What did the river wilderness give Ancestral Puebloans that our life might also benefit from? What might you experience in the absence of sounds, smells, concrete, and messages coming from the human creations vying for audience with your awareness? While acknowledging the validity of the world created by people, floating through a world largely without those inputs allows ease in noticing other natures of this planet and other aspects of our own nature as well. However, pinpointing that inspirational place to spend precious vacation time may be an effortful trick.

In 1872 the United States officially gave recognition to the need to set aside parts of its vast landscape to remain (mostly) untouched and for enjoyment by future generations.* Consequently, today we can look to the National Park Service and other still evolving land management agencies for the places we want to visit. The National Parks in Utah contain perhaps the most successfully well-managed river wilderness areas in the world. For instance, crowding of visitors is intentionally eliminated and visual impacts of human use are minimized. Botanists, fish biologists, zoologists and others combine expertise to restore and maintain the riparian ecology. Consequently, the river corridor lives much as it did before the recent migration of pioneers into the west. Characteristically rugged, river canyons have historically limited travel beyond their portals. Developments in materials and skills over the last century invite us to explore some of the least touched (and, in a sense, preserved for now) places of the world. If that's not enough, common comforts and satisfying food need not be sacrificed for a visit. Accessing pristine places remains a tempting way to "get away from it all" for a broad range of people.

What one wants in getting away largely determines what one gets. Visiting the pristine wilderness of river canyons offers a time to notice life outside the usual routines. It also offers a time to notice nature's routines, which have always been there but may have normally been obscured. The Ancestral Puebloans lived their entire lives under a ceiling of bright stars, occasional clouds, and the seasonal migrating path of the sun. Contemplating the curious images and sparse structures that indicate their past presence may point to a relationship with nature that people could benefit from today. For just a few whole days, live without some of the habits that have become unconscious. Look for what you really want to get.

*Responding to public demand and beautiful photography, congress established Yellowstone as a National Park in 1872.