Everett Ruess is every romantic’s favorite Utah legend—the idealistic young man—poet, artist, explorer—fell in love with the wild lands of the unsettled West, the high Sierras and the moonscapes of souther n Utah. He spent his short life mostly alone with just a dog and a donkey exploring these harsh places until they swallowed him up.
“I thought that there were two rules in life—never count the cost and never do anything unless you can do it wholeheartedly. Now is the time to live.” — Everett Ruess
Down the River
with Everett Reuss and Friends
Aug 5, 2019 – Aug 10, 2019A six-day deluxe rafting expedition on the Green River through Utah’s Desolation Canyon featuring nightly readings and recitations by Ken Sanders. Filmmaker Emmanuel Tellier and musician Kate MacLeod will join forces for spontaneous performances on the banks of the Green River. Bookings and information here.
At the age of 20, Ruess disappeared into the canyons of southern Utah, somewhere near Devil’s Gulch, Escalante in 1934 and no one ever learned what happened to him. He left behind his poetry, a series of remarkable woodcuts and a legend we can’t seem to forget.
After six years, French filmmaker Emmanuel Tellier has finally finished his documentary about Ruess—it premieres on August 4, 2019 at the historic Star Hall in Moab and Tellier himself will be there to discuss the film.
LA DISPARITION D’EVERETT RUESS – Voyage dans l’Amérique des ombres (teaser) from Emmanuel Tellier on Vimeo.
The following day Tellier, storyteller and historian Ken Sanders and musician Kate McLeod (See our Small Lake City Concert at with Kate at Ken’s store) will embark on a 6-day deluxe rafting trip down the Green River through Desolation Canyon, along with a few paying guests. Learn more here.
During the river trip, Tellier will be discussing his many Ruess projects which, in addition to the six years of production work on the film, include a successful stage play that was recently presented at Le 104, one of the most exciting cultural centers in Paris, and two record albums of original compositions about Ruess.
Sanders will join in with entertaining stories, narratives, and readings about Everett Ruess and the Canyon Country. The amazing fiddler and vocalist, MacLeod will perform songs and music inspired by Utah’s wilderness landscapes, and will collaborate with Tellier to offer rousing beach concerts and sing-alongs.
On the other hand, if you can’t make it to Moab and the River, you can still see the film at these free screenings around the state:
- JULY 29 — THE ESCALANTE SHOWHOUSE, ESCALANTE, 7PM
- AUGUST 4 — THE STAR HALL, MOAB, 7PM
- AUGUST 13 — NANCY TESSMAN AUDITORIUM, SALT LAKE CITY MAIN LIBRARY, 7PM
