The Phoenix Traveler

If you’ve never read any of Michael Engelhard’s essays, vignettes in his books, or even his anthologies, you’ve been missing a lesson in how to observe the natural environment like a poet, particularly as it relates to the American West.

This river runner, rock climber and wilderness guide, who came to America from Germany to study cultural anthropology in Fairbanks, Alaska, has been writing about his adventures long enough to attract the attention of editors at internationally-known magazines, including Outside, Utne Reader, Backpacker, and of course Arizona Highways.

I was happy to discover that, like me, this author of several non-fiction books related to his adventures, Arizona’s included, is a fan of former Arizonan Ron Carlson, whose descriptive prose in his novels and short stories also reads like poetry to me. When I learned that, I became an instant fan of Engelhard’s.

Currently living in Alaska, where he works as a wilderness guide, Engelhard says he’ll be relocating (He’s lived here before.) to the Colorado Plateau — Flagstaff, specifically — next spring. When he returns, I hope to travel with him on one of his wilderness trips. You’ll know why if you just take a look at a few of his books or read his essays. This is a guy who appreciates the wilderness like not many can.

Besides, I like what he had to say about why he’s coming back to Arizona:

“The reason is simple: I just can’t get the canyon country out of my system. The redrock desert of southern Utah and northern Arizona has shaped me like no other place.

Years ago, I set out to explore 120 canyons within a year  (He actually hiked more!); a journal I kept grew in scope and morphed into my first book (Where the Rain Children Sleep). Arizona — its fauna, flora, geology, history, and mix of cultures — has been a wellspring of inspiration ever since.”

One of his favorite gems:

“The Grand Canyon is probably my favorite place in the state, which may not come as a surprise. More than the views from its rims, its many side canyons draw me in and wait with never-ending surprises: bighorn sheep, ancient rock art panels, pristine plunge pools, rare butterflies and reptiles, and above everything, the many colors of silence — a glimpse of eternity.”

He says the Grand Canyon is actually his favorite haunt in the world:

“Regardless of how many times I run its rapids, camp on its boulder-fringed beaches, or explore its convoluted passages, one lifetime is not enough to experience all its riches.”

And my favorite story of his involves a visit inside the canyon:

“A memory that will stay with me forever features a white pelican bobbing in an eddy below a rapid. Pelicans are not native to the canyon, and this one must have blown off course during its migration and touched down on the life-giving waters.”

If you want to read more or share Engelhard’s appreciation of Arizona’s natural beauty with others, visit www.michaelengelhard.com.

(Headshot and photo covers used with permission by Michael Engelhard.)

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