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Show PAGE 26 THE ZEPHYR JULY 89 Editor's Note: On May 20thf hundreds of people from all over the country came together on an Isolated expanse of slickrock near Arches National Park, to celebrate the life and work of Edward Abbey. Fellow writers and friends paid tribute to the man and his talent Among them were Ken Sleight one of Eds oldest friends and wrlterpoet Wendell Berry, who traveled all the way from Kentucky to participate In the service. The Zeohvr Is pleased to be able to reprint Kens comments at the service, as well as a poem that Wendell wrote and read to the gathering on that memorable morning. a letteir to Ed Abbey by Ken Sleight Dear Ed, ' wish I could arise above this. Your sudden leaving on this great Journey caught me unprepared as I'll not be able to see you for a while. You came Into the country alone, you departed alone. But while here, you left us a lasting legacy. I'll never forget what you've done for me. Never has any man had such an Influence on me as you have. We share many of the same I admire you, greatly. Since you left, I've tried to thoughts and Ideals. recount and remember all of our shared experiences and thoughts. I fear my faulty memory may not allow me to recall or record all of them. How fortunate I have been to have had you as a friend. We lived expressively, you and L Life was given us to feg lived. And we did tt. When you were at Arches, I knew our trails would eventually cross. It did so on the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry. There I arrived with my girlfriend and a truckload of boating gear and supplies to lead a group through the Grand Canyon. I believe that was some 21 years ago. As I pulled down to the river, as the ranger, came strolling down to announce your presence and to . you Inspect my outfit After the rigging chores, we sat for hours on those ugly rubber rafts swapping tales. As you know, we spoke with derision about the Glen Canyon dam. That God-aw- ful dam was destined to become the object of many We discussions. commiserated together. The rape of the canyon had been We had lost a beautiful river wilderness, thousands of ancient complete. Indian sites. Music Temple, Cathedral In the Desert, Hidden Passage, Gregory Natural Bridge. God what a tragedy, what a waste! We were determined that sdmethlng had to be done about that dam . . . That eventful evening was the beginning of a great friendship with a common bond between us and a common objective. So much has happened through the years. Weve shared many trips and experiences together. When I get ready to write my book, I'll tell of them -some of them anyway. Remember the time we found that old smashed-u- p canoe on the banks of the Rio Grande in Big Bend? Some poor soul had been forced to abandon tt. Or maybe the boat abandoned the boater. We were able to bend tt somewhat back Into shape even though daylight could still be seen through Its underside. You said that If tt floated it must be a But tt floated. boat So you took a paddle and we pushed you off, captain of your own ship. You were able to bring that bent-u- p contraption though the canyons of Santa Elena and MariscaL A great feat As you know, we brought that boat back to Green River. Clair and Bob Qulst have tt now, I think, tt ought to be placed In the new Green River history museum. I . : ; . And while on a boating subject, you 'must remember that trip through Cataract Canyon - the time I was thrown from my proper rowing position Into the back of the boat and no longer In controL And neither was the boat Remember how attentively, or perhaps, you Jumped to the boatmans seat, grabbed the oars, pulled with all your might, plying the oars to the fierce current to keep us from sinking Into Satans Gut? I was directly behind you now, yelling "oulL Ed. oulH" And you pulled. And at a precise moment there was a "CRACK. Pulling the splintered oar to the surface you looked at It with a silly grin, then at the frothing hole ahead, and then turning to me (still with a silly grin) said, "Ken Do we have another oar? This one seems to have an Imperfection, as we suddenly dropped Into the hole. You were always able to put words together so all of us could understand them. K was exactly the way we wanted to say it, but couldnt You spoke for many of us. I told you how Desert Solitaire effected me. And when you loaned me your manuscript of the Monkey Wrench Gang. I took tt down on the sandy banks of the Dolores River and. Intently and Joyously Bved each word. I delighted In the books edification. Here you had created characters doing Just what may of us had dreamed of doing. Their actions seemed a bit rebellious. K sent me a message, loud, clear and resonant - That Is "THERE IS A POINT IN EACH OF OUR LIVES WHEN WE SAY - NO MORE1" If s at that point we make the stand. And we ACT! There Is indeed a time to take up the monkey wrench. Your writings were your monkey wrench. Likewise tt Is with a number of other writers. Likewise too, as we once discussed, its OK to say NQ. Its OK to say no more Glen Canyon dams. If s OK to say no more roads Into our natural areas, fts OK to say no to a nuclear waste dump near our national park. By saying NQ were actually saying YES to a better environment, to a Ed, thank you for better Hfe, to a healthier life and to a Joyful tife. Fbr us. Anyway, thats the way I read spelling out for us this great lesson. self-preservatlo-nally -- -- ft. Ed, that trip last foil In Grand Gulch with you will remain In my memory. tt was our last wilderness trip together. And of all trips that we Always, have shared the memories of tt have been well Inscribed forever In my mind. There you were - riding that huge and magnificent appaloosa horse. Your own targe frame fit nicely. You were a great pair. And I rode Knothead, another riding down those great horse, tt felt good having you as a fellow wrangler - canyons. There was something more about that trip. Because of the small number of guests, we had more time to spend talking around the. campfire and In those ancient Anasazi ruins. We exchanged many Ideas. You were especially open -your words seemed more deliberate, explicit and directed than ever before. We talked of our own personal plans. lWe talked of the things that had to be done on behalf of the environment Anri how to accomplish those things. You said tt all before In your books - but here K was It seemed - all In a nutshelL The need for a new renaissance a new thinking. Fresh and new actions. A rekindling of energy. A renewed emphasis upon the education of our youth toward maintaining the real quality of Ife and In preserving our earth. A society that Is open where records can openly be shared, where meetings are no longer held in secret, where there Is open discussion always. The people govern. The people lead. Those In positions serve. A society where there Is no Intimidation and where the rich and powerful are rendered Impotent Some day Ill write about this trip. When many of us faltered, you stood there telling It the way It was and ought to be. And even In moments of your own despair, you rose above tt. May we have that same quiet faith and courage. Why did you have to leave us now? My dear friend Abbey. When tt seems that we need you most How can we manage without you? You came to this beautiful land suddenly. You made your mark. And you departed Just as suddenly. May we always appreciate you and what you have done for us. We shall now proceed on with the tools youve given us. I Just wish you were . - here. Your friend, Ken 'The Gathering Fbr Ed Abbey, May 20 9 ; , ( ' ( - mm |