Sacred Strides

Southeastern Utah’s canyons are the ancestral home of several Native American tribes. So when the Trump administration slashed the area protected by the designation of Bears Ears National Monument, it wasn’t just a blow to public lands — it was an affront to the tribes’ sacred history. In March 2018, runners from the Hopi, Navajo, Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes ran relay-style on four routes that eventually converged near the rock spine of Comb Ridge. The run was not only a show of support for Bears Ears, but a way to reconnect to the land and heal their relationships with each other.