"Animals don't pay attention to the boundaries scientists have drawn on a map," Baker said. Still, they have had to come up with some pretty ingenious ways to survive. For instance, birds and lizards congregate beneath boulders or in other shady areas.

"One of the problems with living in the desert is there is a lot of exposure," Baker said. "There isn't much opportunity to escape the sun. ... So this is where the animals go to get away from the brutal sun in the afternoon."

Likewise, the prickly pear cactus has adapted with a waxy skin that protects like Chapstik. Its fine shallow roots take advantage of quick rains.

Baker pointed to a patch of black moss clinging to one rock along the trail. It's called resurrection moss, she said, and it's a good example of how quickly even a little water can aid a plant. We poured a few drops of water on the moss, and within seconds the black had turned to soft green. Ah, nature.

"Out here it's all about wet and dry," Baker said.

The Virgin River, one of the last undammed rivers in the West, shows the transformative power of water. Away from its banks grow yuccas and prickly pears, junipers and pinon pines. Plants and trees that need more water, like the Freemont cottonwood, are thick along the riverbank.

"It's a harsh land with a ribbon of life," Baker said. "We get this explosion of life here because water is the source of it all."

It's a short but steep climb from the shuttle to Weeping Rock, a monstrous rock alcove that drips continuously because of a spring. It's an interesting diversion, but by then I was game for something more.

The Hidden Canyon Trail was calling. The hike is only a couple of miles round trip, but the park newspaper describes it as strenuous, with an 850-foot ascent and deep dropoffs. Allow three hours to climb and return, it says.

So I headed down. I took a long draw from my water bottle and looked out across the canyon — down at the Virgin River, across the valley and toward the Great White Throne.

And, strangely, I was reminded of "Field of Dreams." Do you remember the scene where Shoeless Joe Jackson asks Ray Kinsella, "Is this heaven?"

No. It was Utah.

Close enough.