There is a place in the desert that I hold very close to my heart. The air temperature on the plateau above is an unforgiving 110F, but down below, it is a cool 75F. This is a place where cathedrals, arches, bridges, canyons, springs and perennial streams dominate this underworld. The wildlife in this riparian environment is like nothing you have ever seen. I’ve encountered, california condors, ringtail cats and frogs (at least that’s what I think it is) that unleash a deafening bellow that echoes up and down the canyon walls.
When I go to this place, I feel as though I am stepping into the Garden of Eden. This is a place that is virtually untouched by man, except for the occasional petroglyph and ruin. I drink directly from the weeping sandstone that climbs 600 feet directly above.
This is the Glen Canyon and it’s tributaries. I have been to a number of small canyons and gulches on it’s outer reaches. And I’ve heard rumor of another 150 canyons that are just like this. I wish I could share these awe inspiring places with you and the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the US Government and Bureau of Reclamation destroyed the very heart of this place in 1956 with the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam.
One hundred and eighty eight miles of the Colorado River have been submerged. Species of fish have been displaced and are now endangered. Thousands of Native American sites have been lost forever. Cathedrals, arches and natural bridges have been buried underneath a 600 feet of silt and water. Flash floods no longer run freely down the Colorado. Now, everything below the dam has been referred to as a “death zone”, due to the cold and clear water.
President of the Sierra Club, David Brower, once said “Should we flood the Sistine Chapel so the tourists can get nearer the ceiling?”. It appears as though this is what’s happened in the desert southwest.
But not all is lost forever. Experts say that if the dam were to be removed, the canyons would reclaim themselves in 100 years. Lake Powell is at an all time low, and canyons are being rediscovered every year. During my lifetime, I wish to visit at least a couple of these lost canyons. This is a place that is so special, I wish to have my ashes spread along the Escalante River when I pass.
If you are ever interested in learning about these gardens please please please ask me! I would gladly drop everything and take you there, and at the very least let you borrow my maps. Although I would love to keep it to myself, this is a place that needs to be seen by all. It is too unique and too special to keep it a secret. You will walk out of those canyons feeling a peace that you have never felt before. If you weren’t a conservationist when you entered, you will surely be one when you exit.
If you would like to see photos of the canyons I speak pre-Glen Canyon Dam visit HERE
“Is this at last the locus Dei? There are enough cathedrals and temples and altars here for a Hindu pantheon of divinities. Each time I look up one of the secretive little side canyons I half expect to see not only the cottonwood tree rising over its tiny spring - the leafy god, the desert’s liquid eye - but also a rainbow-colored corona of blazing light, pure spirit, pure being, pure disembodied intelligence, about to speak my name.” - Edward Abbey
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Some friends and I are headed out to Corona Arch in May to set this up!
(Source: telluridecolorado)
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Never Summer Range, Colorado
I probably posted this photo once before. But I was just doing some digging through the archive and found it again. Hands down one of my favorite photos of all time!
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Into the Chasm (by a galaxy far, far away…)
one of my favourite pictures on tumblr.
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(via simpleflaw)
Theme: Linear by Peter Vidani
