This wasn't Steve's actual first expression upon seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time (he's always such a joker), but he could be forgiven if it was. In my opinion, there just aren't adequate words to describe the magnitude, beauty, and...rawness...of the canyon.
We made tracks all over the south rim in our days at the park. We took the shuttle to Yaki Point, went to history and geology ranger programs, woke up early and watched the sun rise over the Canyon, then stayed out on the road to Hermit's rest to watch the sun set. We walked part of the Rim Trail, ate an amazing (seriously amazing) breakfast at El Tovar, and ate an impromptu picnic lunch at an overlook. We never did step foot below the rim. As we sat in the fading sunlight we talked about how much we wanted to hike to the bottom...and the next time we will. I'd like to come back in spring or fall and make a couple-day backpacking trip out of the hike down to the bottom and back out. The two major obstacles in our way are the altitude and the utter lack of humidity in the air. It was insanely dry in Arizona, and clearly thousands of feet above sea level. And honestly, I think the dryness was worse than the altitude for me.
Did you know ravens are one of the smartest birds in the world? They are probably my favorite bird in the whole world too. : )
Before we went to Arizona we both read the book "Death in Grand Canyon". It is, sadly, a long book detailing the horrible, stupid, and occasionally mean ways people have met their demise at the Grand Canyon. While the book got a bit depressing - how can it not, it's a book about death? - it was very successful in driving home the danger in such a dramatic landscape. People are stupid in nature. The week before we were at the Canyon, someone died, and the initial report suggests they slipped on the trail. There was snow on the rim, mostly just in shady patches and for the first couple hundred feet down the trails. That's a main reason we didn't hike down even a little bit - we were unprepared for slippery conditions. Maybe people aren't outright stupid, but I think people often underestimate the conditions and overestimate their abilities. I'm not immune to this either, but I like to think I'm at least aware of the dangers now.
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