Grand Canyons.
Even though Thatcher and I are in Utah and just completed two days hiking the beyond amazing Zion National Park, I want to make sure I tell you all about the two grandest canyons, I think, Arizona has to offer. The first of which, in case it wasn't obvious, is the Grand Canyon. Boy, is it grand. If I'm being completely honest, I was actually very overwhelmed when I first got there. I found myself becoming agitated and a little claustrophobic with the absurd amount of people that cover every inch of the South Rim. Selfie sticks flying in front of your face, children running at your feet; no thank you. It's a lot of chaos and somehow manages to make it feel like the smallest canyon in the world being on top of one another like that. That is, until we stepped out to the overlook. Even out there it was a little much and hard to appreciate with so many people bumping into me. The brief taste of the canyon was enough, however, to leave me wondering about the horizon hardly in sight and where the canyon actually ends and if it ends. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't, that's how large it is. I wanted to see more but the question remained, how did I do that with some peace, quiet, and no selfie sticks? Lucky for me, Thatcher got me a book a while ago entitled Secrets of the National Parks which has just that, secrets. They're not kidding either, the place they mentioned was a unique and spectacular find. Trying not to jinx our luck we quietly whispered to the Ranger at the visitor center where we wanted to go and he caught on quickly, responding as though everyone was trying to hear what we were talking about although I highly doubt anyone actually was. Our presumably secret spot wasn't marked on the map but he drew it out for us on his. Prescribed fires, one of the most important natural agents of change in an ecosystem and in this case, man made and controlled, along the side of the road made the short drive there eerie and stuffy. A thin layer of white smoke spread over the forest and seeped out from behind trees, pouring onto the road in front of us like something out of a scary movie. I guess I can tell you where this secret spot was since clearly you care enough to have read this far. Also it's in the book which is mass produced and found at every REI, so it's not technically a secret anymore. Shoshone point was just beyond the second picnic area heading towards Desert View and totally empty. The short, one mile, leisurely stroll out to the canyon was lined with small lilac flowers and the anticipation was killing me. I couldn't wait to see what made this place so special, other than the lack of tourists and signs leading to it, of course. Ron Swanson, a character on the television show Parks and Recreation, once said "Crying; acceptable at funerals and the grand canyon." I kept thinking about that on the walk from the parking lot. Would it be so astounding and breathtaking that I would tear up a bit? Would it just be ho-hum like it was back near the visitor center? Update; I did not tear up. Let's be honest, it's no Big Bend National Park but it did take my breath away for a moment. How could it not though? The mile deep, 277 mile long canyon is just... it's just. I don't even know the perfect word to describe it to all of you, you'll just have to go and see for yourselves. The expanse of it all, the colors, the tiny details in the mesa, spires and buttes, the Little Colorado River winding below our feet. It all builds into one big emotion and is exhaled with a "wow." Everything was overwhelming in the best way possible. The best feature about this lookout is the two-tier view. The first glimpse expands outwards, a white table top in front of us with a tall, narrow rock at the tip inviting you to walk closer. Coming up to it, we found natural stairs that lead down to the next level, stretching our view into the canyon below as well. Unique to Shoshone point was the red formation below us. It begun as a big triangle at the top and then cascaded down into melting layers that curved and looked to be growing out of the cliff we were standing on. I've never seen anything like that, I could have stared at that view forever.
It was approaching darkness quickly so we decided to come back to our secret spot early the next morning and headed to our campsite. National Forests are the best place to camp by the way. Any open space you find, unless otherwise marked, you're allowed to camp in for free. So, we found what looked to be a pretty decent place to set up shop and I got to cooking. Sausage, green peppers and onions smelled so good cooking over that little burner Thatcher got me at the beginning of my trip. Finally full and relaxing by the fire, our awesome neighbors came over and pulled up a chair. We relaxed and talked and they told us all about how they've been on the road since October and living nearby for a little while now, soon to be headed back East where they're from. Emmit, Thatcher and I tried really hard to convince Kennedy that cheese whiz really is the best way to eat a Philly cheesesteak and that Utah, although none of us had been yet, was worth a stop on their way home. Hopefully we run into them again in Utah and pick up right where we left off, I, for one, would love that. After a fun night of laughter and a full night's rest, we woke up to pink light seeping in through the trees, our natural wake up call.
Even more beautiful than the day before, the canyon layers were now painted shades of blue and faded lighter the farther away they were. We enjoyed an hour of solitude early in the morning at Shoshone point before a trickle of a few people came and we continued on our grand adventure.
I've definitely mentioned this before but it's so hot in Arizona it's unbearable. It's so hot that we were overly excited to go north even just one hour, let alone a few. The trip north was beautiful, overlooks everywhere and spotty cell phone service, the way a scenic drive should be. Our destination; Page, Arizona. Three big places are here that are worth mentioning and definitely worth stopping to see. The first of which is Lake Powell. It's perfectly blue, sometimes turquoise, refreshing water, glistens in the sun and buttes covered in earth tones jut out behind it, faded in the crisp, clear sky. I saw it and the first thing I wanted to do was jump in that lake and never look back. Happily taking a slight detour, we did just that. In Glen Canyon National Recreation Area there is beach access to this amazing lake. The biggest smile and sigh of relief came over my face as I dunked my head under the water vowing never to get out. "That's it," I exclaimed, "we're done exploring for today." That's not at all accurate and it killed me a little to have to leave, but a new canyon awaited and the anticipation of that was enough to, reluctantly, get me out of the water and relief from the heat.
Unfortunately, the only way to see the amazing Antelope Canyon is to go by tour. You can book it the day of like we did but your options of time will be limited. We grabbed the last few spots on a 4pm tour and piled into the back of a truck that drove us fifteen minutes up the rough, sandy road. The canyon entrance was narrow and I wondered how someone even found it in the first place. Walking through, the temperature dropped significantly, a nice relief from the blazing sun, and we followed the curved waves of the rocks effortlessly winding back and forth. Almost the entire time I spent looking up. The sunlight highlighted the first few feet of rock and exposed their bright orange color and revealed the shades of purple that donned the rocks by my feet. Unfortunately, a lot of people were packed into a small amount of space and we felt a little like cattle being corralled from one entrance to the other. Trying not to let that bother me while still getting the best shots of the astounding mother-nature-created canyon I possibly could, I sort of kept up with the group. Ok, I lied. I purposefully did not care about the group but did try and never fall too far behind. The rocks looked like pulled taffy and around each new bend was a framed cut out of orange and reds. The highlighted edges of the curves made it look like they could move and flow like the ocean again at any moment. After going through the canyon once, we had to turn around and come back through to get to the tour van. Enjoying it, rather than photographing it, I ran my hand along the wall, never removing it once, and was rewarded by the touch of cool, smooth, sand and stone. The water really did an amazing job carving out this canyon, the second most amazing canyon Arizona has to offer.
On our way to Kanab, Utah we made one last stop - Horseshoe Bend. For those of you who have seen pictures or know where I am talking about, I will tell you that is a lot like the Grand Canyon. The downside, like the Grand Canyon, is that since it is so well known there are huge crowds. The upside? None of that matters; it will still be one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see, also like the Grand Canyon. The fifteen mile stretch of water wraps around the canyon floor bringing luck to anyone who sees it, I like to think anyway. It is a horseshoe, after all. The sun was setting when we got there and was so bright you couldn't even see the cut out of the canyon from the walk down to it. The haze masking the backdrop, the people on the ledge looked silhouetted by nature and my excitement to gaze over the edge grew with every sandy step. Approaching the overlook, the rocks at our feet were layered in thin slices, creating perfect steps and seats for viewing the bend. The indigo water below still and unmoved and the golden haze in front of me glaring, I couldn't help but wonder what sunrise there might be like. I've been told that both sunrise and sunset at Horseshoe Bend are equally spectacular with their long shadows, cool temperatures, and astonishing colors. I would love one day to come back and see the flip side.
Zion National Park was, like I said, amazing. I will tell you all about that soon, though. Utah is basically one giant National Park so the next few days are going to be both tiring and rewarding. I can't wait!
- G.
The Photo:
Antelope Canyon.
Page, Arizona.
6/5/17.
