John Krist Archives - Colorado Central Magazine

At least turn off the alarm

December 21, 2009July 1, 2006 by Staff

Essay by John Krist

Recreation – July 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine

AS A RULE, it is not a good idea to smack a fellow river rafter with a paddle or to push him out of the boat in the middle of a rapid.

Not only do such actions constitute a breach of wilderness etiquette, they can cause hard feelings which might result in unpleasantness later in camp. And there’s also the possibility of drowning, which would no doubt lead to complications involving the authorities. But there were times during a recent trip down the Selway River in Idaho when I was tempted to bludgeon one of my fellow rafters.

The West loses an unsentimental guide

December 8, 2009June 1, 2003 by Staff

Essay by John Krist

David Lavender – June 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine

HISTORIAN DAVID LAVENDER was the best sort of guide a traveler in the West could have: A quiet man with a wry sense of humor, he was passionate about this region, refused to romanticize it and was happy to share his knowledge if asked.

He was never sentimental about the West, writing about cowboys: “Although they were slaves to a particularly stupid and unattractive animal, they became symbols of the West’s vaunted freedom.”