Life's a Garden! Dig It!

Capitol Reef Nat. Park May 09

2009-05-20T13:16:00.001-07:00

The Call of The Wild - Robert Service
Have you gazed on naked grandeur where there's nothing else to gaze on,
Set pieces and drop-curtain scenes galore,
Big mountains heaved to heaven, which the blinding sunsets blazon,
Black canyons where the rapids rip and roar?
Have you swept the visioned valley with the green stream streaking through it,
Searched the Vastness for a something you have lost?
Have you strung your soul to silence? Then for God's sake go and do it;
Hear the challenge, learn the lesson, pay the cost.

Have you wandered in the wilderness, the sagebrush desolation,
The bunch-grass levels where the cattle graze?
Have you whistled bits of rag-time at the end of all creation,
And learned to know the desert's little ways?
Have you camped upon the foothills, have you galloped o'er the ranges,
Have you roamed the arid sun-lands through and through?
Have you chummed up with the mesa? Do you know its moods and changes?
Then listen to the Wild -- it's calling you.

There is a cool cave right here where the sun shines through for some cool pics.
The Shupe team exploring Cohab Canyon.

Nice image!
The sun setting on Cohab Canyon and Capitol Reef, amazing!

Bonnie lassie blazing the trail.

Bonnie and I rock climbed up by Hickmans bridge and found this snake made out of little stones kind of cool.
Sweet image of bonnie with the sun falling behind her.

My brother Devin Mcfarlane at jump off canyon waterfall.
Nate the Snake at Capitol Reef!

My Sweet Rose

2009-05-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Untitled

2009-05-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Zion Nat. Park March 09!!

2009-05-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Get ready for a wet and wild ride through Zion Nat. Park. Starring Joakim Orton, Randy Johnson, Spencer Corbett, and Clayton W. Spencer. Sorry some of this stuff is out of order. Hopefully all you responsible people can imagine what this fun trip was like.

We went to the visitor center before this excursion and found out that the water temperature for this hike was only a few degrees above freezing, you don't even want to put your hands in that water. The drysuits worked perfectly, but they don't breathe to well so after while you really have to air them out.

This waterfall was so cool with all the light setting on it. There should be a little ice in the photo as well.

.This picture is not upside down. The ice has formed this way from having water drip on top of it. Pretty sweet image.

This was a fun offshoot of the main narrows, we found this cool waterfall. We are not touching the ground in this photo our dry suits are holding us up with all the air inside of them.
Randy floating in his dry-suit underneath a waterfall. I don't know how this kid didn't catch a cold after this. I was freezing by this point.

This section is really cool for hidden canyon, you go out on these super high ledges and there are chains bolted into the wall to hang onto. It is not to friendly for those who don't like heights.

Oh my gosh! Somebody help him!
This is inside Hidden Canyon, the sand is usually really soft and you can walk in your bare feet, but it was a little cold, you can see snow in the back of this photo. This place smells like a pine forest it is such an amazing hike.

Joey died shortly after this picture, it was a real tragedy. I don't recall why.
Spencer Corbett became one with nature during the trip, he fed mother earth's creatures, and they in turn fed him as earth once did for Mogli.
This is on our way to hidden Canyon. Hidden Canyon is an amazing overlooked hike in Zion. It is one of the few "free hanging" canyons in the world(meaning the canyon does not reach the valley floor). Hidden Canyon is filled with pine trees, moss, and lots of birds, it is a nice hike to feel totally secluded and do a little climbing at the same time.
This was an extremely windy trip up to Angels landing. We tried not to plummet to our deaths that day.
"I'm on top of the world," cries randy.

Angels landing still covered with traces of snow.

To all Clay Spencer's fans: Sorry about the delay on blogger posts, I have tons of photos to update to the blog and zero time to accomplish the task. "I have promises to keep" so I'm here when I should be doing math. Oh well at least you (viewer) will be happy right? There should be some good pictures in the next few sections. This trip happened in March over spring break, it was great fun, lots of snow, wind, and good laughs. Please feel free to leave any suggestions on how I could improve my posts.
Spencer is suffering from narcolepsy here, since he spent the night out under the stars with no sleeping pad and a crappy sleeping bag. This was not nearly as bad as joey (who also forgot a sleeping pad) using all of our wood we had collected to keep himself warm the whole night through. These poor little children never learned the scout motto.

So
Three stooges.
Beginning the journey to Angels Landing.

Capitol Reef National Park

2008-10-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - -- Henry David Thoreau

Entering Kolob Canyon.

Trying out the macro on my shoeprint.

My hand in sand.

The sandstone right here is peeling away from the wall and looks like bark stripping away from the tree trunk...kind of cool looking with the light piercing through the dark canyon onto it.

Some good old friends.

These slot canyons were really cool. You're pretty much all alone and can enjoy the natural belleza of climbing in silence.

Micah getting ready to do the spread eagle maneuver.

This is a little cave that opens up into a big room inside

Right after this picture leah did a swan dive off those rocks and caught herself safely with her knee cap! ouch!

The hidden secrets of Capitol Reef...Hiking Kolob Canyon.

This is just outside the campground we stayed at...there was not a cloud in the sky that day.

The sun sets on the park.

Right in the very center of this arch is where I scrambled to and it was a little scary on the way back. I had to climb out on the edge of the arch and I was pretty high up there. So fun though.

The Subway Zion Nat. Park

2008-09-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

I took a little trip to Zion over the weekend to a place called the Subway. I believe it was a memory that will last forever. This hike was a lot of fun despite the lack of Z's I'd had this week. It's sad that we have to spend so much time worrying about every fine detail of our lives at school and work when we could all live in simplicity. Perhaps we all think that the more we complicate our lives the more we are accomplishing. I guess the best thing taken from this last week is that of being content in simplicity. More people should leave babylon and wander into the wilderness, it's a lot less lone and dreary than civilization these days, try it out! Enjoy the Pics.

P.S. that's not snow. That would be rock. (some people think it's snow)

A few hippies that I hiked with from St. George.
Cool little canyon that was carved out by mother nature.

This section of the hike is awesome. You hike down through this valley onto some cliffs below which are followed by a few scrambles.
This part would be so cool on my new bike!

Shawn Barker is laying out in the sun trying to get warm after a couple swims in 40 degree water in the shade of the canyon. It took about ten minutes in the sun before we could think clearly after the swims in the canyon. We didn't get any photos of the swimming sections because all of our stuff were locked up in dry sacks. Sadly when we arrived to this point we thought we wouldn't have to get to wet again but right in the shadows of the above phote is another waterfall and wade.

There is a small repel here into the most famous part of the subway. The water is a beautiful shade of jade. the tunnel is so like a subway it looks artificial.

It was actually a beautiful day during the hike, but not much light enters the subway exceps at the exit.

lewis peak skyline trail

2008-09-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

I want you all to note something well about this section of photos. This post is backwards so the last photo is in fact the first photo of the post so...ooops. Try to ignore that minor detail and enjoy the photos.

ADRIAN!!

Using color accent mode on my camera...pretty cool eh?
Pineview dam looks tiny from up here!
The trail follow the ridgeline in this picture.

This was a beautiful ride.

Sunshine and Raybans!
Shawn and I reaching yet another peak on skyline.
Ben lomond is the tallest mtn in the background. From this pt. onward it is 7.5 miles of nothing but downhill!

The Ben lomond skyline trail is in view on the mtn accross from us.
Shawn keepin it real on skyline.

The Trek 69er

2008-08-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

My new girlfriend! She has all the right curves!

Yellowstone trip

2008-08-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

hot pots in the early morning

This pic is right before sunrise in northern Yellowstone park.

Right after I took this photo I went and barebacked this baby till it became docile.

The love mutts.

This is what we call a one hour road obstruction.

This is what happens when you eat too little and drive too much!

Macro.com

Pure image

Calcite steps
A stray dog in Yellowstone

Joey is so happy

Satan Beetle I believe is the name for this insecto.

Thermals at the northern end of Yellowstone.

I'm not a Geologist so I can't exactly tell you what these are, but they surround many of the hot pots in Yellowstone, they look kind of cool though.

We saw this black bear and her cub as we hiked to a river bed by the tower falls in Yellowstone.

The three pictures above are kind of cool because they are all taken with different color accents on the camera. The top two are accenting green and the last is accenting yellow.

There is a blurred speed limit sign in this pic if you look closely.
The sun is falling in Yellowstone.

Fishing in Island park...is so fun if you don't like to catch fish...that's why there is only one photo!
Macro-moss
Look how green Chanel!

This is the next Mod-Q...blue steel.

Antelope Island

2008-07-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Dragonfly of death on barbwire

Sweet serenity

Tatonka at Antelope island

Swallows in the nest
Shy Swallow
Smiling Swallow

Scanned Nirvana

2008-07-24T21:36:00.000-07:00

Elder Beckstead's twin on the cover of the Liahona.
Mission bed time
My brothers

Devin & Vaughn good ole days
Elders of Israel

A Quebec winter production!
Hardcores

My brothers from Quebec via mexico.
He changes your life it says

Sweet lady we helped translate for at the birth of her first born, also my first experience with a newborn.
I think this was my first week in the mission, that's why I'm my tie is so clean.

Elder Beckstead one of the best missionaries one could hope to have as a friend.

2008-07-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Scanned images aren't quite as good are they?

2008-07-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Joe sauce at Minnetonka Cave
Stalagmites

I'm standing on top of a river right here, it's pretty sickcore.
This is the waterfall at 29th street in ogden during the spring. The snow at our feet is probably eight feet deep from piling up.
Double rainbow at Shawn barker's house.

2008-07-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Joey and I hiked to this waterfall this spring in the water.
Joey enjoying the fresh water!
Taking my monthly shower!

Jump off canyon

2008-06-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

We caught this Dino on the way to the waterfall.
"Drink more Sobe."

fav mission pics

2008-04-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Preachin. I miss it.

Montreal.
Gettin dressed for contacting.

Montreal temple....oh wait just kidding.

Djamel wanted to dress up like us for the pic.
A nap is better than lunch on the mission!
Los caballeros
Elder Diaz contacting in the metro system.
One of the coolest families and best mission experiences. This family from Venezuela met the missionaries through English classes and was given a Book of Mormon. His wife and he read the whole thing together in like a week. Then I came in and God already had them convinced, I just had to teach the lessons and ever since they have been 100% faithful in callings and everything. I can't wait to see them one day.

Elder Peterson and I. Brothas in the gospel.
Contacting on the street.
One of my favorite companions of the mission Elder Diaz
On my way home, saying goodbye.
Djameil Medkour and his wife, muslims from Algeria. They fed us like kings. Some of the nicest people I met.

Climbing in SLC

2008-04-01T22:17:00.001-07:00

This is a cool waterfall that you can slide off of into a pool of water, but it's a bit rough on your tarts, because it's so cold

This climb is sweet, We're up so high and high on life. The adrenaline is like candy.

you can see the road in this pic.

The route goes right up underneath that overhang, it's pretty sickcore.

It's sad what other people can't enjoy.
Blair on bilet!
Little Cottonwood Canyon is beautiful
Blair and Joshypoo, two of my best friends.

Causey Damn

2008-04-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is me going crazy at Causey.

This is my bro. Blair thinking about whether three kids, a wife, and a doctorate is really all that important!
"It's worth the risk." He says.
I just don't have much to live for so no reason not to.

zion and random

2008-04-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

I rented these sick pants and boots for the narrows. They kept me totally dry for the nine hours that I was waist deep in water. I highly recommend them.

This is a pic of Angel's Landing in Zions.
Joey and I at the top of Angels landing. Joey is standing kind of funny because he doesn't want you to see the wet spot on his shorts because he was so scared.

I think these are called the three patriarchs.
Joey and I getting ready to go into the Narrows.
Super narrow spot in the "narrows."

My nephew Sean
Slot canyons in Zion National Park. These canyons seriously go on for miles.
Joey Orton on the right. He always looks like that!

Look at this sweet frog I caught in Montreal. It's the size of your pinki nail.
The first sight of my grandpa in two years!
The peak in the background is Ben lomand believe it or not.
Another shot of Ben lomand, looks kind of funny from being so high up.
Just a sweet image.

2008-03-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Good ole times with the fellas up at Willard Peak.

This is me throwing a chicken little flea flicker on the ocean (frisbee) to spencer corbett.
Lagoona beach.
Lagoona beach. This was my favorite beach that we visited.

Serenity

2008-03-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

This sweet image was taken up Waterfall Canyon on 29th. I'm just doing a little bit of freestyling right here.
The same shot only a better view of the waterfall.