, offers grand views. It's accessible by taking the Peralta Trail to the rugged Cave Trail.
Next week: An early-winter trek.
