One of the world’s most exotic landscapes lies at the heart of the American southwest.

Across the high desert of Utah and northern Arizona stretches a labyrinthine complex of slot canyons — narrow, deep, overhanging, and fantastically carved by wind and water in brightly coloured sandstone.

In their newly released book, Searching for Tao Canyon, Art Twomey, Pat Morrow and Jeremy Schmidt tell the story of a decades-long quest to find the perfect slot canyon.

An imagined, perhaps non-existent ideal, they called the object of their search Tao after the Chinese word for the way. They thought of it more as an archetype than an actual place — a sort of slickrock Xanadu that might never be found except in the mind.

What they did find was an extraordinary world of natural sculpture and shifting light hidden beneath the harsh desert surface. In 1975, when they began their search, slot canyons were virtually unknown, their exquisite beauties not yet appreciated. There were no guidebooks, no guided tours, no satellite images to work from. The pleasure came from old-fashioned exploration and a sense of discovery, of finding places no one knew.

“We’re so excited to be hosting this event,” says Wildsight’s Communications Manager, Lindsay Cuff. “It’s about that space where beauty, adventure and idealism meet.”

Searching for Tao Canyon is a tribute to Art Twomey, whose early conservation work in the Kimberley area helped inspire what later became Wildsight.

Pat and Jeremy will be at the McKim Theatre in Kimberley at 7:30 p.m. on October 30 to present images and stories from these distinct and timeless canyons. All proceeds from the event will go to the Art Twomey Legacy Fund, supporting conservation work in the Purcell Mountains.

The event is hosted by Wildsight. Books will be available for purchase at the event through Paper & Cup. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Lead image: Tao Canyon. Credit: Pat Morrow

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