The purpose of this project was to research a historical figure and what their influence on the profession of landscape architecture has been. These historical figures were assigned at random from strips of paper. The strip of paper I received had the name Edward Abbey written across it. The only thing I knew about Edward Abbey was that we had the same first name. I immediately researched him and found out that he was a controversial and prominent writer. Two of the books I ended up reading were The Monkey Wrench Gang a book about a group of anarchist/climate activist who’s goal is to restore the river way that Glen Canyon Dam obstructs. The second being Desert Solitaire which chronicles his 15 years of service as a park ranger at Arches National Park. His writings primarily focus on the wilderness and its wildness, as well as the politics/greed of mankind that have caused immense amounts of damage on the environment. Abbey is credited with inspiring the environmental movement to take action before it is too late. This is seen with the creation of the group known as Earth First! who used his book the Monkey Wrench Gang as a guide to Monkey Wrenching. Something important this project taught me as someone who is pursuing a career in the field of landscape architecture, is that it is important to recognize that we are meant to be stewards of the land and educate people on its historical and cultural importance/significance. Landscape architects design to protect landscapes but also design with the purpose of protecting the public health and well-being of the people. Through this new self-discovery Edward Abbey’s books and life inspired me to go on my own adventure, so I took off to the Valley of Fire with nothing but my car, some snacks, and a camera, to explore the desert and capture the wilderness and beauty on film.