Travel | Adventure

When -6° C Feels More Refreshing Than Freezing

Grand Canyon energizes all its visitors

I sprinkled some pepper flakes on my bland pizza. Even though it lacked flavor, I gobbled it down like I hadn’t eaten in days.

Typically, 3 slices are more than enough to sate my hunger. After completely devouring a 16" pizza, I sat back, puzzled at how I had eaten so much.

I pulled out my phone. In bright colors, it displayed my step count for the day — 18,545. I didn’t realize how much I had walked. The beauty of the Grand Canyon made me go the extra mile to absorb all of her beauty.

That night my buddy and I drove back to the park. We stopped at a turnout, turned off our car, and stepped out. The air felt fresh. We were surrounded by absolute silence disturbed only by the howling of the wind.

I stared into the yawning darkness that lay beyond the road. The tall trees began shape-shifting, molded only by my imagination. It felt strangely comforting.

I looked up to see the sky lit up by the smiles of a million stars. It was a sight to remember! Mother nature was caressing my senses.

We got back in and drove to the main parking lot. The lack of tree cover made our star-gazing experience all the more stupendous. We were enamored and wanted more. So in the darkness, with the light from our phones showing the way, we hiked towards Mather Point.

By then our eyes had adjusted to the darkness. I could see the canyon. I peered into its depths which were illuminated only by tiny bright spots on the sky’s black canvas. It felt dizzying, yet I kept staring into the abyss. I was mesmerized.

That night I dreamed of the beautiful sights that I had seen. Just hours ago, in the presence of the setting sun, the canyon had donned a magnificent gold cloak. To add to the awesomeness of this experience, we spotted an elk and her calf cutting across the parking lot just a little past dusk. Their powerful muscles helped them easily jump over partitions installed to improve crowd flow.

We Risked It For Some Good Shots

The following morning, we were back at Mather Point at the tail end of the golden hour. At that incident angle, one could see regions lit up interspersed with those in the shadows.

We hiked along the rim of the Canyon to get to the Hermit Road shuttle stop. Some of the viewpoints were breathtaking. We took pictures. At one spot, I remember feeling a bit dizzy from the steep drop-offs that were only a few feet away from where we were posing. That signaled the end of photos with panoramic views and with me in them.

Along the way, a goat startled us when it silently appeared from behind some trees and shrubs and took both poser and photographer by surprise.

My buddy followed it with his camera. At one point he got too close, and the goat took a defensive stance. He backed off. The goat disappeared into the depths of the canyon.

When we arrived at the shuttle stop, there was a long queue. The biting cold of the AM hadn’t deterred people from visiting. Although the wait was longer than expected, everyone was happy. There was a sense of excitement in the air about what lay beyond the last visible bend in the road.

We huddled into a bus that took us from one scenic point to the next. It just kept getting better and better. While Hopi Point is the most popular of them all, I thought the views at Powell Point were better.

We were like sponges, soaking it all in. The canyon was mind-blowingly huge and the experience was grand!

The bus ride was long and the return leg was less interesting. When we disembarked from the bus, it was well past noon. We had a 4 long drive ahead of us to get back to Vegas and take our flights home. With a heavy heart, we started on our return journey. I munched on chocolates and my buddy on chips, because why not treat yourself on a road trip?

The mighty Colorado has been patient. Slowly yet persistently, it has over time, created a work of art. Over time and with consistency, water can break down rock.

Be like the Colorado River. Chip away at your rock-solid problems little by little and every day, with consistency, there is not a force in the world that can stop you from overcoming them.