The Romantic Facade of Solitude

To describe Greenland as beautiful is an understatement as epic and vast as the surrounding landscape. Massive icebergs jut out of the ocean reaching skyward. Glaciers and fjords battle for dominance in a fight that can be felt miles away. It’s hard to imagine that a place with such beauty could hide such sadness. As a visitor, it’s easy to get caught up in the romantic facade of solitude, but under the surface is a larger issue that beauty cannot fix.

NPR did a really interesting article about arctic suicides that can be found here. If you have some time, it’s worth a read, and it will give you a better idea of the issues that face Inuit villages throughout the north.

A Necessary Escape

Sometimes I feel like a bird in a storm; completely out of control, moving whichever direction the wind takes me. I also feel like that’s ok. You’re never going to have complete control of your life and the key is to find a way to manage. For me, I like to shut my phone off and go on an adventure. Sometimes it’s on a big run, but other times, I’ll try something new.

A few years ago, after I worked on a film documenting the Trans American Bike Race, I purchased a touring bike with big plans to ride around the west, and while I haven’t found myself planning any huge rides, I have found time to do some smaller ones. One in particular was down in Death Valley with my older brother Mike. We didn’t cover a ton of ground, but I remember the silence and the feeling of freedom, being out in such a vast landscape. It was definitely a necessary escape, and one that I look forward to revisiting.

Earth Art

If you’ve never been out to the Sun Tunnels then you should take a weekend to go visit. It’s a 3 hour 30 minute drive from Salt Lake City, heading over into Nevada, then cutting back into Northern Utah. Dusty roads take you the last 20 minutes, through the old rail town of Lucin, where large cottonwood trees surround an oasis in the desert.

The Sun Tunnels were created back in the 70’s by Nancy Holt, wife of Spiral Jetty artist, Robert Smithson. During the summer and winter solstice, the sun rise and sun set line up with two of the four large concrete tubes, creating a beautiful piece of earth art. For being such a simple installation in such a strikingly barren environment, it left me with a sense of awe and wonderment that I normally feel while looking at vast and beautiful landscapes around the globe. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Ground Down to Dust

I walked along a broken fence that led down to the coast, battered by the elements. A harsh cold wind whipped at my face as the clouds raced across the sky. I climbed around, exploring like a child, hopping from rock to rock, splashing in puddles, skipping stones. Sitting down, my back against a column, staring out across the tumultuous ocean in front of me, I take in the scene around me. The rocks that that surround me have been battling the elements for millions of years, slowly wearing down over time. Like us, someday, this rock will be gone, ground down to dust, its molecules mixing with the earth. The difference is that the rock has no control over its immediate future. It might be able to fight the storm far longer than any of us ever could, but what’s the point of fighting, if you're unsure as to why you're doing it.