Zion Hikers

[63ChevyII]

My friend wrote this touching piece as I was struggling to write something myself:

“It’s surreal to hear about vibrant people you know losing their lives.

Though I feel some small piece of a greater grief shared by those closest to these seven, I find that there is some small comfort in the bit of an unspoken creed between outdoors-people.

It’s a creed that we live by: we go to the wild places to touch a primal part of who we are. We go out to sweat under the sun, to lean upon the mountains, to fight against gravity. We go out to test our fears, to sigh at our weaknesses, and remind ourselves that we can do far more than civilization demands from us. We think and walk, we meet with others on high, but we always do so with intent to be smart and come home.

Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we crash against our limits, and sometimes bad things transpire at an unfortunate time.

Yet death never comes for the hiker, kayaker, jumper or mountaineer on death’s terms. If it comes, it comes while we were doing what we loved, it came out of valiant effort.

Though tragedy is terrible, it is important to remember that these were beautiful and strong people out to taste beauty through trial. No matter what, we will not look at the death of a hiker as a pitiful helpless slipping away. It came and we will remember these people for what they were: strong, willful, and loved.

We will do our best to learn and be safe.

We will remember them through tears, comforted that they lived life on strong terms.

We will miss you Mark, Linda, Steve, Gary, Muku, Robin, and Don.

May your skies be blue, your paths be clear, your horizon rugged, and your breathing deep. Be safe out there everyone.”

- Joseph Gregory - https://instagram.com/jjoshuagregory/