Our 2016 theme is shaped by historic land journeys that informed the cultural and political geography of the contemporary West. We will retrace segments of these routes in the reverse direction as a symbolic gesture of “unwalking.” Our discussions will focus on the continuing demand for Indigenous sovereignty, as well as the contemporary legacies of development and resource extraction. From Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's brutal quest for El Dorado to John Wesley Powell’s strangely prescient survey of the Colorado River Basin, our routes will look to the sagas of European-American exploration and aggression, and attempt to connect those formative journeys to the challenges facing the West today.
Signal Fire’s most ambitious course confronts the myth of the West head-on by retracing the Pacific Northwest portion of Lewis and Clark’s route in reverse direction. This month-long odyssey is comprised of car camping, canoeing, and backpacking trips as we make our way across the Pacific Northwest.
Participants: Sarah Farahat, Rachel Jones, Thais Kuri, Janna Añonuevo Langholz, Nikki Moon, Matthew Roberts, Anika Sabin, Aaron Smith, Juan Solis, Emma Suman
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