"I Am Ten Thousand Cathedrals Rolled Into One." [Photo & Video]

One of my favorite posters, a large, gorgeous photograph of the Grand Canyon that I bought at the park, had this quote by Alfred Bryan written across the bottom: "I am ten thousand cathedrals rolled into one."

Photo: Kade BP Hutchinson. South Rim, GCNP, near "Duck on a Rock."

The poster made the hairs on my arms stand, and goosebumps tingle all over, because for me it is so deeply, profoundly true. What are all the architectural works of man compared to the awe-inspiring grandeur of the Grand Canyon, or Zion Canyon? Nowhere do I feel more humble, more spiritually connected, than in the presence of these sights. This feeling -- it's what moves me write, to work to protect our precious wild spaces.

Photo: Kade BP Hutchinson.

Unless you were a Boy Scout and had the fortune to attend Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, you probably have never heard this song, "I Don't Mind." The group is a collection of Philmont alumni singing simple, but especially in this case, powerful songs. The album is called Sawin' on the Strings.

Here's to Nature, and the Great Outdoors!