The Desert, Luke Mehall’s fifth and final book in his “dirtbag climber series” begins a Kickstarter campaign today to fund the book.
The Desert is a logistical progression to Mehall’s memoir American Climber. In that book Mehall set out to find himself through climbing, in The Desert he finds his passion in the red rock and red dirt of the Colorado Plateau. He also finds himself searching for love, and for meaning in a world changed by hyper-electronic communication and Trumpism.
Here’s a look at the synopsis of the book, and a few kind words by Chris Kalous and Kathy Karlo. You can find the link to the Kickstarter HERE.
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, ultimately an escape from the electronic hyper-connectedness of the modern world.
From Chris Kalous, host of The Enormocast
“I don’t know if Luke Mehall is aging gracefully, but his prose in The Desert has gained a spirit and command pushed on by a desperation that someone, anyone understand how important the desert is to the consciousness and conscience of the American West. Mehall’s generation may be the last to find the desert as we remember: open, wild, and free, and while the stories in The Desert are deep, soulful, and often inspirational, the subtle keening for a future lost may be what draws the reader the most.”
From Kathy Karlo, For the Love of Climbing
“Luke Mehall’s takes climbing literature to a whole new level. His writing is not only illuminating but incredibly timeless. His words crackle with excitement and disperse thin slices of happiness like few authors can do.”
Follow and support The Kickstarter campaign here.
Read a couple excerpts from The Desert:
photo by: Chad Jukes
