Benjamin Rutherford: Nature’s Blessings
Clouds are breaking up; a warm breath of air exposes a patch of sky through the dark overcast- then two and then three! Our group basks in the new sunshine,
Katie Atherly: What’s the Word?
We were all still covered in brown paint and dirt from the activities of the previous days when we met with Mark Sorensen in a dimly lit school room. Mark
Kory Kirby: Simplify
Garbage trucks, dogs barking, lights, traffic, noise, people. Emails, phone service, Wi-Fi, TV’s, screens, connection with the world. Chaos, hecticness, stresses consuming our lives. Day by day, week by week,
Lindsey Freitag: Following Footsteps
Walking through the loose canyon sand, I struggle to keep a fast pace. I pause to look up and see the streaked sandstone cliffs enveloping me. The wind begins to
Kory Kirby: Vision for Values
Driving out of the small town of Hanksville, Utah, I gaze out my window at this foreign landscape. Various geologic formations make me think that I’m no longer on earth.
Benjamin Rutherford: Pesto (Needs Pesto) for the Soul
Thai coconut curry for dinner, turkey avocado wraps for lunch, Triscuit cream cheese apple sandwiches for snacks, and, of course, the staple: oats, Nutella and peanut butter for breakfast. The
Marisa Kiefaber: Mud Lessons
In the morning as we geared up for our first real day of river travel with packs on, I admit, I was not looking forward to plunging my feet into
Luke Taylor: A Night in Horseshoe Canyon
There are some things that only happen in the back country. Pooping in cat holes, wearing a pair of underwear for an indefinite amount of time, and becoming master of
Katie Atherly: Lessons from Ruins and Silences
Our second day in the backcountry was our first day hiking in the bottom of Horseshoe Canyon. Within the first hour of our trek, Ben stopped in his tracks and
Elly Voigt: So Little Water, So Much Life
The word ‘desert’ implies ‘deserted,’ ‘forsaken,’ ‘abandoned.’ Before coming to the desert of the Colorado Plateau, I imagined this place as an expanse of lifeless rocks, with a few tumbleweeds