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.

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.

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

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