Where To Be

If I could transport myself anywhere right now, this is where I would be.

El Living - Puerto Natales, Chile

Between backpack trips I would sink deep, deep, deeply into a chair with a good book.  The coffee in the morning was invigorating and the wine and beer flowed well into the night with company from all corners of the world.

I became addicted to this album here.

Morcheeba, Big Calm

Let Them Eat Rat.

What Happened On Easter Island - A New (Even Scarier) Scenario

With winter now here, this article got me thinking.  In the past 5 or so years I have made a conscious effort to bike commute more but, with a solid effort last winter, I ended up with some funky sinus issues.  Although I have no scientific evidence to back up my theory, I strongly believe that poor air quality factored in heavily to the problems I had.  Therefore, in response this year, I have decided to back off the winter bike commuting a little during the bad air months.  It makes me wonder though if I am just eating my rat now without considering the consequences.  Have I accepted that crappy air is the new norm?

Public Land

"America's best idea" is the phrase used by Ken Burns to describe our national parks in his amazing 2009 documentary series and I happen to agree with his choice of words.  Whenever I approach the gates of one of these national treasures, I am filled with anticipation, like a child on Christmas morning.  Even when enduring some of the less than pleasant aspects, like waiting in line, the experiences are often brimming with monumental potential.  In the dozens and dozens and dozens of visits I have made to various parks, I can't recall an occasion when they failed to deliver on my expectations, granted I have embraced them with open arms and I have been fortunate to take advantage of the full spectrum of opportunities within.

The controversy over how the parks came to be (as well as how they persist through time) has been a hard fought part of history, as Mr. Burns carefully points out in the series.  Without much surprise, when it comes to property ownership, there is an intense and ever-present debate about the value and subsequent use of the areas in question, even when considering such obvious examples as the Tetons or the Grand Canyon.  To me, the national parks are a no-brainer - do what is necessary to keep them open to everyone and make every attempt to err on the side of preservation.  As a side note, I also fully understand that the national parks aren't the epitome of pristine places for that is the designation of wilderness and yet another discussion.

This then brings me to a recent local story where there has been a controversy of a different sort brewing. It involves a place where the public has access to some private land which is heavily used for recreation.  I have lived in this area for the greater part of my life and, although the property in question is private, access has been unimpeded, even welcome, for the 30+ years that I have enjoyed it.  The hike to Malan's Waterfall has been a long-standing tradition in the area and I believe it serves as a rite of passage for residents and visitors alike.  And for me personally, the experience retains the same anticipation and sense of awe that I get when visiting the national parks, therefore I have done my best to honor the property owners wishes in an effort to maintain access to his land (even if I don't agree with him in principle).  But public discourse on this matter has been very divided recently (for reasons I won't delve into here) and one side is promoting a carte blanche style of private property ownership that essentially states that the land is his and he can do whatever he wants with it, including shutting everyone out.   That is all well and good since it is his.  I don't pretend to think I have much of a right to say anything in matters of his private business, but this situation does beg another question as it pertains to the original conversation at hand.

Where is it then that these two stories cross paths?  As the debate over the local private property unfolds, opinions are expressed, emotions often flare, and I can't help but see similarities with the arguments presented by Ken Burns from when our national parks formed.  Sure, on the surface it is an apples to oranges comparison, private vs public, but if you watch the series closely, that is exactly where many of our parks started.  Also, the logic used to inform the various positions is mostly the same.  And then currently there is a big push, especially in Utah, to turn federal public property over to the state which unapologetically favors private development.  Ironically, many Utahns see little value in federally held land until it is shut down (largely by one of their own) and then the full scope of the revenue stream is realized, or better said . . . lost.  In the end, I can't support turning over such areas to private entities or to a state that favors private interests for one major reason: places like the national parks are of paramount importance to the national psyche and simply put, I don't want to lose access to them as well as losing my say, however big or small, in the administration of these places that I hold most dear.   As I sit back and watch Ogden's "Community Park" turn into something not exactly welcome to the public, I struggle to bite my tongue but know that I don't have much recourse.

When property becomes private it is fundamentally changed.  The pressure to capitalize on land or alter previous conditions to suit a very select group of people or investors is all too powerful and maybe even inevitable.  In a perfect world I would like to believe that private interests often mirror that of the public but that is simply not true, especially when the bottom line really is always the bottom line.  Some ideas run deeper than the pocket book and deserve better consideration.  I will accept, at least temporarily, some of the inadequacies of an agency like the National Park Service, such as their budget shortcomings or overcrowding, as long as there is a commitment to ensure that average people like me maintain access (and a voice) to these amazing natural wonders.  I would also hope that with continued diligence efforts can be made to minimize some of the problems mentioned above to further improve on the vision set forth by the architects of "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."  

Are the systems in place perfect?  Hell no!  But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater because it is a difficult problem to solve.  You will be left with no baby at all, which is a big possibility as witnessed here, at home, where one of our greatest natural community resources rests in the hands and at the whims of a private individual.  I may not be able to do much about that particular situation, but I can surely take to heart the lessons learned and avoid making similar mistakes in the future.


Link to The National Parks: America's Best Idea

Links to the the Waterfall Canyon story

Rumor of sniper-fire training - Standard.net

OgdenFoothillPrivateLand FB page

Trail acces story - Standard.net

"Trail maintenance"

10 Places

I'm not sure how to go about compiling this list.  What is my criteria?  I don't know.  My methods for doing this are as haphazard as just about anything I do.  This list is by no means exhaustive nor rank ordered.  Tomorrow it could be a different list, although not entirely (some of these are just indisputable).  But as far as today is concerned, this is it.  This is a list of 10 places you must go...or maybe it's only a list of 10 places that I have been but are unforgettable.

Zion National Park

The first time I felt complete awe looking up - and all around as well

Grand Teton - the summit

The feeling of complete awe looking down

Bonneville Shoreline Trail with Malan's Peak

The daily - right out the back door.  Countless hikes, bikes, climbs, jogs and dog walks.

Brit is on the eternal dog walk up there.

The Entire Southwest Desert Landscape

I tried to pick one part but I couldn't.  All are unique brushstrokes to a more compelling painting 

Wheeler Creek to Snowbasin - biking

Way back when, this was my inspiration.  And then there's the moose and the autumn leaves too
The Cirque of the Towers

Probably heaven

Patagonia, Sudamerica

The epitome of everything

Tidal Pools - anywhere in the ocean

Felt like a kid again

The Redwoods

Mystified in the mist

Little Cottonwood Canyon - climbing

The full spectrum of emotions from total success to utter defeat and everything in between

BST

The Time in Between

I often lock myself out of my apartment.  It usually happens when things get too chaotic or when I am experiencing excessive stress.  I almost did that very thing the morning I took this photo.  Just before locking myself out I realized I didn't have my keys.  I ran back in and grabbed them and returned to look up the steps and see this.  

Home Court Advantage

Upper portion of Kamps ridge.

I never thought it would happen in my own backyard.  Everything just seems more casual in a familiar environment.  Perhaps that is why it happened.  Perhaps that is why I experienced my first ever unplanned bivy on, what should have been, a mellow, enjoyable day out climbing.

All things being considered it was a great day.  It was a beautiful setting with fun movement on clean rock, great weather, and a "casual" route.  There were hiccups, of course, but nothing too crazy.  We probably started later than we should have.  My partner and I had never climbed together before.  Route finding was tricky in a couple of sections.  We moved slower than I would have liked since I hadn't been climbing much and I was a bit rusty.  I also hadn't prepared for a late finish, i.e. I didn't bring my headlamp.  These and other factors contributed to our troubles.

If you do the math it all adds up.  We made the summit but there was only about 20 to 30 minutes of sunlight left.  A sense of haste took over as we scrambled to the rappels.  It was quite important to me that we find the anchors with some daylight left given the fact that I had no headlamp (although my partner wisely brought his).  But we didn't find the raps.  Cairns can be great navigating tools when they mark what it is you are looking for.  In the diminishing light we stumbled upon a pile of rocks that seemed right for our descent so it appeared like we would make it to the car after all.  I felt confident having been down those rappels a few times in the past.  Only after wasting a significant amount of time and all of our natural light did I discover that we had started down the wrong chute, one that would surely spit us out onto a steep-enough field of consolidated snow with no axes and crampons . . . in the dark.  We had to return to the ridge.

On the ridge again we continued our fruitless effort to find the rappels.  It became obvious that a decision was warranted which was hard to make, feeling more than defeated by the prospect of being benighted in such a familiar place.  I had been there before.   I had the home court advantage.  On that day I expected more for less for some silly reason.  Much to my chagrin I suggested to my partner that we sleep it off on the mountain.

The weather was good, I had an emergency blanket, and it wasn't a bad night even if it wasn't that restful.  In the morning it still took longer than expected to find the rappels, having more luck finding rattlesnakes.  To boot, below the rappels there was still a difficult field of snow to maneuver through that would have proven nasty in the dark of the previous night.  

I think we made the right decision to bivy.  We got home, thirsty and hungry, and I was late for work but I really can't wait to climb Kamps Ridge again, this time with far fewer complications.

Considerations from Pingora

In my life I have spent more time and energy than is reasonably expected to experience extraordinary places.  It has been one of my primary motivations.  It has also cost me important opportunities and taken its toll on many of my relationships.  Sometimes I struggle to communicate to others why it is so important, often just believing that they understand.  Through my photographs and stories I have attempted to educate others as well as express the value of it all but occasionally I receive criticism for being very selfish and to that I can't argue.  I do derive great personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from my travels but hopefully those with whom I share my experiences understand that it goes beyond the personal.

The world is a pretty remarkable place that deserves better consideration than we give it.  As an integral (and overwhelmingly large) part of the big picture, people should seek every opportunity to think on it more.

These photos are from a recent visit to a place that gave me tremendous opportunities to think a lot more.