The EXPLORER crew and I were in Moab, Utah, to showcase the rugged landscapes of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. It’s the backdrop for the season premiere of National Geographic EXPLORER . . . our tenth anniversary.

The pilot eased our helicopter down onto a makeshift landing pad smaller than a New York City apartment. The chopper’s skids extended beyond the ledge of Determination Towers, some 200 feet (61 meters) above the Utah desert. We had said we wanted dramatic shots, and we were about to get our first one!

When the helicopter left to pick up the camera crew, I walked around the perimeter of the pinnacle trying to get comfortable standing on the edge. It’s one thing to just stand up there and talk; it’s another to have to walk and talk and look up toward the camera in the chopper when all I wanted to do was look down and find the edge to make sure I wasn’t stepping off!

The next day’s shoot was even more precarious. We located some mushroom-shaped rock pinnacles near a cliff wall in Canyonlands. To save the time it would take to climb them, we laid a ladder from the cliff wall to the pinnacles. I crawled across the ladder trying not think that I was suspended 40 feet (12 meters) in the air.

Later in the shoot, I rappelled off canyon walls and handled a rattlesnake—my first encounter with a snake since I was bit by a bull snake on the air a few months ago. This time I picked it up with a stick and not my hands!

I’m still not so sure about seeing the West by ladder, but I’m glad you’ll see the spectacular beauty of this part of the country in “National Geographic EXPLORER: Ten Incredible Years.” In this day and age, it’s rare to find a TV show, or a love affair for that matter, that lasts a decade. This show really reflects our love affair with the world we live in—and re-visits some of the fascinating places we’ve been, people we’ve met, and animals we’ve seen during the past ten years.

I’ll see you again in cyberspace with more adventures from the road.