Explorations of the Homelands of the Apache (Nde) People

Explorations of the Homelands of the Apache (Nde) People

1/25-26, 2006

3/27-29, 2007

 

Bob Rein, MN’24, The Explorers Club

In 2006, I was selling real estate. I had a coach / mentor and he suggested that to become a top seller of real estate, it would take more than the technical knowledge of the trade. He implied that a well-rounded individual was more likely to succeed than just a great technical salesperson. One should be astute in several aspects for self-development and one of those aspects was spirituality. Of the different aspects, this one was the most difficult for me. While I believe in a higher power, I could not see using a church as a way to sell real estate. So how could I become more spiritual without being a hypocrite? I pondered this very hard. Finally, I decided to follow my passions and that led me to come up with an idea that my coach would approve.

Since I always had a fascination with indigenous peoples of North America and since my favorite tribe were the Apache and since I was living in Arizona (with a large population of Apache and a rich history of their culture), I could fulfill my spirituality progression by exploring their history, culture, and religious beliefs. But how to do it?

The history of the Apache people painted them as fierce warriors led by the more famous leaders, Cochise and Geronimo. In southeastern Arizona, lie the Dragoon Mountains that held the Cochise Stronghold and the Chiricahua National Monument (similar to a National or State Park). The stronghold was a strategic refuge in the mountains where the terrain afforded the Apache both a 360° observation point as well as two different escape routes. One via the east, one via the west entries to the stronghold.

My plan to become more spiritual for my self-development was to find the almost impossible to find west entry, climb to the stronghold, sit there and talk to the spirits while meditating, and then return.

Getting there was a major obstacle. The west entry (also known as Forest Trail 279) was hidden deep in the lowlands of the dragoons. So, on January 25, 2006, I enlisted a friend and together we set out to find it. We met with a Ranger in Sierra Vista and he gave us a briefing on where to start and what we were facing. He looked at my whale of a car, a Buick LeSabre, and asked if I planned to take that into the mountains. With no 4-wheel drive and no clearance, I would be risking major damage or getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. Weeks later, I learned that I had totally destroyed the car and it could never be put in alignment again. Boy he was right. Regardless, off we went. Out there, there are no signs but as we weaved and bounced along forest dirt roads, we suddenly came across Council Rock. In 1872, Tom Jeffords acting as an envoy for the US Army, met with both Cochise, Geronimo, and other Apache elders at Council Rock to discuss terms of peace. Geronimo would have no part of it and walked away, Cochise, knew the futility of continuing to make war agreed to a treaty. “The white man and the Indian are to drink of the same water, eat of the same bread, and be at peace.” So here I was at the very spot, history was made. But I still had to find the stronghold.

More ups and downs, more crashing my car, and just as I was about to give up and turn around, there it was, Forest Trail 279.

Proudly displayed on my office wall

Now that I found the trail to the stronghold, I would need to begin the climb. Darkness was setting in and our water supply was low so we put off the trek.

The next day, we visited Ft. Bowie. We found the tree where Lt. Bascomb hanged Cochise’s relatives, an event that started the Apache wars. We vowed to return and climb to the stronghold.

I would return a year later and complete the journey. After a conditioning hike in the Chiricahua Mountains, we went back into the Dragoons, and found the trail. On 3/28/2007, we made our way up steep slopes and switchbacks via the west entry to the stronghold.

I asked my buddy to leave me there and he started back down. Alone with just my thoughts, I talked to the spirits and meditated before starting back down. It was there that I knew my religion would be spiritual and I would believe in nature as the proof of existence of a higher being.

I later explored all the trails of the National Monument and led others there to witness the history and beauty and ruggedness of this remote off-grid part of the world.