Utah by Dirt: Off Road and Behind the Lens

A desert road trip is something that I look forward to year in and year out. As a neighboring Coloradan, it’s become a staple of the yearly adventure diet. While I may not call Utah my home, there is something there that I can’t live without. Anyone who has been there and experienced the full value of the desert understands this lure. The biggest problem with adventuring in Utah is that once you’ve seen some of it, you realize how little you have actually seen. It’s enough to drive you mad, but ultimately you realize that this is what makes it so special. The fact that the you will never see it all proves how complex and powerful it truly is.

As a photographer, there is always a thirst to shoot and create here. The subtle color pallet, strong shadows, and obscure geologic shapes are otherworldly, and keep your mind always curious as to what you and your camera can produce. The desert is a land of contrasts. As our friend and guide Sam said, “There are two ways to die in the desert: heat exhaustion and hypothermia.” This same motif is present everywhere you go in the desert. With blistering hot days on the trail and freezing plunges into the depths of slot canyons, we experienced the full gamut of extremities, often with not much middle ground. It’s these same kind of contrasts that make the photos and stories you can tell here so interesting.

While our vehicle was the perfect tool for getting from location to location, often times via a rough and gnarly dirt road, I stand by my statement that Utah is not a place to be observed from the window of a car. The second you step out of the car and jump on your bike or rappel into a canyon is when you really get to see this place for what it is. The only way to know this for sure, is to get out there and experience it for yourself. With our 10 days touring around the state, we were able to sample a great swath of terrain and adventure, ranging from the freeride MTB zones of Green River, to the hundred-mile White Rim trail, to the waves and eddies of the Colorado River through Ruby-Horestheif and Westwater Canyons, and to the slot canyons of Escalante. An adventure like this is a beautiful experience, and one that is attainable to many of us. I would recommend a similar trip to anyone who is excited and willing to go out there and get after it!

Do It Yourself

Mountain biking guiding and tours:
http://hermosatours.net

http://utahmountainbiketours.com/

Raft guiding and tours:
http://www.bikeraft.com
http://www.bikeraft.com

Canyoneering guiding and tours:
http://www.zionadventures.com/hikes-in-zion-national-park/

The Adventurists blog series “Utah by Dirt” is sponsored by Toyota 4Runner, which provided vehicle for this adventure.

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