Ron Kay takes off his hat to reveal permanent smile lines etched into his face by years of absorbing the tears of the southwest's sun. Years in the sun at Zion National Park have shaped Kay's face like thousands of years of wind and water erosion have shaped the park's sandstone cliffs.

He said it puts things into perspective when he stands in between the massive walls of the canyon and thinks about the hundreds of millions of years the park has been around in contrast to the 10,000 years humans have been around.

"You realize you're ... pretty insignificant when it comes to the creation and everything that's gone on," Kay said.

Kay is an expert on Zion National Park and has shared his intimate knowledge of the park in a new guidebook called "Ron Kay's Guide to Zion National Park: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Zion's National Park but Didn't Know Who to Ask!"

"There's so much to Zion that most people don't know and I wanted that to be in the book," Kay said. "I wanted people to understand that there's not just one little area of the park that tourists go."

The diversity and the history of the park are areas in which Kay is well versed. He hopes his book will help inform those who have never truly experienced the park.

"It's more than just coming into the park, and looking around, and taking a photograph and leaving," he said.

The book is written to a general audience and doesn't cater to one specific recreational area such as climbing or rappelling.

"I wanted people to really experience the park and not just visit it," he said.

Nancy Osborne, Kay's co-worker, said his book is an invaluable tool to anyone wanting to know more about the park.

"All that knowledge in one spot," she said. "It's just a real complete book of Zion."

Osborne said Kay's real strength at the park is his immense knowledge base, gained through his experiences there since his early childhood.

Kay said his love for the park stems from many early childhood visits with his parents.

"They loved the area," he said. "The times that we would come down, I fell in love with the area."

Kay's early years spent with his grandfather, a mountain man and trapper, helped to cement his love for the park and gave him an intimate knowledge of its surroundings, Osborne said. Kay's mother was an avid hiker and proved to be a good support.

"He's simply been everywhere out there," Osborne said. "He just has unending information about all parts of that park."

A few years ago, this knowledge helped Kay to discover a hidden arch in the park.

Kay spent his early years as a police officer, a research scientist, an artist and a photographer. Then, 12 years ago, Kay decided to devote the rest of his life to the park.

"I've had people say, 'Well, after 12 years, aren't you tired of it?' Absolutely not," he said. "Something is new or beautiful or changes every single day. I can't get tired of it."

Even with an impressive knowledge base built from decades of exploring the park, Kay is still in awe.

"Every day I'm awe-inspired," Kay said. "It doesn't matter how many times you come and you look up at these cliffs and you look at everything that's here. And even as much as I've been doing it, every day I'm impressed."

Zion National Park is where Kay said he sees himself spending the rest of his life and even eternity.

"Not that I haven't considered being cremated and having my ashes dumped off of one of the cliffs into the bottoms of one of the Narrows," he said.

According to Kay's book, the Narrows is a "narrow canyon with the north fork of the Virgin River flowing down it's walls."

It's also where Kay met his wife, Diane, while he was guiding a hike. His wife said she would like to believe their special meeting in the Narrows is why Kay has such a special place in his heart for the Narrows, but she knows Kay's love for the Narrows started long before her.

"I'd like to think it's me," his wife said. "There's almost something spiritual about the Narrows for Ron [Kay]."

Kay speaks of the Narrows as one would speak of a religious temple or a holy shrine.

"Zion is often referred to as the 'heavenly city of God,'" Kay said. "If that's true, then to me the Narrows has to be his private chambers."

One of the many reasons Kay said he loves the Narrows so much is the perspective it offers him on life.

"The total feeling of peace and serenity and realization - there's much more to everything than just us humans," he said.

Observation Point is another spot dear to Kay because it's where he asked his wife to marry him.

"I would describe Ron's love for Zion as almost sacred," Kay's wife said.

The park's sacredness has attracted many cultures throughout history such as the people known as the Anasazi, the Piutes, the current Native American culture and the early pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Kay said.

He said they are three distinctly different cultures, "but they all felt that it was a very holy or spiritual place."

These cultures are not the only people to comment on the spirituality of Zion National Park. Kay said through the many years he's worked in the park, many visitors have told him they have felt the spirit that resides within its natural walls.

"I have a lot of visitors that will tell me that they just really feel peaceful or content while they're here," he said.

Visitors have come with the intent of staying one or two days and have ended up staying for two or three weeks, Kay said. He said there are a lot of repeat visitors and many tourists now make an annual trek to the park.

"I've had a number of visitors literally that have wept telling me their feelings while they're in the park," Kay said. "They're just blown away."

Kay's passion is educating people on the natural wonders of the park. He hopes people will walk away from the park with memories that will last them a lifetime, he said.

"As much of a science person that I am, you can't help but believe in God when you come to a place like this," Kay said. "It's just absolutely phenomenal that places like this exist."

Hands-on experience and a scientific research background helped to load Kay's arsenal of knowledge of the park.

"My biggest responsibility in the park is education," he said.

Guided hikes, campfire programs and patio talks are some of the many ways Kay educates visitors. He also leads a program to teach children about different areas of the park such as the importance of not feeding the animals and not picking the flowers.

Kay's co-worker Sharon Felton said Kay is wonderful when it comes to teaching children.

"He makes them feel so important," Felton said.

Kay's expertise on Zion National Park is an incredibly important tool when it comes to teaching children about the grandeur of the park and the importance of conservation. Kay said he hopes to impart his knowledge to adults as well.

"At least get them to fully appreciate it, if not to love it, as much as I do," Kay said. "And by doing that I'm ensuring future generations are going to continue to love it and protect it."

Kay will be doing a book signing at the Barnes and Noble in Sandy and in Sugarhouse on Aug. 23.

Copyright Brigham Young University 17 Jun 2008