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| A view into Canyonlands |
Place is powerful. A place will shape us more than we realize. Time has made me realize feelings of being slightly out of place when I travel to foreign regions of the world. Perhaps I am not traveling "right," but I would argue that each place has a unique culture, natural history, economy, and micro climate that takes time to learn, understand, and appreciate. Even in the United States there is much more to a region than the corporate chains and big box stores that inhabit the landscape, it just takes a little effort to go beyond the limits of asphalt.
I grew up in Utah; a small portion in Salt Lake and the rest of my time in the mountains of Heber. While growing up my parents moved a fair amount, mostly due to renting after their divorce. If there was a stable element in my life, it was the mountains and deserts of Utah. I adopted my Mom's love for the Rocky Mountains. My Dad took us on 2-3 annual trips visiting Bryce Canyon, Arches, Zion, Moab, and the Grand Canyon, although I have the strongest memories at Zion National Park -- summiting Angels Landing, swimming in Emerald Pools, placing my hand on Weeping Willow, and being absolutely mesmerized as I hiked up the Virgin River of the Narrows.
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| Desert sun set at Indian Creek |
As I entered my teenage years I started finding ways into surrounding mountains on my own. I took a love for snowboarding -- escaping into the natural half pipes and steep side-country bowls where I learned to trust myself and my ability to exist in all types of conditions. Little did I know that pushing myself in exposed environments would translate into my adult years, and sculpt my quest for outdoor adventure. After high school I purchased a car, backpacking gear, and a long board, which led me to more adventures out west. A few years later I found myself living in Missoula, Montana, a place filled with people who have influenced my life in the most invaluable ways.
Missoula, amidst the vast Montana landscapes, is a place that I have grown to love and understand with great depth, possibly deeper than any other place I have lived. As I continued to learn about worldly corruptions my inner anger and frustration grew. People of Missoula offered me more than I could have imagined, unknowingly they helped me cope with my inner struggles, and feel my inner light.
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| Delphinium, common name Larkspur |
I had volunteered with the Wilderness Institute, trekking through the backcountry and learning about plants. Soon after that experience, I was gifted the practice of yoga in exchange for murals. My anger gradually faded as I adopted a personal yoga practice. The sense of stewardship and community I felt within Missoula, in many ways, was nourishing. Soon enough I enrolled in college and took up rock climbing. I became more involved within the Missoula community in various ways, and haven't looked back since.
Now I feel that it is time to share some of my experiences, things I have learned along the way, and hopefully inspire others to get outside and become involved with community.
"In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we have been taught" --Baba Dioum 1968
