Grand Canyon

I completed a 16 mile hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up yesterday, it was one of the toughest things I have done in a long time.  Unlike my aching muscles and dehydrated body which are temporary results of the hike, the canyon itself and completing the hike will leave a lasting impression. I am not sure what name I would have chosen for the canyon but GRAND seems
 
to be a little understated. Awesome, Huge, Enormous, Spectacular, and Awe Inspiring seem more appropriate but be it as it may Grand will do.  When you approach the canyon and see it for the first time it is hard not to be silent for a few moments and take in the enormity of the canyon while simultaneously being hypnotized by its beauty.   Your mind can not help but wonder how something this spectacular was made.   At this moment your belief system is revealed to you; either this is obviously God’s work or this is the Big Bang Theory’s epicenter.  I am of the mind of the former and once again awe struck by God’s work.  This is a good reason to come to the canyon it will have an immediate spiritual effect on you that you cannot avoid. 

My experience was with my wife and a group of friends.  We arrived to the canyon late on a Thursday afternoon peaked at the canyon and went to bed.  Our plan was not only to see this wonder of the world but also to conquer it.  The next morning we were going to hike to the bottom of the canyon and then back up.  On paper this looks very doable despite the warning from the National Park Service to the contrary.  This hike would prove to be a challenge bigger than we all bargained for; it would take both physical ability and mental fortitude to finish.  It was 16 miles in its entirety with an elevation change of 4,600 feet from rim to river and a temperature fluctuation of 54 degrees.   We all finished at our own pace and for Sue and I that was seven hours and forty five minutes.  It gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on what I was seeing mostly to keep from thinking about how I was feeling.

The hike was a metaphor to life that played out over the 7 hours and 45 minutes.  It is one thing to see things in life; it is another to truly experience them.   I understand why millions of people visit the Grand Canyon and just see it from the rim it is something to behold, but it is a much richer experience to witness the beauty first hand by going down into the canyon.  The hike begins with this overwhelming sight of the canyon in all its spender welcoming you in like a visitor to the greatest palace in the world.  The air was cold and it was early in the morning knowing that the tour was long.   We headed down into the canyon from the South Kaibab Trailhead with the energy and anticipation of a kid on Christmas morning.  At this point you realize that you are not just looking at this beautiful creation you are becoming the creation.  The rock walls and steep pitch welcome you as you quickly descend into the canyon.  The colors and the beauty are so prevalent that you want to pull your camera out with each new step.   We were witnessing rock formations that are 270 million years old at the top and 1,840 million years old at the bottom.  If these walls could talk we would need a long time to listen.  As you walk down through the canyon’s foyer you realize how old and rustic the canyon really is.  The pitch is steep with uneven terrain and this is just the beginning.  The switch back is the trick to hiking and over the next several hours we would come to know this tack well.  The respect you have for the canyon by this point is clear and grows with every step.  On our way down we were forced to hug the wall as a group of mules passed, you share the trail with the mules.  These mules had delivered rock to patch the trail near the bottom.    The mules also carry people wanting to see the canyon from their back.  As they passed the mules seemed to represent the less fortunate in life.  I could not help but think that if not for the grace of God go me.  I am sure the mules don’t complain and do their job without knowing there are mules throughout the world that wake up every day and do nothing.  Theirs is a work force in need of a union. As you near the bottom you begin to hear the rush of the Colorado River it sounds like welcome applause encouraging you to continue on your journey.  You begin to feel as though you are accomplishing something special when you finally can see the muddy water of the Colorado and then reach her banks.  We walked along the river while the rushing current played in the background.  The standing ovation from the river while looking up at the lower walls of the canyon was breath taking.  We crossed the suspension bridge to the other side of the Colorado just because it was there and I realized we had reached the basement of the palace and it was as beautiful as the foyer.   We had made it to the bottom of the canyon as a group in 3 hours, what was ahead of us would challenge us physically and mentally.   As we said goodbye to the Colorado and began to climb back up the Grand staircase to the rim we were rejuvenated by the lush green vegetation and the sound of running fresh water from the Colorado’s many tributaries.  When we reached the Indian Gardens we knew we were looking at the last 4.5 miles of the journey and for me the steepest climb of my lifetime.  The Indian Gardens were alive with green foliage and animal life.  It is hard to imagine plant and animal life surviving in this extreme environment but in this world there is a place for everything.   I quietly watched while a few squirrels tried to find food among the rocky soil or on the baron tree limbs.  This was like a courtyard nestled in the middle of this wonderful rock palace.   By now our group had found its pace and we were appropriately each traveling with our spouse.   We greeted Paul and Becky as they entered the courtyard and Sue and I continued on.  Paul and Bec would greet Bob and Diane prior to their departure as this was the consummate meeting place.  The home stretch is an exercise in mind over matter.  The final 4.5 miles is rugged terrain that scales the walls of this great fortress.  It was an endless series of switchbacks that put you on an endless precipice looking back at the glorious canyon and then up at the ominous rock walls that blocked the sun.  It wasn’t long until my energy was gone and my legs were heavy.  At this point the hike became grueling and I realized I had to continue to put one foot in front of the other because that was the only way out.  This beautiful rock palace had turned on me and would not let me out without a fight.  I summoned all my energy and prayed for more.  When I felt as though I couldn’t go any further Sue would be waiting for me and we would rest for a minute and push on.  This happened several times over the next couple of hours but we made it to the top together agape style, as one.  It has been a long time since I have felt this type of accomplishment and it feels good.  Paul and Bec finished together as did Bob and Diane all with similar stories of encouraging one another to the end. 

Life is beautiful; don’t just settle for watching it and not living it!         

CM Gartner