All the Wonder: The Grand Canyon

It’s one place where mere photographs cannot do it justice. It is more than a place; it is an experience for the psyche. It is more than an experience, it’s a series of experiences. It’s the hike, it’s asking a friendly mule to take you down the steep trail, it’s lazily floating on the Colorado River, and then it’s the moments where you just sit in silence and take in the enormity of this natural phenomena. A visit to the Grand Canyon is forever etched into memory.

Two hundred and seventy-seven miles long, one mile deep, and up to 18 miles wide, the Grand Canyon came to be a National Park after first being a Forest Reserve and a National Monument. One of the seven Wonders of the World, it graciously welcomes over four million visitors each year.  Sculpted by air and water over eons innumerable, the Grand Canyon has been home to many people over thousands and thousands of years. Its indescribable beauty is a testament to what can be when a sacred space is preserved and protected; it defies description. It is that which must be beheld and explored.

Listen to the wind to hear the story of countless tribes who have called this magnificent land theirs. Listen to the quiet prayers of the Spanish missionaries who made it their home away from home. See the dust swirl around the archeological digs that still go on to this day, finding treasures and traces of the lives that came before us. Wait on bated breath to hear the echoes of every “ah” of every visitor who’s beheld this colossal sight, as they bounce around the depth of the canyons. 

Recall trekking the Bright Angel Trail to Plateau Point for unforgettable views of the river. Then hiking the famous Rim Trail for breathtaking views at Maricopa Point and Hopi Point. Days later stopping in the desert oasis, Havasu Falls, a glorious blue of gushing water in contrast to the rich reds and oranges of the canyon to enjoy a cooling dip in the dry heat of the canyon. Continuing the water-bound adventures by river rafting the Colorado. Recollect taking a well-deserved respite at Hermit’s Rest. Remember how you held your breath at first when crossing the Navajo Bridge. And finally, watching the reds and oranges change into pinks and purples as the sun sets over Lipan Point. The Grand Canyon is all the feelings, all the colors, and all the scents of nature at its most glorious and resplendent.

A trip to the Grand Canyon is more than one to remember, it’s one to ruminate on often. Go there anytime by putting fire to wick like the ancients. Feel the warm vibration of the sandstone and smell sandalwood in the heady air. Recall the vibrancy of the orange and red landscape, artfully imprinted in the stone. Feel the winding rivers as they sculpt and refine your soul as you rode the rapids, the smell of the rushing water kissing your lips. Linger in the sunset that seems to both last forever and end too soon.