Nature in all its endless variety, draws my eye - from majestic canyons and mountains to wildflowers and verdant meadows. With so much of our natural heritage under assault by governments and industries, it is becoming increasingly urgent to secure what wilderness remains. Some of the places where resource extraction and environmental interests have repeatedly come into conflict are Eastern Utah, just about anywhere in Wyoming, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the old-growth coastal forests of British Columbia, and many parts of Alberta, including the Rocky Mountain front and the rapidly disappearing boreal forests in the northern part of the province.

In fact, all over Western North America there is a constant struggle on the part of conservation groups and citizens to safeguard these special places from the chainsaws, jackhammers, bulldozers, and other machinery of resource extraction industries and developers. The long fight goes on - as it must - to add as many new places to the current inventory of National Parks and wilderness areas as possible. Conservationists like to say that future generations will never condemn us for setting aside too much land for protection, but they will assuredly condemn us if we set aside too little.

In our modern, fast-paced, high-tech environment, having a natural refuge where one can find a measure of repose and a renewal of the mind, body, and spirit is highly desirable. I am a day-hiker who enjoys experiencing nature without subjecting myself to the physical ordeal of a multi-day backpacking excursion, but that's just my personal preference. You would be surprised at how much scenery you can cover by restricting yourself to day hikes. Each hike described on this web site can be completed in a day although many of them are physically taxing.