Gallina Canyon is one of those "thin places" where all your false selves get stripped away and you recover what is truly authentic in yourself. The canyon offers:

magic (the song of elk bellowing their way up the stream at sunset and dropping an antler at river's bend);

wonder (a little arroyo opens into a large, cavernous space with purple walls and quartz growing out of the center);

mystery (a vortex of energy near some ancient kivas, unseen in spite of many searchings);

joy (ravens circling each other high overhead in a ritual of airborne mating);

surprise (a dandelion appears overnight after snow in the center of a cow pie);

danger (a violent thunderstorm explodes the middle of the night with lightening);

security (a fire in the woodstove cackles "All is well!" in spite of the wind buffeting the cabin), and;

the gift of time (the presence of the ancients who lived there centuries ago melds into pure leisure, reminding me that there is no more important work right now than being still and watching the light change over the sage bushes).

During my three week silence there, my old dog came into his second puppyhood, and I also became new. There we had everything we needed, and nothing was wasted. To those considering a sojourn there: Beware! You will be drawn into deep adventure!

Carolyn Metzler

Albuquerque

I stayed at the Jacal with my dog for two nights in late July 2009. I had a lovely time hiking through the canyon, watching the birds ar sunset and listening to the coyotes at night. This is the perfect place for reflection, relaxation, and enjoying one of the most beautiful places in New Mexico. Bring food, bring a book, bring a friend (4 legged or otherwise). You will love it here!

Cassidy

Gainesville, Florida

From the moment the sun appears over the crest of the eastern wall to the moment the first starry light appears in the deep purple sky, Gallina Canyon invites adventure. Whether you are drawn into the adventure of exploration (all those secret clefts and arroyos, all those deer trails up the mesas, the blue light under the fullish moon), or the adventure of the spirit (the silence of the canyon punctuated by winds and bird calls, bellowing elk, running water and thunderstorms, all which will seek you out and tell you secrets), or the adventure of play (ravens circling in an aerial mating dance, playing hide and seek in the ocean of sage, discovering rusty old bedpans by an ancient homestead and the ridiculous strutting of turkeys), or the adventure of rest (reading on the sunny porch or sleeping under a whirling band of galaxy stars)---

Gallina Canyon offers unique hospitality to the world-weary pilgrim. In a world where we more and more depend on outside entertainment, Gallina offers a journey into your own inner resources. There is much to hear, much to watch, much to draw, write, and mimic through song. Once you leave, the gifts of the canyon go on, as you find that nothing is quite as you thought you left it. Large enough to be constantly unfolding, small enough to hold you safe, Gallina is a perfect place to return to again and again and again.

Ann Walburn

New Jersey