Central Utah. How could any place on planet Earth be as lifeless and plant-free as this place? Even somebody who has previously visited rocky and barren places in the Southwest can't help but ask this. But it can make for some interesting photos if the sunlight is low in the sky or if clouds help by making shadows.
No trees, no grass. Just a few scrubby bushes with a sickly grey yellow color.
But this isn't the hottest and dryest land in the Southwest. The geology must have something to do with the lack of vegetation.
But a person can learn to enjoy the "negative beauty of tragic tones", as Thomas Hardy would put it. But in small doses! You wouldn't want to see too many months of this.
I usually descend to the lower elevations of this area, near the Green and Colorado Rivers, during the Thermal Collapse of late October. Typically some rain happens. And all this rock can make you appreciate that you are not stuck in mud. I sometimes forget that winter is a season of mud, slush, and cold rain for many people in North America.
Near camp there is something unusual and unexpected: a lone aspen tree. Or is it poplar? I wanted to adopt it as my mascot, my pet. This might sound sticky and sentimental, but when you consider the local context, the little tree's preciousness can not be exaggerated.
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