Slow Hikes

Big Cottonwood

2010-01-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Kat and I ventured up Big Cottonwood in an effort to get out of the pervasive smog that keeps lingering in our beloved city. We achieved success and clean air with a hike up one of my favorite trails, Mill D something-or-other up Big Cottonwood Canyon. In the spring and summer the edges of the trail are screaming with wildflowers. I can identify a handful of species on a good day. On this day with our path covered in snow, there are no flowers to be seen, but plenty of evergreens to fill the space.

I particularly like hiking in the snow, mainly because of the stillness it provides. All sounds are amplified, birds overhead. It is like the world is insulated. In places the watershed peeks out, bubbles under ice.

For awhile, we could breathe.

Antelope Island

2010-01-08T22:23:00.000-08:00

Standing on the shore of the Great Salt Lake, I can't help but to hear the audio from Robert Smithson's film about the Spiral Jetty in my head. North, mud, salt crystals, rocks, water. North by East, mud, salt crystals, rocks, water. Except I want to replace his words by what we have seen and felt. Wind, ice, magpie, harrier, snow, bison, lichen, rocks, raven, lake. The stillness of a cold day, the company of friends, the lake. One of my favorite places.

Hiking with Andrea, I become intensely aware of scale. She focuses on lichen, leaves. I want to take giant landscape photos. We begin to strike a balance, each of our pieces creating the whole. I think about tunneling my vision, focus, the map of blue indicating the center of the salty lake.

The biggest treasure from the day was this little guy hanging out by the side of the road. We drove slowly and he hung out for a bit. Coyote watching people watching coyote.

I'm thinking that a trip to the Spiral Jetty may be in order as soon as it gets warmer. Clips from the Robert Smithson film are below:

Hello, 2010

2010-01-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

And, hello to you, blog.

This is how I rang in the New Year, hiking up to Signal Peak, with a view of Salt Lake City below. It was cold, and worth it. If you missed out on the ring around the moon, then you missed out. Watching fireworks go up over downtown, the city lights reflected back by the cloud cover. Trying to figure out if it was beautiful or terrible.

I haven't been out in so long, and I feel like I've missed out. I'm hoping with the beginning of the new year and new semester I'll be able to strike a good balance early in the game.

This year I'm resolving to build the map of the world I want.

Last Tetons Post

2009-10-05T21:53:00.001-07:00

Some classy people in the Tetons.

And now, something totally different.

2009-10-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, Rachel Maddow featured a clip from the BBC Series "Last Chance to See", based off Douglas Adams' book of the same name.

This book was my first introduction to the, as you will see, lovable kakapo.

I'm so happy that Rachel Maddow decided to feature this clip last night, if only so we could see her reaction to it. I would love to see this series in its

entirety, so hopefully it getting a little attention state-side can't hurt. But, most importantly, to draw attention to the amazing kakapo.

I remember reading "Last Chance to See" during my sophomore year of college on the recommendation of a very handsome boy. The boy and I no

longer talk, but the book is one of those that I have come to treasure. As far as nature writing is concerned, this book contains an element that I think is

missing in most environmental tomes today, a decent sense of humor. No one talked about endangered species like Douglas Adams.

Well, I suppose the penguin is a pretty peculiar creature when you think about it,

but it's quite a robust kind of peculiarness, and the bird is perfectly well adapted to

the world in which it finds itself, in a way that the kakapo is not. The kakapo is a bird

out of time. If you look one in its large, round, greeny-brown face, it has a look of

serenely innocent incomprehension that makes you want to hug it and tell it that

everything will be all right, though you know it probably will not be.

...flying is completely out of the question. Sadly, however, it seems that not only

has the kakapo forgotten how to fly, but it has also forgotten that it has forgotten

how to fly. Apparently a seriously worried kakapo will sometimes run up a tree and

jump out of it, whereupon it flies like a brick and lands in a graceless heap on the ground.

(You get it...just read the book. It is very good, I promise.)

When "LCTS" was published in 1990 roughly only 40 kakapos were left, compare that to the over 100 today. This is an amazing conservation story,

and hopefully numbers will continue to increase. Positive, funny pieces like this help to draw attention to animals who often don't get any, and avoid

the doom-and-gloom finger-wagging that is too often present in environmentalist circles today. We need to remember that there are still amazing

creatures on this planet that are worth fighting for and spending time getting others involved, instead of turning them away.

Anyway, visit the website: http://www.kakaporecovery.org.nz/ and find out more. Maybe one day you will be lucky enough to hear that subsonic boom.

It was Grand

2009-09-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

EH Tent City in Gros Venture

More on that trip to the Tetons. Did I tell you that I almost didn't go? The night prior I was struck by a stomach bug with a vengeance. I was even responsible for a "Clean up on Aisle 1". I will not be going to the Smith's in Sugarhouse anytime soon. Anyway, I was barely able to drag my butt out of bed the morning of departure. However, I knew that if I didn't suck it up I would regret not going. I'm so glad I didn't stay behind.

The centerpiece of the trip was going on a meditative nature hike with Jack Turner, author of "The Abstract Wild". This was the ultimate Slow Hike. For seven hours we were silent, alternating between meditating and walking slowly in half-hour increments. At first I was hesitant, almost forcefully so, especially where the walking was concerned. There were points where I wanted to just sit and write, but couldn't as we were walking. Meditating was a challenge too, but as the day went on it became easier (so easy that once I fell asleep, the sun was so warm! oops). There was a certain sense of clarity, becoming more aware of my body and spatial relation to others, my place in the environment, focusing on nature around me.

I've been thinking about how I will write my reflection piece for this trip. What stuck out at me were all the bones I found, mostly because I was walking so slowly and had the time to look. Found on my way were 3 vertebrae (elk, bison, or deer), 2 mandibles (deer), a very small, old tibia and a large, rather freshly dead leg from an ungulate. This has started my wheels turning on the relationships of predators and their prey within ecosystems.

The whole experience is still fresh in my mind. Maybe it was the silence, or being so focused for such an extended period of time. What I learned will certainly help me with my nature journaling and just becoming more thoughtful in regards to my experiences in nature, and perhaps others as well.

Upon returning to camp in the evening I even felt well enough to enjoy an adult beverage (more than 3.2%!) what a great end to an amazing day.

I can see your Tetons from here.

2009-09-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Jackson, WY, Tetons National Park.

Two weekends ago I went on a retreat with my graduate program to the Tetons. There, we spent a day on a meditative nature hike with author Jack Turner. I'm still writing and thinkg about about my experience in my personal journal. This trip was definitely amazing, it was good to think about nature in a new way and to spend time with my classmates. As always, the Tetons inspire me, it is such a beautiful place.

I have been way too busy with work and schoolin'. I plan on posting more pictures soon. And, hopefully go on a hike this weekend. Fall is just about upon us, leaves are turning and tomorrow it will only be 49 degrees out. Wish this FL girl luck!

There's a Donut in My Falls!

2009-09-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Today I headed up to Donut Falls with some of my new classmates. The sky was hinting at rain, and we were kind of hoping for a downpour (it makes for a better story.) Alas, there was no rain, just humidity. But, fun was had by all parties involved. You can tell by how happy we are in this photo:

The Happy Hikers

The hike up to the falls is pretty short, but fun. Everything was lush, green and wet, feeling much more temperate than usual. There were also some fun water features to be crossed.

Say "Hello" to SLC's Watershed!

After some scrambling, we made it to a decent view of the falls. We didn't go all the way up or venture into the "donut". But, it was still a really great view and a nice way to spend a Saturday morning.

Delicious.

Girls Go to College

2009-08-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

My first week of gaining knowledge in Graduate School has come and gone, and I feel the weeks (months, 2 years!) of work looming ahead of me. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. However my nose will be in various books for a long, long time.

My classes are all interesting and will prove to be challenging. I'll be cozying up to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring over the next few days, plus more reading and writing. Today was spent exploring the library on campus; I was sorely disappointed to find that it is only open until 6pm on Saturdays. I miss the University of Miami library and seeing palm trees on campus, but I am happy that Utah is my new home. The faculty in my program are nothing short of amazing, and the same can be said of my peers. I'm looking forward to a field trip to the Tetons and writing with Terry Tempest Williams. I'll be journaling for one of my classes, which is something that I am really looking forward to. I've tried to keep nature journals in the past, but have always found ways to neglect them, now that it is an assignment I really have no choice but to keep with it.

Days will be long and I will wish there were more hours in the day, but I'm looking forward to it. However, it would be nice to be my cat, who gets to lounge like this all day. Too bad I can't major in that.

Butler Fork, Part I

2009-08-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

The Epic Adventure Begins...

A few weeks ago some coworkers and I made our way up to Big Cottonwood Canyon for an evening hike. We set our sights on Butler Fork, a trail we thought would be fun and "moderate". All smiles at the trailhead, we set o

ff. Immediately, the trail comes to a fork, go to the right and cross over a stream, go to the left and head uphill. I'm not quite sure who made the decision, but up we went. Up, up, up, up. The trail was incredibly steep, and as we continued to travel up the switchbacks it became very clear that this was not the intended trail. But, being brave and adventurous, we forged ahead. Eventually, we made it to a clearing where we had a view of a mountaintop and lovely wildflowers all around.

After a rest, a few realities became apparent. 1) It was getting dark. 2) The way we came up was really steep, unimproved and treacherous. 3) Another way down was around the corner, but its path was entirely unknown. We clearly chose option number 3. This was one of the scariest (and, admittedly fun) times I have had on the trail. I am terrified of falling and I hate heights, so coming down a small mountain with the light fading was not a situation I would usually put myself in willingly. We slid down on our bottoms and held on to branches for dear life, and we laughed, a lot. It was good to be in the company of friends, and have (the illusion) of safety in numbers. Finally making it to the bottom, we were giddy with excitement and amazed at the nonsense we had hiked down (I have a photo of this, but it was too blurry in the dark.) It may have been a trail in the past, but certainly not recently. We rejoined the trail at the stream crossing, the correct choice from the beginning, but another fun hike to save for the future.

Moonrise

Salty Lake

2009-08-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

I visited my City's namesake two weeks ago. My good friend Jasmine was here to see my new home and temperatures were through the roof. We decided to go to Antelope Island and take a dip in some briny waters, something us Floridians are used to. There were no waves, but the shores of the Great Salt Lake did remind me of a beach from my home state. However, a beach in the desert is a completely different experience.

Prior to my visit, I was warned that there may be a terrible stench, due to all the brine flies. But, while driving on the causeway to Antelope Island, there was no foul odor, just the smell of salt carried by the air. Birds were everywhere, feasting on the flies that pile up on the shore in long, black lines that stretch for yards.

We were daring enough to get in the water, which was warm and shallow. Giant brine shrimp float all around, making me think of primordial soup. Standing in water up to my thighs I lean back and float, incredibly buoyant in the extra salty water. Laying there, I take in the view of the Wasatch to the west and the lake all around me, seemingly never-ending. Truly, a sight to behold.

A trip is planned for the fall when it is not so hot to do more hiking and exploring around the Island. I know that the lake will be there, waiting for me.

Floating

Flies, flies everywhere

2009-08-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

I like to stop and smell the flowers.