Cornering Consciousness

It was really more by accident that we came across the Willis Creek Trail. On Pioneer Day morning we were looking for dog-friendly day hikes close to Hurricane, something that would get us out of the hottest day of the year so far, with water for Ginger and Maryann. In her search, Mindy found a hiking trail, Willis Creek, near Kolob Reservoir. When she went back to search Willis Creek, a different spot came up, this one with the promise of slot canyons. And a bit of pioneer history, it turns out, since Mormon Pioneer, Utah Scapegoat, Colorado Plateau resident, Federal fugitive and Indian Farmer John D. Lee was one who coined the name "Skutumpah," borrowing a Paiute term meaning "an area where rabbit brush grows and squirrels can be found," arguably, Skutumpah is much less of a mouthful. In 1866 a group of Mormon pioneers were sent to Green River from St. George to help efforts in the Blackhawk War. They traveled through Johnson Canyon to Cannonville where ...

You can see her from just about anywhere in Washington County, a geological feature whose name is not only an apt descriptor but also a social icon in this ultra-conservative culture, Mollie's Nipple. That's her poking up in the upper right hand corner of this view down our street, and you can see how she got her name. We've wanted to climb Mollie's Nipple for awhile and since relocating to Hurricane, her ever-presence got us even more motivated, so before the weather gets any warmer, we thought we make the hike today. Ginger and Maryanne in their enthusiasm were ready to go, though they were in the wrong car. There are two approaches to Mollie, one from the base where the trailhead is just outside a little housing development, and the other from a rather technical dirt road that comes off of Highway 59 east of Hurricane. There are more internet descriptions than there are approaches to this hike and we followed one that took us to Gould's Trail that leads...

Despite all the celluloid and digital records I've made of this canyon, I’ve never had a moment where I could say that’s a keeper , I believe because all attempts to replicate fail on so many levels compared to Zion's contextual impact on just being there, especially with someone you love. For me there’s little point in pulling out a print to look at Watchman, the Narrows, or Angels’ Landing, when the real thing is a short drive away. But that doesn’t stop me from photographing it.  I’ve hiked most of Zion’s trails always with appreciation of the many hands of the Civilian Conservation Corps’ incredibly hard work to make navigating Zion accessible, if not a lot easier. While my grandfather is fondly remembered for his part of the CCC’s movement in the thirties, this trek began with gratitude for the following generation, the company of my daughter. Observation Point is accessed from the trail head at Weeping Rock. Its two thousand foot ascent ramps up quickly, engagi...

There's a kind of cosmic camping serendipity that both graces and curses our adventures when we decide to rough it amidst the public. The grace is in a timing that affords us an unanticipated cultural experience. The curse is relative the amount of noise created by neighboring roughers after sunset and before sunrise and the rotation of the planet in between. This was our first camping trip in the H3 and being we're still outfitting for overland travel to more primitive, less populated areas, it wasn't yet prepped to carry the water we'd need to be self-sustaining. Valley of Fire was our choice for the trip, far enough away from St. George and in the right, warmer direction. We arrived at the park's visitors' center (Valley of Fire is a Nevada State Park that does not accept National Park passes) where we learned not surprisingly that all the campsites were full. Mindy's optimism pressed us on to the Atlatl Campsite in hopes we'd find a vacancy, an...