Dec. 16-17. Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon:
   It was just about 20 years ago that Mark and I went down the Grand Canyon in a raft with 14 other friends including the 2 guides, Art and Shelby.  We traveled 8 days down the river from Lake Powell to Lake Mead.  We hiked up through the narrow canyons, stood under water falls, ate fabulous meals, slept in the open air falling asleep to the brilliance of the night sky, being awaken at night by the smell of the night blooming Lilly,  and of course, experienced 240 white water rapids, ending with Lava Falls that drops 20 feet into the churning  water. That trip was an adventure both physically and spiritually.  I don’t think one can experience the grandness of the Grand Canyon without saying how it connects to one’s soul.  The power of being in this natural wonder is felt to my core.
   Twenty years later, we walk the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and see it again in all it’s majesty, this time from the top down,  The canyon brings to mind a sense of quiet peacefulness yet danger exits  with every step.  The paths down into the canyon are narrow, steep and this time of the year there can be ice.  It evokes a sense of quiet yet at any moment thunder could echo through the canyon walls creating flash floods with  extreme water falls.  The Canyon is extensive beyond words yet with a zen eye one can see into tiny crevices where small creatures live. It is a place that can only be described in extremes, peaceful and fierceful, humbling and bold, fluid yet unmoving.  It is a place of enormous contradictions.
   As we stand at the rim, an altitude of 7,000 feet, we see the mighty Colorado River winding its way through the canyon slicing and carving the bed  rock as it travels the 1450 miles to the Sea of Cortez (The Gulf of California).  It has been doing this amazing slow sliciing for over 4 1/2 billion years.  An interesting fact we learned is that when the Colorado River reaches sea level it will stop cutting through the rock.  In fact, that is true for all rivers.  This is something I never knew!
    The river is a dark green color and is miles down deep into the canyon.  We are in the home of giants and the river is like a beautiful jade necklace lying on the floor of this mansion.  Occasionally, we could see some of the white water rapids that we experienced years ago.  The rim hike is about a 10 mile hike with spectacular views from every point, purples, browns, beiges, and greens indicating the various rock formations embedded in the canyon walls.  The various land forms create a magnificent three dimensional display of color and depth.
  The mules that transport riders to the bottom take 7 hours for their trip.  It is a slow careful ride on the back of a mule over these narrow steep paths.  We are told that the mules are extremely sure footed and to date no one has fallen off or died on the mule ride.  (Another fact: a donkey and horse mate to create a mule)
  There has been a 10 year drought that has caused the water to be at a significantly low level.  This drought has caused a rippling effect in the neighboring farms as well as   implacting wildlife.  There is serious concern about the lack of water and the inability of the river to meets the demands of water usage throughout the Southern California and Nevada  areas in the near future.
   Mark and I have both noticed the effects of aging.  We are scared of heights, deep narrow rocky paths that fall off thousands of feet.  We could feel our knees shake and a sense of dizziness overwhelmed us as we approached the edge of a cliff. Twenty years ago there were moments on the hiking trails that I felt this same feeling, however, now it is much worse.  I don’t know how to deal with this fear. It is frustrating to acknowledge this and not know how to overcome it.  Stepping off the rim onto a descending  path made me quezzie and at the same time angry not to be able to calm my fears.  It truly is a humbling experience to walk the rim of this magnificent natural wonder.
 
   The weather is still very cold so we decided to spend the night at the El Tovar, the oldest hotel in the National Park.  It is a glorious hotel beautifully decorated for Christmas.  The restaurant was fabulous.  We celebrated with a Manhattan and a delicious dinner of duck and quail.  This will be our Christmas gift to each other!!!