Silence

Silence

Silence

What I noticed right away during my first glimpse of the canyon was the silence. Not the silence of the earth, which was luscious and compelling; but the silence of the visitors. I watched people from all over the world walk to the edge and stare in stunned silence. Don and I tended to whisper to each other as if we were in a cathedral. I stood there feeling so small as I realized that this place existed well before I and will be enjoyed by people after I’m gone. The canyon’s vastness actually made me feel as if my problems and worries were small, and that I could conquer anything. The first overlook we went to was Mather Point and it’s typically the first glimpse most visitors take upon arriving. A lone turkey vulture soared effortlessly over the canyon as we stood there at Mather Point and my heart would have been full if I never left that view. Squirrels roamed freely there and have become quite used to people, they almost tug at your pant leg for a snack. I noticed that visitors came and went quickly and while they were in obvious awe, most people tended to rush as if they were boarding a roller coaster. Don and I sat and soaked it in like balm on a burn.

What must those first explorers have thought when they stepped through the pine forest and saw this amazing place in 1540. During that first expedition, Native Americans wisely only helped just enough to get free goods from the explorers. When asked to show them how to get to the bottom of the canyon, they showed a path that became impassible, assuring that the explorers would give up and go away. The canyon, called Tsekooh Hatsoh by the Navajo, was largely unexplored until a one armed Civil War hero named John Wesley Powell led a pioneering journey down the Colorado in 1871. It was Major Powell who named Tsekooh Hatsoh its current name, Grand Canyon.

Don and I spent two days in Grand Canyon. After our initial soaking in of the canyon we decided to rent bikes. Bright Angel Bikes has many different options of bike rentals and we wanted to do a self guided tour of the overlooks. There is a section of road that is quite uphill, so we did a shuttle to Hopi Point. From there the ride to Hermit’s rest is 6 miles of small inclines and long stretches of flat riding. Then the shuttle picked us up at Hermit’s rest 2 hours later. We spent our 2 hours stopping at each overlook and gazing at the different angles while listening to the chatter of visitors and squirrels. Huge white clouds hovered over the canyon and though it was windy, the clouds seemed to be motionless and still. Oh it was an afternoon of feeling young again and peaceful and free.

Hiking at the Canyon is very popular and I couldn’t leave without hiking a bit down Bright Angel Trail, the premier trail in the park. The trail is comprised of switchbacks and continues about 9 miles down to the floor of the canyon. Hikers share this path with the mule trains that ferry visitors down as well. Phantom Ranch is awaiting weary hikers on the canyon floor with cabins and a steak dinner each night. I’m told their lemonade is the best, and I want to make that trip one day. I walked down about a mile and was so enthralled by the view and the thought of the daunting task of it all. As I was coming back up I encountered a woman about my age who was nearing the end of her journey on the trail and I cried with her as she crested the rim.

As a photographer I researched the canyon thoroughly to find the perfect sunset overlook and we decided that Lipan Point was a great place as it was lesser known and less crowded. It did not disappoint. We settled onto rocks with just a few other folks and watched as the sun slowly dipped behind the canyon peaks and the sky went from orange to blue to purple. It was magnificent and I felt so privileged to witness God’s wonders.

One location that I had to include is called Desert Watchtower. Designed by American architect, Mary Colter, the watchtower was built in 1932 and was designed as a replica of a prehistoric Indian tower. Desert Watchtower is on the eastern end of the south rim and is about 22 miles away from the visitors’ center. Inside the tower are Native American inspired drawings on the walls and ceiling depicting nature and Mother Earth. We watched our second Grand Canyon sunset here. This sunset was beautiful and very different than the first sunset as the colors offered that evening were brilliant gold and oranges.

Our second day was done at the Grand Canyon and our hearts were not ready to leave. But we had a very special appointment early the next morning in Page Arizona. We were going on a photography tour of Antelope Canyon!