Southern Utah Day HIkes

Left Fork of North Creek AKA the Subway!!!!!

2011-07-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

There are a few rules that I tend to live by
Rule #1- Do not talk about fight club
Rule #2- Do not talk about fight club
Rule #3- When subway permits are offered, take them!!! Fortunately I was able to follow rule #3 a couple weeks ago. My buddy Evan Campbell called and basically said, "Dude, I have Subway permits and you are going!" and I was like "Dude, Rule # 3 mandates I go." (Yes, I teach middle school) We (Rory, Evan, Clay and myself) met early and were the first ones on the trail and we didnt see a soul until more than halfway through the hike, they started from the bottom. That meant we had oodles of time to goof around, swim, jump in the deep pools, go under the waterfalls, swim beneath underwater arches, make fun of Evan for being cold, take lots of pictures, etc, etc, etc! I have hiked the Subway four times, but this was the first time as an adult (I guess I could be called that now but I dont know for sure :) ) Before it was a fun hike, splashing, repelling, swimming, etc, as an adult it is all those things and more. In fact it is difficult if not impossible to accurately describe it.

Yellowman

2011-05-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

Because SCC (former 2nd job) is going under I have found myself with some free time on Saturdays. With Renee (wife) slaving away at work, Niah (daughter) and I decided to get out and about and try to find the Yellowman pictograph panel.

Yellowman is roughly 3 miles off of Smithsonian Butte Scenic Backway near the town of Apple Valley.

The hike/scramble to yellowman is pretty steep but I did it while carrying Niah, 2 year olds, sometimes they are too independant and walk, get dirty, etc, others times, like today, you would have guessed the dirt was hot lava. Fortunately I found a geocache and borrowed a toy for her to play with in the alcove housing yellowman.

There were several other older faded panels and Im sure there are many more in the area. Definately a place to come back minus my little princess!

Coyote Gulch

2011-04-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

This trip has been several years in the making. After countless hours of meticulous research I finally was able to venture into Coyote Gulch, one of the most famous canyons of Escalante.

Because nobody I know works teacher hours or those who do couldnt come :) I undertook this backpacking adventure alone, well other than the other half dozen hikers in Coyote Gulch, including the two that offered me some illegal shrooms! (I said no, they said I seemed like a guy that would be "fun to trip with." I started the long drive toward Escalante early Thursday morning. Making good time and nearly at my destination all of the sudden my long wait, careful planning and long drive nearly came to a disastrous end. At the Hurricane Wash trail head I heard a loud noise coming from under the Jeep and felt something dragging on the washer-board Hole in the Rock road. Quickly I looked under the Jeep and to my alarm the muffler and exhaust system was dragging in the dirt. Being in the middle of the road I instinctively touched the muffler without thinking of how hot it may be and burned my two fingers pretty badly. After much cursing, both in my head and out loud to myself I backed the Jeep into the parking area, swore some more, tried to pull the muffler out (to no avail I may add) and after an hour of sweating, swearing and even praying I was just about to give up, hitchhike back to Escalante (by this time one car had passed me in the 1-2 hours I had been in the parking area), and call for help. Fortunately I looked across the road, and noticed a barbwire fence. After walking over and borrowing some of the non barbed wire, I ghetto rigged the muffler to the frame. With the Jeep somewhat taken care of I decided I would hike from Hurricane Wash into Coyote Gulch even though that was not the best option to getting into the Gulch.

There aren't many places left in the world where the stress and chaos of everyday life can be replaced with sheer wonderment and awe. Coyote Gulch is one of these magical places. Upon entering the Gulch no longer was I concerned with my broken Jeep, or if the muffler would remain wired to the frame for long drive home. Rather than worry about the inequalities of life, wars being fought, or even, in my case, midterms left at school yet to be graded the pure beauty of Coyote Gulch quickly and quietly calmed my thoughts. What an amazing place!

"say that i starved, that i was lost and weary
that i was burned and blinded by the desert sun
footsore, thirsty, sick with strange diseases,
lonely and wet and cold, but that i kept my dream!"

Spring Break

2011-03-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Boy did I need a break from the grind of being a middle school teacher, fortunately I found some time to get out in the fresh air!

First some hiking in Zion with Renee's cousin Garrett and Cindi. We first tried to hike to Hidden Canyon but ice and lack of preparedness prevented that. So instead we hiked up to Shelf Canyon. Because of melting snow water the canyon floor was covered by about a couple inches of water. We took our shoes off ran as far into the slot as we could tolerate and then quickly ran back to our shoes!

Here are some other pictures of our day!

Next we had a picnic at Red Cliffs Recreation Site. This was one of my favorite spots when I was a kid and with the beautiful weather who could pass up a picnic!

My last day before heading to Puerto Rico my Mom, Rory, Niah and myself went to Coral Pink Sand Dunes. I have never been to Coral Pink it was awesome! I for sure will not make that mistake again and hope to return soon.

After exploring the dunes for a while we head to an arch near Coral Pink.

Local Petroglyphs

2011-03-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been looking for and finding some pretty cool petroglyph sites. I have always enjoyed looking at rock art and after lately trying to draw my own petroglyphs (Niah loves to color but she wants me to help so I try to draw petroglyphs on occasion) I respect the ancient ones even more! They are hard to draw let alone carve/peck/chip into rock!

Quail Creek State Park Site-Petroglyphs and other "amazing" things!

The DB surely stands for douche bag as whoever carved their name by this must be one! :)

Near Gunlock State Park

Many Pools

2010-12-29T15:09:00.000-08:00

Waterfall at the typically dry dryfall.

Frog Canyon

2010-12-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

Frog Canyon: Hurricane Utah
With Renee (Wife) and Niah (Toddler) taking a nap I decided I had a couple hours to quickly explore a local canyon. I spotted the canyon last year on a hike to Molly's Nipple and had wanted to explore the canyon and area below the nipple. I also believe there was a TR I read on bogley but they started from the top and repelled down. It is an easy hike into the canyon itself but I quickly came up to an unclimable dry fall.

Dryfall 1

By backtracking a couple hundred yards I was able to scramble up and around the dryfall (also found a trail up to Molly's Nipple, the first time I hiked to the Nip we drove around the backside).

I then decended back into the canyon. Right above the first dry fall I found several waterpockets this was my favorite part of the hike.

Hiking back up the canyon I came upon another dryfall. At the base of the dryfall was a pretty stagnant pool.

Inbetween the two dry falls was a bit eery as there were quite a few bones, and Coyote (?) tracks

Once again I backtracked up and around the dryfall. After the second dry fall the cliffs became higher and the canyon become wider. The solitude also increased drastically! I havent hiked alone in quite some time and the silence of Frog Canyon was impressive.

It turned out to be about a 2 1/2 hour hike and I figure I hiked aboud 4 miles out
and back.

Some more pics

.

Fall Break

2010-10-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I need a reminder of why I am a teacher. Fall break happens to be one of these reminders! At first I had some big plans. I almost quit job number 2 because I was offered a ride into the maze (still thinking I should have quit), but because of low funds and family coming down I decided to stay close to home fortunately I live near the mecca of Zion!

Day 1- After work I grabbed my visiting nephew to hike East Northgate Peak. I have hiked to the viewpoint but never scrambled to the peak. What an amazing, fun, quick hike. In just under an hour I was standing on top a peak with an amazing view of the more remote sections of Z.N.P. and the best part was I only saw one other person! Next time I will try the more difficult West Northgate Peak.

The drive home also was spectacular!

Day 2- Took the nephews to Kolob Reservoir to skip rocks. If you live near Kolob I highly recommend taking a drive right now to see the fall colors. The colors were brighter than I remember for several years.

After going to the lake we drove down to just above the Hop Valley Trailhead and hiked to the hoodoos just of Kolob Terrace Road.

Day 3-
In an attempt to brainwash my 17 month old daughter into becoming a hiker (I recently noticed she was enthralled with one of those corny cheerleader/dance movies that was on TV. I do not want a cheerleader for a daughter so I am attempting to turn her into a hiker by making her hike IDK?? ) The wife, baby and I decided to hit up the East Side of ZNP and hike to Hidden Gardens (thanks Tonya site for the suggestion it was a fun hike!) Niah (daughter) loved the hike, well mostly to play in the sand and pick up rocks anyway. Basically I carried her whenever we needed to move but she still had a blast!

Day 4: Went fishing with my good amigo Kyle Ballard. We didnt catch anything but had a fun time!

Cave Valley Part Deux

2010-09-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Renee's "Crazy Canadian Aunt Kaye" sent me a text telling me that if I did any hiking over labor day she wanted in. Heck all I need is someone to say they want to go and I'll find a hike! I decided to take Kaye (Crystal and Jon also tagged along) to the Cave Valley Pictographs in Zion National Park just off Kolob Terrace Road. It is a short hike and pretty unique pictographs. The hike was enjoyable as usual especially since I found an arrowhead. Of course this being in the National Park I left it, ok really I buried it so nobody else could find it!

After finding the pictographs I ran back as fast as I could so I could go explore and look for another cave with archeological artifacts. I didnt follow the instructions to this gave given to me by good friend KDIDDY B but rather made my own trail. This was a huge mistake as I cut the heck out of my legs. I had little bleeding scratches all over them from running, ok I probably looked more like an elephant pushing through the undergrowth! I did find the cave but am not sure it was worth the blood lost :)

Perhaps even more rewarding was the flora along Kolob Terrace Road. I have never seen as many sunflowers blooming as there are this year. If anyone has some free time and doesnt like to get too far out of the car but want to see an amazing natural wonder drive up there!

Delano Peak

2010-08-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

Overview: Delano Peak is a semi-strenuous day hike of about 4-5 miles round trip. The typical elevation gain/loss is about 1,500 feet in about two miles. The hike is not technical at all.

Where: Drive to Beaver on interstate I-15 head to the center of town and turn East onto highway 153 through a pretty canyon along the Beaver River for 16 miles to FS road 123, known as the Big John Flat road. It is roughly 5 miles to the Big John Flat campground and restroom area. There isn't an official trail head but I have hiked it two times both from different starting places. The first time we hike up Griffin Creek and the second Poison Creek.

When: Depending on the year Big John Flat Road may not open until mid July due to snow drifts once open Delano is hike-able until first snow in the fall.

Hike Summary: Every summer I try to climb at least one peak. My first year with this goal Renee and I hiked Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park, the next summer Cody Thompson and I did Delano, this year Renee and I have hiked Yellow Rock and now Brandon Garner and I just peak bagged the +12,000 foot Delano Peak. Delano is one of the higher peaks in Utah outside of the Uintas and is the highest in the Tushar Mountain Range. The hike was spectacular and semi strenuous as we gained over 1,500 feet in under 2 miles. The highlights of hiking Delano are 360 views of the Tushar Mountains including more the more famous although slightly lower peaks of Belknap, Holly and Baldy. If fortunate, as we were, you might sneak upon the Mountain Goat herds who live near Delano.

From Delano


Looking at Mount Belknap from Delano.

Brandon and Myself at the top.

Kanarra Creek

2010-07-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

OVERVIEW:
Kanarra Creek is one of my favorite summer time day hikes. The water is cold but when the temperature is 105 quite refreshing. Kanarra Creek is a scenic creek that flows through some pretty slot sections. The highlight of the hike is by far the rare desert waterfall and there are plenty of them on this hike.

WHERE:
Kanarraville Utah

When:
Best in the late spring through early fall. The water is cold year round.

Description:
Kanarra Creek is a moderate day hike. It almost would be considered a good family hike except for two major obstacles in the canyon. Both being climbing the rock jam waterfalls. Even with the obstacles a family could easily hike to first and see a pretty slot section and a beautiful waterfall. Most of the hike is either in the creek or often crossing the creek hiking along side it. The water is semi fast moving, cold and at most up to a foot high.

YELLOW ROCK

2010-06-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Wanting to avoid the memorial day crowd the wife and I decided to try the hopefully less known Yellow Rock in the GSENM. The original plan was to start on the Yellow Rock trail, loop around through lower death valley, then drop into either Sam Pollock Canyon, or the further down into the Hackberry. This was obviously overly ambitious for us backpacking newbies so my backup plan was Yellow Rock, camp near there, loop around to the Box of the Paria through Cottonwood Wash and back to the parking lot. Many do this as a day hike but I thought it would be cool to camp

After reading other trip reports I understood the initial trail from the valley floor to the top would be quite the workout, but somehow I did not understand that their was an actually designated, easily identifiable trail. So Renee (wife) and I risking life and limb, (jk but it did push our comfort level a couple of times especially with semi-heavy packs) found our own trail less scramble to the top.

I forgot to mention that the bugs(biting gnats) around the Hackberry Trail head Parking lot were horrific. I thought once we hiked away from the water things would improve, I was sadly mistaken!

After the very demanding climb to the top Renee was already to the point of calling it a day! I couldnt blame her going up the wrong way was very difficult and the worst part was we could not stop to take a breather as the biting gnats were still all over us every time you paused even for a moment.

Once on top Yellow Rock was clearly visible as was the correct trail. We followed the trail to yellow rock but once again the gnats were terrible. At this point we realized that camping would be very uncomfortable because of the gnats. Using bug spray was futile! We made the decision to hike to the top of Yellow Rock, then return to the car following the correct trail (going down where we went up would have been pretty dangerous with our packs) we dropped our packs off under a Pondorosa, and scrambled to the top of Yellow Rock. Yellow Rock itself was amazing and as was mentioned on this site one of the best short hikes in the area, especially if you follow the correct trail!

Even though our initial plans were thwarted, this TR could be have been posted on the "what was the worst ill never ever do that again trip thread, by my own stupidity, over packing (did I really bring 4 apples, 1/2 pound of cherries, carrots, etc just for snacks WTF?), getting lost and especially the biting demon gnats from hell the trip was a success.
-Yellow Rock is friggin awesome
-I learned my wife is the MAN. I underestimated her!
-Dont go near the Paria area in late May (later read in guide book that the little gnats are bad from late May to July)
-Dont bring the kitchen sink backpacking
-Cottonwood Canyon Road is very scenic in late May. The yellow wildflowers were amazing!

All and All a good day in Southern Utah!

Falling Man and Devils Fire

2010-05-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

After several years of hearing gossip of the existence of a magical sandstone location I finally convinced Renee (Niah, Cody, Rachel, Emma and Marie also tagged along) that we needed to explore this location. During the time dreaming, and planning I also found tons of other cool stuff in the area, so much that one could easily spend a lifetime and still not see it all. We camped near Whitney Pockets along the Gold Butte Road.

Whitney Pocket, near where we camped.

I had two goals for this trip.

First to see the sandstone formations

two to find the falling man petroglyph. I almost missed falling man as I walked past it and fortunately Renee, across the little valley, saw it and shouted at me to turn around and look

Nobody knows the meaning of this petroglyph but some speculate it could be someone fell near here and it was a warning, or possibly a death sentence for some unfortunate soul!

Along with falling man there was a plethora of other petroglyphs in the area.

The wildflowers along Gold Butte were also blooming which made the trip that much better.

Red Cliffs Desert Reserve

2010-04-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned several times, on of my favorite close places to hike in is the Purgatory portion of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, more specifically Arch Trail.

There is a never ending supply of places to explore and new things to see. Every time I come here I find new formations, ravines and arches.

MOLLYS NIPPLE

2010-04-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

MATTS NIPPLES?

View from the top

Ever since a young man I have talked about Molly's Nipple. I mean really a land formation that looked like part of the female body! I remember when it snowed we often joked Molly decided to wear a bra! Last Sunday rather than looking and joking at the nipple we (Cory, Mel, Marie, Jackson, Danica and Kylee) decided to climb to the top.

There are several ways to get summit Molly's Nipple. The easiest way, and of course the way we took, is to drive up SR 59, turn off on the well graded road roughly three miles from main Hurricane then using the dirt roads head south by southwest. You can find driving directions online but as said basically you head south/ southwest. The brave can drive to within 1/2 mile. For us we took the safe route (we were in a SUV, but no 4WD) and our hike was about 2 miles round trip.
Getting to the top, while not easy, also is not too difficult. There are some steep sections and some minor scrambling but young Danica led the way and only needed help a couple of times.
Once on top, we were greeted with a spectacular 360 degree view. From the Arizona Strip, to Pine Valley. My personal favorite was the view of Frog Hollow Canyon.

Thoughts

2010-04-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

This is a presentation/lecture I am preparing for my students...I know it is long but I would love to know anyone's thoughts before I share it... Please ignore any and all grammatical errors as I did not proofread it!

Do possessions make us happy? Most of us would reply when asked is possessions are not a cause of happiness. What then causes true happiness? Happiness is having and spending quality time with family and friends. Many of us, whether because of religion or personal experience believe this, yet we continue a tradition that is opposite to this fundamental belief. We are in a vicious cycle of ever increasing our stuff which means working long hours, and numerous jobs in order to acquire enough money to ever increase our possessions by shopping. In the past we owned our stuff, today our stuff owns us and our quest for more stuff is taking away from the things that lead to deeper happiness.

During WWII nearly every American who wanted to work, did. Because of nearly universal employment people for the first time in years (remember the Great Depression was just ending) finally had stable employment and money to spend. The only problem was that during the war many of the items that people wanted to buy, they were unable to. Factories that would normally produce vehicles to drive, during the war were making tanks, factories that would later make washing machines, made ammunition. After the war Americans went spending crazy! Today we are still in this spend-fest. In fact our own government recognized that one way to continue to increase the capabilities of our economy was to increase consumption. Victor Lebow said,

“Our enormously productive economy… demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption… We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing rate.”

Since then we have been tricked into a cycle of consumption. In the 50’s industrialists were afraid once Americans bought their new appliances they wouldn’t need to buy any more and because of this these same men began to design stuff that would not last. We can think of many examples of our stuff not lasting anything from a fridge to cell phone (today an average cell phone might last a year or two, when I first started working in the cell phone industry it was common for phones to last well over 5 years.) these same people alsoor would be out of style in a matter of a couple years. This idea is known as obsolescence. Worldwide, from the 1950s to the 1990s, per capita consumption of timber, steel, copper, meat, and energy doubled. Per capita aluminum consumption has increased sevenfold. Consumption of synthetic items drawn from natural resources has increased as well: per capita cement consumption has quadrupled, use of plastic quintupled.

Today “The average American consumes about fifty-three times more goods and services than someone from China. The United States contains 5 percent of the world's population but accounts for 22 percent of fossil fuel consumption, 24 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, and 33 percent of paper and plastic use. A child born in the United States will create thirteen times as much ecological damage over the course of his or her lifetime than a child born in Brazil. He or she will drain as many resources as thirty-five natives of India. In fact, comparing statistics on actual resource use as opposed to population numbers has led some to suggest that the most overpopulated country on earth -in terms of impact- is the United States.”

And unfortunately the world is quickly following the American dream and imitating our consumption patterns. “The world's "middle class"-the roughly three-fifths of world population between the consumer class and the world's poorest citizens-understandably have their sights set on a higher standard of living. From afar, they are pursuing the American Dream with gusto. All over the world, people surf the Internet, watch American TV shows, read American magazines, and are exposed to American advertising. For these people, "development" means more than just electricity, telephones, and running water. It has come to mean having what Americans have: large living quarters, multiple cars, appliances, cable television, stereos, and other luxuries.”

And today are we any happier than 50 years ago? Do we have less debt? How about the earth, is the earth better off? The answer to all these questions Is no! Since 1950 GDP has grown 550 % But we are not any happier. Measurements of increased happiness have increased just about 0 and some polls even indicate has declined.

What about debt? Today 43% of Americans spend more than they make. The average American has $8000 in credit card debt. Bankruptcy has doubled in the last decade(this study was before the current economic recession). American consumers owe nearly 2 trillion dollars not including mortgage debt(house payment) Its pretty obvious that we spend money to make us feel better about ourselves. We shop because buying stuff gives us a drug like feeling the problem is we now owe more than ever.

Perhaps more than anything else the environment has suffered because of over consumption.

“For the first time in history, humanity must face the risk of unintentionally destroying the foundations of life on Earth. The global scientific consensus is that if the current levels of environmental deterioration continue, the delicate life-sustaining qualities of this planet will collapse.
-- Daniel Sitarz, editor, Agenda 21 (1994)

The United Nations' Human Development Report 1998 (UNDP Report) states that "Runaway growth in consumption in the past fifty years is putting strains on the environment never before seen." Forests are shrinking, fish stocks are declining, soil degradation and desertification are rising, and pollution and waste are being generated at a far greater rate than the Earth can absorb. Even our fresh water supply-perhaps our most precious commodity-is being pushed beyond the limit. Since 1950, withdrawals have nearly tripled, and many feel that water scarcity will be a major environmental issue in the 21st century.

The same year that the UNDP Report cautioned that our consumption levels were straining environmental support systems, the World Wild Fund for Nature published its own Living Planet Report, an annual index of planetary resources. Examining a quarter century of data, the report concluded that global ecosystems are in sharp decline. From 1970 to 1995, we lost more than thirty percent of the resources that sustain life on the planet. During that period, freshwater ecosystems declined by 50 percent, while marine ecosystems declined 30 percent and the world's forests declined 10 percent. Annually, the loss in natural forest cover amounted to an area the size of England and Wales combined.

The Living Planet Report is only the latest of a growing body of research linking excessive consumption to environmental degradation. Many vital resources are being destroyed and degraded at a rate far exceeding their natural rate of renewal. Overwhelming evidence-from a host of scientific sources-suggest that we are, in the language of the UNDP report, tearing "great holes on the web of life." Some of the evidence of this diminishment is as follows:

· Fifty one percent of the freshwater animal species of the world are declining in number.

· One of every eight known plant species is threatened with extinction or is nearly extinct.

· One in ten tree species-some 8,750 of the 80,000 to 100,000 tree species known to science-are threatened with extinction.

· The overall rate of extinction is estimated to be 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than it would be naturally, and appears to be increasing. The last time such a mass extinction is believed to have occurred was 65 million years ago, when a dramatic shift in global climate patterns ended the age of the dinosaurs.

· Global forest cover is shrinking by 30 million acres a year. Causes include human-induced fires, agricultural expansion, logging, road-building, and exotic insect infestations.

· Vast destruction of the world's forests is contributing to the spread of the world's deserts, increasing the loss of biodiversity and hampering the ability of the Earth's atmosphere to cleanse itself.

· Some 58 percent of the world's coral reefs and one third of all fish species may be at risk from human activities.

· Fisheries are collapsing. About a quarter of stocks worldwide are currently depleted or in danger of depletion. Another 44 percent are being fished at their biological limit.

· Massive erosion-related to intensive farming practices and deforestation-is causing a rapid loss of topsoil and with it a potentially drastic drop in the ability to produce food for the world's people.

· 1998 was the hottest year recorded since record keeping began in the 1860s and 2009 the second hottest. According to scientific evidence, it was the hottest year in the past one thousand years. Seven of the ten warmest years recorded occurred between 1990 and 1999. The dominant view among scientists is that a significant portion of this warming is the result of industrial society's emission of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases.

The common thread through these environmental crises is unsustainable consumption. From mining, refining, transport, manufacture, use, and disposal of goods, humans today-individually and collectively-are asking more of the planet than ever before. The impact has been staggering. Quite literally, we are living beyond our ecological means, destroying the natural world in the process.”

What is the solution? Do we all need to imitate No Impact Man (explain -For one year, Colin Beavan and his family unplugged from the electric grid, produced no trash (no toilet paper, etc), travelled exclusively by foot or bike and bought nothing except food (all of it locally grown). By the end of they discovered something surprising: living simply wasn’t just good for the environment; it made them healthier happier and richer in ways they never expected)

Do we need to all live like Henry David Thoreau who moved away from the city and later explained why when he wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

Or live like freegans who rather than purchase food, depend upon what restaurants and stores throw out?

I am not preaching that we all need to start living like these examples, I am not saying that we need to live like our ancestors thousands of years ago? NO, Human desire and passion are not bad. Our desires are part of who we are and therefore good (don’t let them rule you) But does our passion and desire concerning consumption make us happy?

Consumption isn’t necessarily evil, it is in fact very human. George Orwell said, “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits.” The problem isn’t consumption but rather overconsumption. Our quest to own stuff has taken over. For many of us the goal in life is to acquire and possess as much stuff as possible and the only way to do this is to waste the greater part of our life working in order to do so. Henry David Thoreau, the same man who for almost two years gave up everything to live by a pond, said “There is no more fatal blunderer than he who consumes the greater part of his life getting his living.” The fatal blunder many of us make is that we waste our lives in pursuit of stuff rather than in the pursuit of happiness and this need to change. We need to break the philosophy of owning stuff and replace with this thought

“THE THOUGHT--

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is my symphony.

WILLIAM HENRY CHANNING.

“TO LIVE CONTENT WITH SMALL MEANS.

This means to realize to the full the possibilities of life. Contentment means ABSENCE OF WORRY. It is only when free from worry that the brain can act normally, up to its highest standard. The man content with small means does his best work, devotes his energies to that which is worth while, and not to acquiring that which has no value.

TO SEEK ELEGANCE RATHER THAN LUXURY.

The difference between elegance and luxury is the difference between the thin, graceful deer, browsing on the scanty but sufficient forest pasture, and the fat swine revelling in plentiful garbage.

REFINEMENT RATHER THAN FASHION.

The difference between refinement and fashion is the difference between brains and clothing, the difference between an Emerson or a Huxley and a Beau Brummel or other worthless but elaborately decked carcass.

TO BE WORTHY, NOT RESPECTABLE.

In other words, to be like Henry George, and not like the owner of a trust.

WEALTHY, NOT RICH.

The man who has a good wife and good children, enough to take care of them, but not enough to spoil them, is WEALTHY. He is happier than the man who is RICH enough to be worried, rich enough to make it certain that his children will be ruined by extravagance, and perhaps live to be ashamed of him.

TO LISTEN TO STARS AND BIRDS, BABES AND SAGES, WITH OPEN HEART.

This means to enjoy the noblest gifts that God has given to man. He is happy who takes more pleasure in a beautiful sunset than in the sight of a flunky with powdered hair, artificial calves and lofty manners, handing him something indigestible on a plate of gold.

TO STUDY HARD; TO THINK QUIETLY, ACT FRANKLY, TALK GENTLY.

To exercise in this way the brain that is given to us is to lead the life of a MAN, a life of self-control, a life that is worth while, that leads to something and helps forward the improvement of the race.”

To me one of the most compelling parts of this new philosophy I am asking you to think about and even live is to ““TO LIVE CONTENT WITH SMALL MEANS.” To many of you that may sound as if I am asking you to be cheap, and that is exactly what I am saying! Cheapness is a virtue that leads to financial security. If we live with small means, we will break the burden of debt that is threatening millions of Americans and will be able to spend less time earning a living and more time living. Nietzsche said, “who-ever possesses little is possessed that much less: praised be a little poverty!” “Imagine cheapness is the new in thing, living cheaply, consuming less, scaling down our needs and wants to modest levels.” Being cheap does not mean living like a caveman! Cheapness instead is a habit of asking yourself, do I need this? Is this a good use of my hard earned money? Or do I want it solely because of the advertisement I saw about it? This may sound like I am asking you to give up many pleasures of life, many of us find pleasure in our stuff and this is not a sin, but what is a sin, to me, is wasting our lives and destroying our planet in pursuit of the unneeded stuff. I am asking you, not to give up everything, rather to give up the superfluous things. Don’t stop consuming but instead stop overconsuming. If we adopt the practice of living contently with small means, seeking elegance rather than luxary, refinement rather than fashion, by being worthy, wealthy, and using our time to find enjoyment in life we can change the world. We will end the belief that stuff equates to happiness and will stop the overconsumption that threatens the planet.

PART III

But can changing how we live make a difference? Will buying less stuff really save the planet from potentially catastrophic change? I don’t know, but what I do know is we wont make any difference if we don’t try. I am reminded of a story of a monk who wanted world peace. This monk was sickened by war raging across the planet. The monk came up with an idea. In order to achieve world peace all he needed to do was get all the different world religious leaders together in a hot tub. He knew if he invited them, nobody would show up, but if the invitation came from the Pope. He hoped that if he went to Vatican City and told the Pope his plan, the Pope would surely think it was a brilliant idea. To make a long story short the monk went to Vatican City but was never able to gain an audience with the Pope. His idea didn’t really make much sense and would never have worked nor accomplished world peace. The moral of the story is just do it, TRY! Maybe some of us will fail, but maybe some of us will succeed.

I often hear the argument that one person can not make a difference. How do we know how much we can influenc others. How do we know one of us will not become the next MLK? How do we know we will not be the next Ghandi? We don’t unless we try.

In conclusion I would like to end with one more story.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a little boy, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?" The little boy paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean." "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the little boy replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die." Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

Discouraged he began to walk away. Suddenly the little boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one." The man looked at the little boy inquisitively and thought about what he had said and had done. Inspired, he joined the little boy in throwing the starfish back into the ocean.

Do your part. Story about monk who had the idea to achieve world peace all that would need to happen was get all world religious leaders together in a hot tub. To do this the pope would have to be the one issueing the invitation. The monk went to the Vatican unannounced………. Moral just try! Instead of saving the world by doing nothing we should start trying. Even if most of us fail maybe one or a couple thousand wont. And we will inspire others to start from where they are.

What difference can one person make? None if that person doesn’t try to make a difference. How do we know how much we can influence others? Perhaps we will become the next MLK, or Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, etc

We can all change the people around us by changing ourselves

Starfish Story

Why even try can we make a difference “I gave up thinking the world was going to change a long time ago. Ive accepted the fact that I just have to keep on trying to change it because it’s in my nature. Im just the kind of guy who has to try. Do you want to be the type of person who try’s or doesn’t

This may sound like I am asking you to give up many pleasures of life, many of us find pleasure in our stuff and this is not a sin, but what is a sin, to me, is wasting our lives and destroying our planet in pursuit of the unneeded stuff. I am asking you, not to give up everything, rather to give up the superfluous things. To be cheap! I know that being cheap has a negative connotation but to me cheapness is a virtue. who-ever possesses little is possessed that much less: praised be a little poverty!What I am asking you to do is change your consumption habits.This is my philosophy. It is a work in project as I still struggle to break through the ingrained doctrine of STUFF = HAPPINESS, PROSPERITY, SUCCESS, ETC. Why do I think this new philosophy should be adopted by all people? Because I believe the only way to save ourselves, our country and the earth and find true happiness that comes from leisure, family and community is by radically changing the way we act.

If we adopt the practice of living contently with small means, seeking elegance rather than luxary, refinement rather than fashion, by being worthy, wealthy, and using our time to find enjoyment in life we can change the world. We will end the belief that stuff equates to happiness and will stop the overconsumption that threatens the planet. I am simply asking everyone to be cheap

Quotes

There is no more fatal blunderer than he who consumes the greater part of his life getting his living.
Henry David Thoreau

Hellhole Trail

2010-02-15T18:58:00.001-08:00

Arch Trail

2010-02-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

From December through April one of the best places to hike is on one of the many trails of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. Because of its low elevation the temperatures are typically ideal and on sunny days sunscreen can be necessary. Along with prime weather conditions the winter is a great time to see many of the raptor species that migrate south during the winter.

The section of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve just south of Leeds, is one of best places to, as the saying goes, get bang for your buck. What you will find along Arch trail is amazing examples of weathering, erosion, the Virgin River, and if you are willing to do a little exploring ample opportunities for contemplation and solitude.

Drive 3 miles south down Babylon Road to the Sand Cove parking area. The Sand Cove Parking area is the second major parking area along Babylon Road. Be advised that Babylon Road is sandy in places and a high clearance vehicle is suggested but not required. Driving past the Sand Cove parking area is a little more sketchy.

The main attraction for most is the large free standing arch through which the trail passes and many hike to the arch and turn around. That is a shame as there is much more to see near. Don't be afraid to get off the trail in places, be careful of the crypto bionic soil by staying on the sandstone, and explore the area. To be found are some very eye pleasing examples of weathering and erosion. The soft sandstone has been eroded to form many different land formations including pinnacles, red rock hoodoos and arches. Just past the arch there is also access to the Virgin River.

The four mile Arch trail is an easy hike that the whole family can enjoy in anywhere from two hours to an all day adventure, and is ranked as moderate to moderately strenuous, only because of a large sandhill just prior to arriving at the arch. Other than that it there is relatively little elevation change. There are a few places where the youngsters may need a hand to climb up and down the slickrock, but in general they should be able to hike the majority of the trail on their own. One word of caution even though there are several signs it is somewhat easy to get a little turned around so make sure you make a good mental map and often gather your bearings.

Shelf Canyon Ankle Roll

2009-12-07T15:01:00.001-08:00

Trevor and Jessi were down from Salt Lake and wanted to do some hiking. We decided to go to Zion. Wanting to get several short hikes in, and have time to go to real church (well Micah and myself anyway) we left at 7:00 in the morning and arrived at our first hike before the sun even thought of rising above the majestic cliffs of Zion.

Our first hike was to the Upper Pool of the classic Emerald Pools Hike. I love this hike, as long as you start before the masses. The hike was a little more exciting then normal because around the waterfalls the trail was pure ice and we had to slowly, hanging on to the also ice covered rail, slide down the hill. This hike was also different because of the formation of icicles on all the overhangs. Photo taken Nov 08
Surely such a inspiring place proves the existence of a SUPREME CREATOR. I can not think of another outdoor location that leaves me with that feeling as much as the Upper Emerald Pool. It is tucked in the corner of two spectacular thousand feet cliffs. The reflection from the pool of the rocks around it is one of a kind in such a desert. No where else, that I can think of in the desert, can you find such a reflection. Add to that the solitude and utter silence and one can imagine GOD himself sitting in contemplation, and in awe of the beauty of HIS own works. And for that reason it is a must for all hikers to get there early before the sheeple arrive and start throwing rocks into the pool and ruining the quietness.

In the past i have tried to find Two Pines Arch a couple of times and never had success. This time would be different. We parked, crossed the road, and started down into the wash. After looking a little closer at my topo map I figured out why I have always had such a difficult time, I HAVE ALWAYS GONE SOUTH RATHER THAN NORTH!!! What an idiot I am! This time, after initially repeating the mistakes of the past, was different and we found the arch. Two Pines Arch is a cool little arch and I was glad we found it, and look forward to going back with my camera to take some "better" pics. Sorry Trevor nothing against you or your camera but I need mine! We wanted to hike to the top of Progeny Peak after this but Micah quickly reached his own personal comfort limit with slickrock scrambling so instead we turned back. While I was disappointed, my disappointment soon ended. For our last little jaunt we decided to hike to Shelf Canyon.

Shelf Canyon is a little slot canyon that starts soon after you exist the tunnel. It is an extremely fun hike for everyone with the reward of a cool slot canyon. The end of the canyon one wall is layered almost like a bunch of shelves.

The hike has a little bit of scrambling over and around boulders and pools(I dang near slipped and fell into the ice covered pool) thus making it an exciting hike for all. We hung out for about ten minutes as far into the slot as we could go before heading back. On the way back we made it to within eyesight of the car when I rolled my ankle. With my ankle injury I expect a couple week recovery, Oh well, it was worth it.

Devils Well

2009-12-01T12:57:00.000-08:00

After reading about a mysterious 70 foot deep tank on top of the cliffs overlooking Snow Canyon I decided it was something I would like to see. Something like that in the middle of a desert filled only by rain water would be extremely rare and impressive. Ryan Jensen and I set out to find this mysterious well. The day was beautiful as we started to hike on the three ponds trail in Snow Canyon. After about a mile and walking next to several hundred feet high vertical cliffs we split off the trail and began an ascent up a ridge of slickrock. Later we would discover this would be the only safe way down as well. After a long ascent we found ourselves on top of the cliffs overlooking much of snow canyon. The vistas were very amazing. The solitude of the place was something that I needed to recharge my internal batteries.We did not see any other person on top of the cliffs, nor any evidence of anyone being up there for some time. After sitting and enjoying the views and a brief moment of contemplation we descended from the peak to find the "devil's well." We found where the water had been but unfortunately it was no longer full. I am not sure if the author of my source hiked there before the current decade long drought or maybe it fills with spring rains, but there was only mud at the bottom of a very deep hole in the slickrock.

Finding the well was the beginning of our real adventure, trying to find a way down the cliff!Initially we hoped that there would be several ways down and as long as we were descending we hopefully should be able to find a route down, but we were mistaken as we repeatedly were forced to retrace our steps after finding our attempt stopped by high cliffs or dangerous scrambles.At one point we almost became rim-rocked but fortunately we were able to climb out of such places.Eventually after 4 or 5 failures we found a way down, which happened to be the exact same route up and possibly the only safe way up or down. I will publish some pictures if Ryan emails them to me. I forgot my camera

More Niah

2009-11-22T06:38:00.001-08:00

Apparently more people are interested in seeing Niah than reading about my hiking. So in order to satisfy the 5 people who look at this site here she is! Hey at least the pictures were taken outside in the fallen leaves of AMAZING SOUTHERN UTAH!

Grafton

2009-11-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of our sunday drive to the town of Grafton. All day I was dying to get out of the house. I was borderline going INSANE when Cory suggested we go to Grafton to see the fall colors. What an amazing place in the fall!

Capitol Reef

2009-10-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

One of the worst moments in family reunion history happened several years ago. Renee's sister, in a charitable moment, bid on the use of a houseboat at Bullfrog Marina of Lake Powell. To make a long story short the houseboat and the reunion was pretty much a disaster but good came out of the trip. On the drive to Bullfrog we drove through a place I had heard of but never really had much desire to visit, CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK. After driving through the waterpocket fold, I was so impressed that I have had the desire to return and finally was able to with Renee and Niah.

Our first day we made an epic journey to Cathedral Valley. Please read about this and look at the photos in the Cathedral Valley posting. After spending most of the day in Cathedral Valley we drove the scenic 7 mile road into Capitol Valley and arrived at Capitol Gorge.

Capitol Gorge was a neat canyon with petroglyphs, and pioneer names that had been carved into the canyon walls decades ago.
Unfortunately it seems that hundreds of other people had the same desire since, and have also carved their names, or fake petroglyphs onto the walls. In fact I have never seen such desecration of a national park as I did at Capitol Reef and it is very unfortunate since it is such an amazing National Park.
The next day we, after a miserable windy night, we hiked to a very scenic natural bridge called Hickman Bridge. The hike was ranked as moderate and only 2 miles round trip. I would suggest it to everyone who goes to Capitol Reef. Not only is there a beautiful and photogenic bridge but also an ancient Fremont Granary, the remnants of a pit house and very colorful and uniquely weathered rock formations.

We picked a truly magnificent time to visit this national park. The leaves of the Cottonwood tree's were changing and we were all left in awe from the natural beauty.

One of my favorite things that we were able to see at Capitol Reef were the HUGE, ancient cottonwood trees that had been planted by Mormon Pioneers. These trees were by far the largest cottonwoods I had ever seen. They were awesome. I think I said in another posting that I like tree's and maybe that is why I was so impressed by these trees.

By far the best thing for me was to see 5 month old Niah totally acting like me! She would stare out the window of the car as we drove through Capitol Reef. It was hilarious! Even though she is only five months she was obsessed with cranking her head so she could see the high colorful cliffs and the bright fall colors.

Cathedral Valley

2009-10-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

A large portion of our Capitol Reef trip was an excursion into Cathedral Valley. This is an iconic western scene that few people ever see live and the reason for its relative obscurity is its vast isolation from, well anything. There are only a few ways into Cathedral Valley and all of them involve one or more of the following; a long bumpy dirt road containing deep sand, washed out stream beds, a river ford or impassible when wet clay. For us bold adventurers we started the day fording the Fremont River. It was odd driving our Jeep through the river for about 20 feet. At its deepest point the water was probably one foot deep.

After the river fording/crossing we reached what are called the Benonite Hills. These mounds of clay were pretty amazing, especially the oddly out of place lava boulders.

Soon after we hiked to the overlook of our first glimpse into Cathedral Valley. The over 500 foot monolith Jailhouse Rock was the first of the impressive monoliths of the valley and all of us enjoyed sitting and admiring it from the overlook above.

After this there were several other overlooks looking at different portions of Cathedral Valley and the South Desert.

Even more impressive than the inspiring vistas was the descent into Cathedral Valley. Being upclose to the monoliths was amazing and very reminescent of driving through Monument Valley.

One of the neatest landforms was an odd shaped fin like barrier that we drove past. The odd thing was the almost perfect V shape in the middle of the barrier.

Niah was PERFECT on this 58 mile rough dirt road excursion. I do not remember her crying at all other than when she was hungry once and when after hitting a bump Renee jabbed her in the gums with her sharp nails. I am the most fortunate man in America to have a wife and daughter willing to make a 5 hour drive in the middle of no where to see some big rocks, and colorful clay!

Letter to the Governor of Utah

2009-10-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a letter I recently wrote to Governor Gary Herbert
President Gordon B Hinkley said, “Here is declared the Creator of all that is good and beautiful. I have looked at majestic mountains rising against a blue sky and though of Jesus, the creator of heaven and earth. I have stood on a spit of sand in the Pacific and watched the dawn rise like thunder-a ball of gold surrounded by clouds of pink and white and purple-and though of Jesus, the Word by whom all things were made...what then shall you do with Jesus that is called Christ? This earth is his creation. When we make it ugly, we offend him.”

Please Governor Herbert I implore you to understand that as Bob Dylan said, “times they are a changin.” A new generation of citizens is beginning to take their place in the great state of Utah. Previous to this new generation members of the LDS faith carried on the traditions of their pioneer parents. For these parents the land was a hostile place that they always fought against for survival, they believed that the land needed to be subdued. This ideology of dominion is often why the older generation has such harsh attitudes towards today s environmental issues. On the other hand a new generation has begun to emerge. This new generation I refer to, of which I am a part, no longer believes in the practices of old. The land to us is nearly as holy as any temple or church, for many of us it is our temple and we agree with the writer of the Psalm who said “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” For us, just like Moses, Jesus, Enos and Joseph Smith, we need the wilderness to escape from the distractions of daily life in order to pray, and meditate. To end I pose a question if the Redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ created the earth including its natural temples, and cathedrals shouldn’t we protect them from destruction just as we would the human made temples and churches?

Please protect God’s handiwork so that future generations can see the Creators creation.

Matt Anderson