Roadtrip Second Act

Just outside Zion, the high desert is deeply enchanted





At the gates of Zion; Soul brother, Sean Stanley Leary, came to rest in these hills. There's been a lot of loss and hurt in our little climbing world lately, it's always hard to accept and harder still to understand the heavy burden of life and death. Somehow, Trent Reznor's eerie Lyrics help:



I hurt myself today

To see if I still feel

I focus on the pain

The only thing that's real

The needle tears a hole

The old familiar sting

Try to kill it all away

But I remember everything


What have I become

My sweetest friend

Everyone I know goes away

In the end

And you could have it all

My empire of dirt

I will let you down

I will make you hurt


I wear this crown of thorns

Upon my liar's chair

Full of broken thoughts

I cannot repair

Beneath the stains of time

The feelings disappear

You are someone else

I am still right here




Everyone has their moment during this brief performance called life, then, who really knows....







Bridgedale, Springdale, Squamdale, Pleasantdale, Clydesdale, you get the idea


After lots of deep thoughts we got back to some rock pulling in one of the prettiest, most unique climbing venues in North America: Maple Creek Canyon




The Conglomerate here, is as good as the mythical Mallos de Rigolos in Spain, but sadly not as huge in the freestanding tower kind of way.



All the same, the stone is distinctive and a real pleasure to climb on



Someone even practiced pictography here, waaaaaay back when. Is this some kind of sophisticated symbolism or just the work a prehistoric prankster with too much meat in her belly?



Finally, we made it to the epicenter of flying in America, Point of the Mountain, where we met this guy. With a shit eating Cheshire Cat grin he vigorously shook my hand and said: "I'm Lance!" Lance went on to explain that the year I was born, he made the first EVER cross country hang glider flight from the nearby Camels. I congratulated him on still being alive. What a #boss



Lance stepped into the sky with a poetic style that you can only comprehend when in the presence of a true master.



Point works as well as any site I've flown and inspite of the crowds and urban infringement, there is something special about this place.



It was a great trip with fine company and good vibes all around... Thank you America!