The Grand Canyon

After finishing a tough semester, my dad rewarded me with a trip to the Grand Canyon. I'd implanted a false memory in my head that I'd been there before, so it was incredible to go there for the first time.



We left Provo on Friday and spent the night in Kanab, Utah, in preparation to hike the North Rim. Of course, the morning we were ready to head out, we learned that the North Rim doesn't even open until May, thanks to snow. So we made a makeshift ramp out of snow, floored it, and launched ourselves across the canyon to the South Rim. 100% factual. Even better, we unknowingly caught the tail end of National Park Week, which led to a waived $25 parking fee. Nice.

We hiked the popular Bright Angel Trail down 3 miles, which meant a 2112 foot drop in elevation. It's certainly different from hiking a mountain, where the hardest part of the hike is done first. I was unnerved when we were going down the trail and seeing so many exhausted people struggling to make it back up. However, I'm apparently in better shape than I thought; we scaled that bad boy in record time (remember, you always set a record when it's your first time). We spent the night and Flagstaff and arrived home to New Mexico today.

Seeing such spectacular natural formations made me grateful that God cares for us. He could very well have made a boring world with gray earth, ocean, and skies; His purposes would still be accomplished with an earth devoid of beauty. The aestheticism of places like the Grand Canyon arouses an innate sense of splendor and joy, and our Father in Heaven smiles every time we intake the gorgeousness of the planet He made especially for us.

It was also great to spend time with my dad. It's a blessing to have a father who truly understands the concepts I just illustrated and takes plentiful opportunities to quench his thirst for nature. It's an even greater blessing to have a father who loves his son enough to bring him along.

Well, I'm home now. The duration of my stay is still indeterminate, but I have a feeling I'll be back in Provo for Summer semester.

-Soy un disco quebrado / Yo tengo chicle en el cerebro