Very honored to have my book, Witness to Water, included in the #aspenliteraryfestival this Wkd.

Come join me this Sunday at 2 pm at the @pitkincountylibrary to hear and see my twenty plus year journey documenting and writing about the wonders and worries of our loved and litigated backyard river - The Colorado.

#newbook #witnesstowater #presentation
🎥 #petemcbride

@hierophantpublishing @aspenwords ...

I’m excited to share that I’m the guest editor of @tractorbeam.earth’s upcoming issue, Hell or High. Tractor Beam is a fiction publication that explores future visions of life on earth. They call it soilpunk.

Starting September 22nd, we’ll be sharing stories that explore water, land and soil’s intersectional future—and the people finding ways to steward it all. We’re kicking it off with a super short writing challenge inspired by some of my most otherworldly water photos.

Follow along here, or subscribe to Tractor Beam’s Substack through the link in their bio to read the stories as they drop.

For those who are new here and/or don’t know me, I’m Pete “Pedro” McBride, a photographer, filmmaker, and author. I’ve spent more than 20 years following water through some of the world’s wildest places, especially the Colorado River, whose story I trace in my latest book, #WitnesstoWater.

Science fiction might seem like a departure for me. But I’ve watched a river disappear into the soil where it shouldn’t. The truth is often stranger than fiction, and the longer I do this work, the more I believe that imagining what solutions could be, matters as much as documenting what is.

To share your short story, follow @tractorbeam.earth and DM it by Friday, September 25. And remember, 100 words or less!

#water #story
📷 #petemcbride ...

Growing Shoreline - the new norm.
This is a reservoir in the headwaters of the Colorado River watershed — now 39% full. Much of it was emptied last month to fill Lake Powell downstream in an effort to avert a power pool scenario (not enough H2O to run turbines).

The ongoing challenges of record low snowpacks, runoffs and multi decade droughts and a crazy climate have rippled all the way to the top of the Colorado River watershed.

I learned to swim, sail and even windsurf in this reservoir. My father and mother even hang glided behind a boat when safety came third.

I’m fearful it may not refill anytime soon, preventing much of its recreation but remain hopeful it showcases its black ice magic for skating again - a silver lining of less snow.

I’m also fearful the latest new Colorado River plan will add more short term bandaid solutions atop of its out of date old ones.

#water #coloradoriver
📷 #petemcbride #sonyalpha ...

Thinking of this Grand place and recently affected by the crazy floods.

Wishing for some “female” rain (gentle and nourishing) to help with moisture challenges over “male rain” (extreme and flash flooding) - a native term for different types of rain - and rainbows ahead.

#publiclands #grandcanyon #water
📷 #petemcbride ...