Zion National Park/A Character Study
A Character Study
Zion National Park
JOSHUA FORESTER
Ever the adventurer, an avid planner, a man of stubborn and absolute vision, a stamina machine, an incredible mind, a total goofball. He can be completely comfortable, even in spiritual ecstasy, alone in the woods on a summit hundreds of miles from another human, but he thrives in social settings as well. He is cleverly quick-witted, always with something surprising to say, something he often pairs with a sidelong expectant look at me, knowing I’ll heavily eye roll him but laugh all the same.
On this trip, he surprised me. Our first long trip with other people together in over two years of dating, I had yet to see him on anyone else’s timing. We are always rushing around on his energetic, ambitious schedule, me trying to keep up, always forgetting something, finagling a “fix” to work around its absence. This time, I found myself tapping my foot at times as Joshua comfortably dawdled, and I had to check myself. Joshua is not careless or flippant; even his dawdling has a purpose.
DAWOOD DHADA
Wide-smiled, funny, capable, outgoing, and positive, Dawood was the most knowledgeable about canyoneering in our crew. He works for REI and adventures every chance he gets. His adventurousness and his sense of humor matched Josh’s so well that the recurring joke became how I might handle the two of them together—there was a time or two I can admit to not handling them well, but for the most part, they kept us all laughing and relatively safe in our dangerous surroundings.
Dawood’s kindness helped me through my lowest moment of our trip. He was patient through my panic, soothing but direct, an excellent outdoor guide. Later, of course, I felt the disdain he had masked so well as he and Josh razzed me relentlessly about my panicky moment. It became clear then that his help had been the definition of patronizing, but I guess that works well for him in his profession, and I was certainly glad for it at the time.
DAVID RUBENSON
Tall and quietly courageous, David surprised me many times on our trip. He did not say much to me--which was true of all the guys except Josh and Dawood—but whenever he had food in his hands his heart and voice opened fully. David is a sharer of snacks and meals, ensuring everyone tries everything he has to offer. The moments he seemed most comfortable and confident on the entire trip, in fact, were when he was posted by the campfire, cooking and offering his communion.
He scared me twice on the trip: once, at an open rock face scramble to exit Yankee Doodle Canyon, a place where I went into a full-on panic attack in fear of crossing unprotected, I watched David wander up the path without calling any attention to what must have been a moment of intense bravery for him. The second time he scared me was atop Angel’s Landing. Again, silently, he worked his way away from the group on dangerous ground, this time at a much higher fall potential, and also this time, with his hands jammed down in his pockets.
Both times, I saw his death vividly in my mind’s eye. Luckily, those visions were unfulfilled, and David returned to us each time, with snacks.
REUBEN GUBEREK
Friendly and (where I was concerned) a bit chattier than Michael and David but more reserved than Joshua or Dawood, Reuben is a creative and happy guy. I had a great time chatting with him about his movie ambitions—his sense of humor is darkly playful, and the movie he is making with his friends is one I cannot wait to watch!
Reuben’s hiking style is steady but slow—his short stature kept his strides shorter than the rest of ours. Still, he did not stop and never seemed frustrated or worn down.
MICHAEL ZHOU
Quite quiet, Michael is an observer. The ever fly on the wall, he listens—truly listens—to others around him with only a wry smile or an eye roll (depending on what is being said by those around him) to give away his attentiveness. Then with perfect timing, he enters the conversation with a hilarious or acutely to-the-point statement. He is a reserved man with a subtle but constant drive for calculated risk. While he appreciates company to keep him motivated and help him accomplish his goals, he at the same time appreciates solitary moments outside. He never complained about anything, and enjoyed the beauty around him as one that was surrounded simply by the sounds of nature, even though there were plenty of unnatural sounds coming from Joshua and Dawood.
Shanna Irving is a guest blogger here. She is also a mother, a lover, a teacher, and in all things an adventurer. Her recent adventures have taken her backpacking and hiking throughout the US, and this year will begin her international adventuring with a trip to the glaciers and ice caves of Iceland and to the mountains and plains of South Africa. Writing about it all, too, is an adventure in itself.