The Desert

by Luke Mehall

The Desert is Luke Mehall’s fifth and final offering in his series of dirtbag climbing books. The book begins with Mehall’s first trip to The Desert, a visit to Indian Creek in 1999, and chronicles nearly two decades of experiences.

Over time, the author grows from thinking that the red-rock desert of the Colorado Plateau is just another stop along the way to finding himself more and more at home there.

Ultimately, the author’s passion for first ascents with his best friends fuels his desire to get to know the area in an intimate way. At the same time that this transformation occurs, the Bears Ears National Monument is created by the Obama administration and then ultimately dismantled by the Trump administration. While the final decision by the courts is awaited, Mehall contemplates the importance of public lands for the soul of America. He also pulls no punches with his thoughts on Trump’s decision.

The Desert is a definitive, independently published account of a dirtbag climber searching for love, passion, fresh air, and, an escape from the electronic hyper-connectedness of the modern world.

128 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2019

About the author

Luke Mehall lives in Durango, Colorado. He is the publisher of The Climbing Zine, an independent print publication and website, and he is the author of The Desert, American Climber, Graduating From College Me, The Great American Dirtbags, and Climbing Out of Bed. He enjoys climbing, sleeping in tents, hip-hop, yoga, vinyl, typewriters, Scrabble, and uninterrupted mornings of writing. In 2017, his mustache was named the best of Indian Creek.

Reviews

[Aidan Multhauf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first met Luke when I was living out of a homemade teardrop camper in the hills outside of town. I was working at a small climbing gym when he walked in to drop off the newest issue of The Climbing Zine. We exchanged some quick words about being a dirtbag, a concept I was still new to, and he was on his way. A few weeks later I found some of his books at a local shop, so I scooped them up and brought them back to my trailer in the boonies. These stories were critical to my development of who I became as a climber, and later, as a writer. Luke’s dirtbag climbing books are filled with fun essays that will leave you inspired to rub some dirt in your pores, tie into a rope, and forget every one of life’s worries that isn’t, “I hope this gear holds!”

The Desert is no different. I was lucky enough to have read parts of this in the heart of the book’s setting, Indian Creek. But the other parts I read back at home in my daily grind were able to transported me there with ease. My favorite theme in this book is Luke’s ability to navigate his stories in a way that doesn’t push the image of himself as an impressive climber, but rather guides the reader to share his love of the wild desert world. Whether you’re already a dirty trad rat, an office working gym climber or just an enthusiast of adventure writing, this book will help you adopt the perspective of one the most authentic desert climbers out there.

[Julian Tapia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book! Luke captures the love affair every climber has with a particular place. The highs are high and the lows are low. Luke does a great job of painting that picture. Luke Mehalls stories will make you want to brew more coffee and not put pants on. Its that good.