“The most weird, wonderful, magical place on earth” is how author Edward Abbey described the colorful wilderness of gorges, mesas, and buttes that is Canyonlands National Park, one of the last relatively undisturbed parts of the Colorado Plateau.
That landscape also represents a special place of emotional healing and rejuvenation for returned combat veteran Michael Cummings. Haunted by traumatic memories after two tours of duty in Iraq, Cummings was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, survivor’s guilt, alcohol abuse and thoughts of suicide.
Urged by a counselor, he rediscovered his love of climbing on the rocks amid the rugged peacefulness of Greater Canyonlands.
So effective were those wild landscapes in calming and centering Cummings that he developed a group called Operation Climb On. The Utah-based nonprofit provides therapeutic climbing adventures that build camaraderie and trust and promote healthy lifestyles for veterans.
Since the inaugural course with just 12 participants in 2013, the program has continued to grow, helping to heal veterans within one of the American landscapes they signed up to defend. Cummings argues that climbing can be a therapeutic tool – and that the pristine landscapes of Greater Canyonlands provide the serenity essential to veterans and anyone else suffering from trauma and facing emotional challenges.
Now Operation Climb On is one of the foremost voices urging that the 1.8 million acres of public land surrounding Canyonlands National Park be designated the Greater Canyonlands national monument – to preserve that natural healing serenity for everyone.
Earth Notes is produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.