We hiked up the West Route on Grandeur Peak to see the inversion
smog from above. Every year this soup of pollution festers
in the valley. The whole city is suffocated in their own gaseous
waste for weeks and months at a time. I can only imagine the
negative health effects of this blanket of filth. Let's see...
we've got Magcorp, the worst
polluter in the entire country, 40 miles to the west,
we've got Dugway,
burning nerve agents and other chemical weapons, 40 miles
to the south, and every car pumping away under a cramped layer
of smog to create this suffocating broth of cancer.
Riding a bike downtown is like being held under a blanket,
while that fat sweaty dude from your high school gym class
rips wet, reesty sulphur-bombs right in your face.
It's strongly advised, to not exercise during the inversion.
So you've got your choice; get unhealthy by sitting around
your house all day, or get really unhealthy by exercising.
Years ago, I used to ride my bike downtown to work every day.
After a while, during the inversion, I got chronically sick.
After saving money for some time, I bought a powered gas mask
that I wore to work. I immediately started feeling better
(I know it looked weird, but I didn't care). One time, I stopped
on the street to watch Rod Decker interviewing a pedestrian.
I was hoping that he would ask me why I had the gas mask on.
But he just walked away, I guess I looked too intimidating.
I would have told him "Levels of pollution, that risk
the health of residents, should be illegalized", and
fines should have to be paid by the government to the residents
of Salt Lake.
Think about it... The government creates laws every day to
prevent harm to our bodies, why don't they do something about
this cancerous pesticide blanket? Could it have something
to do with...hmmm, I don't know... Money?
Magcorp + Dugway + Fossil Fuels = Lots of Money
Residents should get some of that money for the future health
problems that it's going to create.
Everything was frosted with rime a.k.a. hoarfrost.
One of the not-so-good views of Salt Lake City
Above is the sun, you can barely see Gloria hiking up below.
Surfacing out of the smog, gasping for fresh air.
I noticed that the air was extra harsh just under the death blanket.
Most of the visible haze isn't pollution, it's water vapor or frost.
Pollution isn't causing these low laying clouds,
instead the inversion holds all of the pollution in.
Above 6,000' or so, it was a beautiful day.
Most of what you see is water vapor.
Evil gasses churning below the tranquil blue sky.
The Inversion creates a beautiful liquid surface.
Like an island in a Clorox sea.
A ridge below Grandeur snuggling with the oozing evil exhaust.
In the distance, is the southern end of the Oquirrh Mountain Range.
Under the smog is the southern end of the Salt Lake Valley.
Mount Olympus gritting his teeth in the freezing cold liquid.
Flat Top Mountain 10,620' in the Oquirrhs to the southwest.
Lowe Peak 10,589' in the Oquirrhs.
2000 years from now, the city is gone, covered in a 1,500 ft. glacier
of snow.
Looking west over the Salt Lake Valley toward the Oquirrh Mountains.
Imagine a giant fish jumping out and swallowing a low flying plane.
Or don't, it's up to you.
But seriously, below the smog are thousands of Salt Lake City residents
feeling "Under the Weather".
By the way, there are 13 mule deer in the 1st picture.
4 on the left, 3 in the middle, and 6 on the right.
Thanks to Gloria
Message Board
Page Posts: 24
NAME
CITY
DATE
gopal
pune
2008-02-26
sweet day
ryanne
oklahoma
2007-12-08
i went to utah once but im not telling why and i also i family there
jessica
sandy
2007-01-25
Your pictures are gorgeous, yet horrifying at the same time. New to the salt lake valley, I'm shoked by the filth. Could explain these cronic headaches I've had since this crap started.
jessica
sandy
2007-01-25
Your pictures are gorgeous, yet horrifying at the same time. New to the salt lake valley, I'm shoked by the filth. Could explain these cronic headaches I've had since this crap started.
Bridget Stuchly
Salt Lake City, UT
2007-01-20
I just finished riding my bike less than two miles across SLC, through the dense concentration of pollution accumulating in the valley after what must be almost 10 days straight without a strong enough storm to blow through and break up the inversion that engulfs the city. My lungs ache from attempting to sequester oxygen from the potent noxious waste was I breathing in. At this point it has been days since you could actually see the mountains and easily forget the dramatic topography surrounding the city. Is this not horrifyingly alarming to other Salt Lake residents? I wonder how disconnected people are when I see them sitting with their engines running, waiting in a drive-through for fast food, at the ATM or just in the morning letting their cars warm up for ten minutes… How many are frustrated and wondering what the other options are, drive and contribute to this hazy mess or bike and feel sick? Wouldn’t it be worth waking up a little earlier to take the light rail so we could all breathe a little cleaner air? I sit in my house now seriously considering buying a mask to wear when I ride my bike around town…
Don Mack
Ogden Ut
2007-01-20
I have been informed by an Ogden Standard Examiner writer that the wasatch front red burn days are caused only by automobile emmisions and that the chlorine and other pollutants issued by magcorp has little effect. Does anyone have concrete info to the contrary?
Don Mack
Ogden Ut
2007-01-20
I have been informed by an Ogden Standard Examiner writer that the wasatch front red burn days are caused only by automobile emmisions and that the chlorine and other pollutants issued by magcorp has little effect. Does anyone have concrete info to the contrary?
zarina
grovetown ga
2005-11-01
this pictures r awesome.
i love all of them. they r very helpfull for projects
M Andersen
SLC, UT
2005-03-20
I was looking for some pictures of a temperature inversion to show my teacher. Thanks.
Justin Robinson
Brockton MA
2005-01-22
You all eat poo.
Fernanda Bosnich
São Paulo
2004-10-19
Ei, parabéns pelo site. Não sabia que tinha como deixar minha mensagem aqui. Lindas fotos!!!
Beijos
Fê
rob machol
slc ut
2004-10-14
need to keep these thoughts of pollution and health problems when it comes to voting! vote enviroment!
Arnold Lamond
Logan, Utah
2004-08-09
Nice work, you guys should come up here to Logan, I'm sure you would love the area.
Justin
Las Vegas, NV
2004-07-11
Nice photos. They make me homesick, but seeing those photos of the 'toxic ocean' reminded me of why I moved away. Cool site!
samy
Athens, GA
2004-06-21
I love your pictures and Utah is beautiful!
Crappy Rogers
Utah
2004-03-14
I just wanted to tell you to keep on trekking!
Fred Jones
Holladay, Utah
2004-03-01
This is a shout out to all my peeps and homeboys that are struggling to survive in the streets of salt lake. I'm out.
Micheal Armound
New Zealand
2004-03-01
In my country we hike like there's no tomorrow, and I mean it, we hike, I don't think there could be hiking like this anywhere else in the world. Seriously we hike up and down, left and right, backwards forwards and sideways, with blindfolds, juggling, balancing chairs, on our hands, on all fours, we hike.
Shawn Mcride
Colorado
2004-03-01
When are you going to feature Colorado?
Josh Moore
Provo, Utah
2004-03-01
YOu should get some shots of the Provo area when it's overcast like that.
Luke Hanson
Orem, Utah
2004-03-01
I saw this site a couple years ago, it's really improved since the last time, and it was cool then.
Anabelle White
SLC Utah
2004-03-01
I like the one about the fish jumping out, keep up the good work!!
Zigidor Mateo
Mexico
2004-03-01
Hey man like looks like you got it worse.
George Kehnul
Utah
2004-03-01
I think I got throat cancer because of that damn weapons incinerator.
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