Yesterdays NY Times article, ‘Ah, Wilderness’ has created a buzz on Facebook this morning among outdoor enthusiasts. The author questions the management decisions of U.S. Forest Service administrators to continue to refuse to add signage in certain wilderness areas, even after hikers and skiers have died from getting lost. It’s a dilemma that all of us who love wilderness have to confront at some point as we pursue our passion. We know and accept that if we venture to go there, into the wild unknown, we’re on our own. Those of us who live this lifestyle have accepted and live with the risks – because we can’t live without them.

But what about the less experienced traveler who wants to experience the wilderness, but isn’t qualified to do it on their own? In my opinion, these are the good folks the well-meaning author of the NY Times article had in mind. And I agree with him that these are the people who can benefit by finding an expert guide to take them there and show them the ropes of staying safe in the wilderness. The U.S. government issues and regulates commercial permits to the most qualified guides. The newbie explorer can  experience all the wonders and solitude of the outdoors under the sound instruction of someone who is passionate about teaching the skills and sharing the lifestyle.

Sol Fitness Adventures guides explorations that connect travelers with the outdoors. Sol’s guides are wildlife biologists, adventure racers and personal fitness trainers by trade; but above all else, we are lovers of wilderness and life, passionate about lending our expertise to assure that our guests have the experience of a lifetime. If you’re thinking about an adventure trip to Machu Picchu, Peru, backpacking Utah’s redrock desert, or vacationing near Park City, Utah, do it with Sol. And if you want to explore the Zion area’s backcountry safely, we’re the only one’s permitted by the U.S. Federal government to take you there. Call us to plan your trip today!

I hope all of you outdoor lovers have been watching The National Parks: America’s Best Idea on PBS this week. I know, I know, it’s the second week of Dancing with the Stars (I’m a closet fan), but come on now, where are your priorities?

Ken Burns has created a beautiful film documenting the development and progression of the National Parks in America. I knew that President Theodore Roosevelt was in office during the conception of the Parks and Monuments, and after learning of his enthusiasm and heartfelt connection to the great outdoors he has become my favorite. Can you imagine a president today directing his staff, special services, family, and even (gasp) the media to leave him alone and let him enjoy the wilderness in peace?

In its first two nights the film has paid tribute to one of the forefathers of American Wilderness, John Muir, whose writings influenced Americans from coast to coast at a time when the dominant thought process in regard to wilderness was to dominate and subdue. His passion for seeking spiritual connection to God through communion with nature is an inspiration to me. If only I had the creative talent to write as he did.

The remaining four parts will be shown this week on PBS. I’m anxiously awaiting the introduction of Zion National Park, the place on earth where, as one early Mormon settler remarked, “man can come closer to God among these canyon walls than in any man-made temple.” Check out Sol’s version of a Zion National Park backpacking trip in Redrock Backpacker: Southwestern, Utah!

Click to view photos of Sol’s Zion canyoneering trip.

I’m sure you’ve told yourself to “go to your happy place” before. It’s a mental exercise, a visualization intended to lessen the pain or fear of the current situation. I have routinely done this every time I’ve visited the dentist since I was 10 years old.

I have literally “gone to my happy place,” on this Zion National Park backpacking trip, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. The last four times I’ve come to Zion I’ve guided Sol Fitness Adventures Redrock Backpacker: Southwestern, Utah overnight canyoneering adventure. Helping adventurous clients test their mental and physical limits by backpacking beyond official park boundaries into a Wilderness Study Area is what I do. I live to see the awe-struck looks on my client’s faces when they see the depths of the canyon for the first time. The last two trips were all work as I outpaced (one never outsmarts mother nature) thunderstorms, chased flash floods, and coached various phobias down the Virgin River.

My latest pilgrimage to the canyon is all about me though. Sure, I have some research and preparation to do for my next guided trip, but I’ve also come to commune with Mother Earth and connect with the locals. I’ll be here for one full week – hiking, biking, creating, swimming, eating, sleeping – all forms of active meditation to me, in my favorite place on earth. But enough about me. Check out more footage of this amazing canyon here. Redrock Backpacker: Southwestern, Utah

As a general practice I haven’t wanted to use Sol Fitness Adventure as a venue to air my political viewpoints. However, when it comes to land issues in my home state of Utah, where two of our trips take place, I don’t mind bending my own rule. Sol’s mission is to share wilderness with others, and fulfilling that mission requires taking action to see that wilderness is preserved.

Coming up on December 19th the Federal Government will move to open millions of acres of Utah’s public lands to oil speculation by private companies. The land proposed for speculation is adjacent to Canyonlands, Arches, and Dinosaur National Monument, part of one of the most pristine desert ecosystems in the U.S. This is the kind of redrock wonderland you’ve seen in magazines and read about in Edward Abbey’s short tales; the kind of place that offers sweet solitude and peace that is so hard to find elsewhere.

Certainly America needs to ween itself of foreign oil. But auctioning off sects of public land for private profit, particularly in areas in close proximity to National Parkland, should require the input of Park land officials and the vote of our citizens. Sol Fitness Adventures has added our voice to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s attempt to gather enough voices of protest to stop the feds from taking this action.

If you agree, I encourage you to CLICK HERE to voice your own opposition.

So long, Wall Arch.

Don’t worry if you never saw this one. There are 1,999 more of these natural wonders in Arches National Park, Utah.

Amie caught her first toad! Too bad he didn’t turn into a prince…

-AKL

This blog entry is dedicated to amphibians – frogs to be exact. And why not? Afterall, 2008 has been dubbed The Year of the Frog. Major companies are devoting marketing campaigns to raise awareness of the plight of frogs as a result of worldwide environmental degradation.

Tonight I went for my evening jog in Rock Creek Park and was serenaded by the basoon-esque croak of several bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana, probably would have made an attempt to catch them too, were it not for my fear of the fierce allergic reaction I have to the poison ivy lining the banks of the creek.

Sexy and Barry White-sounding as they are, however, the bullfrog is certainly not my favorite amphibian. That would be the canyon treefrog, Hyla arenicolor, the cliff-climbing little frog I’m about to get re-aquainted with in Parunuweap in three weeks. The first time I heard a chorus of tree frogs in the canyon I thought some local boysouts had smuggled rivet guns on their camping trip. Click here for a sneak preview of our bedtime lullaby.

Everyone should have a favorite frog!

Dreaming of Dynamite

I couldn’t fall asleep last night. I was too busy thinking about the logjam on Sol’s guided overnight Redrock Backpacker: Southwestern, Utah trip. The logjam grew by at least 4 feet between my May and August, 2007 trips, forming a waterfall out of what used to be a simple rock chute dropping into a deep pool of water. Who knows how big the logjam is now. Countless numbers of weather alert texts from weather.com have tipped me off to the probability of a flash flood in the Virgin River.
I remembered how we used to get rid of invasive beaver dams when I was a biologist – DYNAMITE! Someone should just blow that thing up.
I lost all interest in counting sheep at that point. The visual of what just one stick would do was fixed in my minds eye. One blast would dislodge those massive tree anchors, break up the cemented sand, and send the smaller debris drifting downstream. We would slide happily and easily down the little rock chute into a refreshing pool of teal green; nobody would be afraid, there would be no obstacle to overcome…
WAIT. Why did I choose this spectacular canyon just outside of Zion National Park boundaries? Why attempt Zion canyoneering? Isn’t the whole idea to test myself, to expose others to fitness challenges that make their heart pound, focus dial-in and spirits soar? My own heart was beating faster just thinking about it. Besides, logjams and flash floods are the forces that formed this narrow slot canyon. Consider it a work in progress, a canyon in the making.
Alright, forget the dynamite. I’ll settle for a 100-year flood event instead. That should do the trick and blow the logjam out. Finally, a vision as sweet as counting sheep ran through my head: the video clip of Sol’s Redrock Backpacker: Southwestern, Utah