The night is dark, and the wind is cold. The stars twinkle in the night sky but provide no light with which to see. The sun set so early the previous day, and it seems like it’s long past due for it to break the horizon. You can hear the night creatures still up and about. You’re beginning to wonder... Will the sun rise again? But then, light. The horizon begins to brighten, light begins to pour over the peaks and into the canyons around you, the sounds of morning begin to fill the air, and the whole world feels born anew. It is Solstice. The longest night, the Winter Solstice, has been marked by cultures all around the world since time immemorial celebrating rebirth, renewal, and so much more. Whether it’s by using architecture and art to capture the position of the sun, lighting fires to keep back the night, or just by looking up and appreciating both the darkness and the dawn, there are many ways that we have and still can observe this shift in the year. As the days get colder, our ocotillos begin to grey, Mexican black bears begin to slumber, and other residents begin to wind down and get ready for our brief winter. In doing so, they will be all the more prepared to embrace the coming warmer seasons, as migrating birds start to return and life springs back to the desert. 📷: NPS/K. Mahoney #bigbend #bigbendnationalpark #wintersolstice #solstice #riogrande