“Life is a bitch, his dark companion said–and then you die. Not so cried Henry! Life is a glorious shining and splendid adventure, and then you die.” ~Edward Abbey This run gets classified as a total WOW, OMG, AMAZEBALLS, cannot wait to do this again, OVERSTOKE, I LOVE RUNNING, I think my head just exploded,…
The Desert
Little Dog, Great Lake
I recently picked up Dale Morgan’s The Great Salt Lake at a used bookstore and delved right in. I enjoyed his initial description of Great Salt Lake as moody and raw and intolerant. Great Salt Lake is an ironical joke of nature-water that is itself more desert than desert. Moody and withdrawn, the lake unites…
Dugway Isolation 30K+ Trail Run Report
The only disappointing thing about the Dugway Isolation Trail Run was that more people didn’t participate! The views were amazing, the single-track super fun, the race volunteers friendly, and the schwag over the top. This was the 3rd year of the Dugway Isolation Run and I’ve wanted to do it each year but I am…
A Second Visit to the Sun Tunnels
Somewhere in the middle of absolute nowhere Western Utah, in the most remote and desolate landscape the artist could find, is a unique earthwork installation called the Sun Tunnels. Completed in 1976 by American artist Nancy Holt, the Sun Tunnels consist of four gigantic concrete tunnels arranged in an “X” that are positioned in a precise…
A Night at the Spiral Jetty
Roo, with sludge feet and a salt-crusted body, hopped right into the back of the car and into my sleeping bag like he’d slept there a zillion times. We could see the coiled Earth sculpture from our makeshift parking lot campsite lit up by the starry sky. I don’t think about much while I am…
Antelope Canyon 55K Race Report
The Antelope Canyon 55K is part of the Grand Circle Trail Series offering environmentally sustainable races in some of the most geologically stunning places on the planet. The Antelope Canyon race kicked off the season for Ultra Adventures with races following in Monument Valley, Zion, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and the Tushar Mountains….
Salt & Sky: Exploring Stansbury Island
For some reason I can’t get up before 7am on a workday, but today I was up at at’em at 5am (sans alarm) so I could make it up to the ridge on Stansbury Island at sunrise. I had a long run planned for the morning and didn’t want to run on the road or…
2014 The Best Yet: A Year in Photos
For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning. ~T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding” January 2013 was sandwiched on both sides with hip surgeries and crutching and crap so I entered 2014 walking albeit just a few minutes at…
Kangaroo the Dog Does Little Wild Horse Canyon
Little Wild Horse Canyon, located close to Goblin Valley in Utah’s San Rafael Swell, is probably the best entry level slot canyon in Utah for families with kids and four-legged buddies. The main narrows of the canyon can be reached in just a short 10-15 minute walk from the trailhead. Follow the sandy wash for…
Hiking Road Canyon and Fallen Roof Ruin
I’ve been darned near obsessed with the Cedar Mesa area after my four-day backpacking trip through the Grand Gulch last spring. I had wanted to explore the gulch for years so I was thrilled to finally find a partner as enthused about the trip as me. A bartender at the Moab Brewery once warned me…