"The Space Between the Lines" is a blog series devoted to hiking, peak-bagging, and ATV/OHV riding in the backcountry and byways of the world. Part 1 of how to Uncover The Space Between the Lines. I'll give you a hint. The above picture isn't it. (Angels Landing - Zion National Park)
"We spent three days exploring Sydney, then two days exploring here, and finally another day exploring there." By the third use of "exploring," my wife gently squeezed my hand, acknowledging my increasing frustration with our shared dinner table guests' description of their exploits in Australia. She's not wrong in her use of the term; most definitions of exploring are to "travel in or through (an unfamiliar country or area) in order to learn about or familiarize oneself with it." [1]
This trip is our first time to Australia, and in essence, everything we have done since our arrival in this impressive country has been one form of exploration or another. My frustration with our guest arises from an epiphany I experienced during a solo descent of "Fat Man's Misery" slot canyon just outside of Zion National Park (USA).
John Wesley Powell, one of the early explorers of America's western frontier, spent time trekking through my part of the world in the late 1800s. [2] Before him, the Dominquez/Escalante Expedition attempted to find a way to Monterey and turned around on October 11, 1776, about 11 miles from my house. A roadside marker near the corner of my subdivision describes the "Casting of the Lots" site. Where members of the Dominquez/Escalante group "came along very peevish..., and all unbearably irksome" (apparently, camping with the kids hasn’t changed much in the past 250 years). The group cast lots to determine their future direction of travel. The lot falling on Cosnina resulted in the about-face of the expedition. [3] The Spanish Trail also crisscrosses through the Valley, and I've spent many a miserable hour in my youth recreating pioneer hardships during local history classes in school.
My epiphany occurred on September 2, 2011, just after exiting Misery Canyon while continuing to hike down the East Fork of the Virgin River. A plaque commemorating Major John W. Powell's visit rests at the river's edge just above Labyrinth Falls. As I stood in front of the plaque on that early September day, reading the accomplishments of Mr. Powell and others [4], I came to the startling conclusion that I wasn't exploring. I stood in front of the plaque with my aluminum walking poles and neoprene socks to keep my feet warm. I had just freshly filtered water into my Camelbak to prepare for the hike back to my car.
Munching on energy cubes, I couldn't relate. How had they done it? How had this group managed such a trip using hemp rope, leather boots, and eating jerky? Since that time, I have refused to call anything I do exploring. Instead, I'm merely a traveler along a well-worn path created by countless others before me.
Finding the rugged backcountry might be as easy as walking out your front door (depending on which part of the world you reside in). However, I advise caution and preparedness as the more wild parts of the earth don't take kindly to strangers.
Written August 19, 2022
Reference:
[1] [explore definition - Search (bing.com)](https://www.bing.com/search?q=explore+definition&form=ANNTH1&refig=df10bd6e0f7c479fa68262ac20c4b0c1)
[2] [John Wesley Powell - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley_Powell)
[3] Casting of the Lots. Dominquez-Escalante Expedition placard. October 11, 1776.
[4] [Read the Plaque - Major John W. Powell Memorial Plaque](https://readtheplaque.com/plaque/major-john-w-powell-memorial-plaque)