Saturday, November 29th, 08
Grand canyon, Arizona. South rim, Mather point, 6:30 am. That is where I was after the thanks giving day. I had always wanted to see Grand Canyon. If you have not seen it, it doesn’t seem to be a big deal but after witnessing it, many might change their view. It is most astonishing at sunrise and sunset. So, I made sure that the first time I see it, it was at sunrise.
I was at Mather point, which faces east and provides one of the best views of sunrise, well before sunrise. It was biting cold due to time of the day and due to the lingering effects of first snow fall the day before. It was dark and people were hustling around – setting their camera tripods, feverishly rubbing their hands for warmth and trying to sense the vastness before them.
The thing that your mind finds hard to grasp is the fact that this big gaping hole in earth stretching almost 277 miles is a natural phenomenon. I have read that it is likely that the Grand Canyon preserves history of evolution in its folds and valleys. Even the top layers are a few million years old. The deepest part of canyon is almost a mile (6000 feet), so the history of life is buried.
It is debated, and thus unknown, how exactly was this canyon formed. Colorado River cutting across, wind erosion, tectonic movements all seem like plausible causes. Frankly, I couldn’t wrap my head across it even if I considered all three. The reason is that the layers are so similar in erosion patterns, colors, rocks and landscape. It is quiet simply the most artistic the nature has been while using erosion tools.
The sunrise was magnificent. Specifically, the canyon was magnificent at the time of sun-rise. It is a slow process as the valley wakes up taking its own time. Nature uses its entire pallet of rouge and yellow and hue. The rocks and gorges that look asleep and distant and cold wake up as sun filters on them layer by layer. It is nothing short of an orchestrated show with drapes being raised slowly to reveal the grandeur of Grand Canyon. It is in the light that you notice how far and how deep and ho colorful is the landscape. It is a phenomenal experience.
I also did a short 3 mile round-trip hike inside the canyon. I took a very popular trail bright angel trail because it showcases the canyon beautifully. The trial is heavily littered with open views of canyon. As you slide down the narrow trail, it feels like you are peeling the canyon layer by layer. The colors change, rocks change, dirt to yellow to red in 1.5 mile. The most amazing thing you notice is the way rocks have changed colors. You can clearly see neatly drawn straight lines where the color change happens. It is nature’s paint workshop. The hike that takes you to bottom of canyon, to the Indian cap ground, is around 6 hrs. I chose the cozy Yuvapati lodge bed for the night and so 3 miles and 2 hours was my adventure for the day.
For sunset, the vista spot of choice was Hopi point. This point looks at the west and therefore is a better spot for sunset. It was windy and cold. I could see glimpse of Colorado flowing down one of the gorge. The scene was picture perfect and still and yet windy and cold. It seemed like a scene from a video game. It is really hard to fathom it is real, even as you sit in front of it, on one of its rock. The sunset for its colors and the place and the quietness was even better than sunrise.
There were a few more exciting things. I saw an elk – a big, huge elk in the parking lot. The cafes were excellent and the coffee was exceptional.
I only cruised along the south rim of Canyon, which is professed as more scenic. I have not seen the north rim to compare so I can’t compare fairly but of what I have seen, of the south rim, it is a wonder of nature. It looks exactly like the pictures you see of it and yet there’s nothing like being at the rim of these big, imposing, impressive Grand Canyon.
