Born in 1834 John Wesley Powell was a US soldier, geologist, explorer, university professor. In 1869 he and his expedition completed the first known passage through the Grand Canyon.
He also said "The glories and the beauties of form, colour, and sound unite in the Grand Canyon - forms unrivalled even by the mountains, colours that vie with sunsets, and sounds that span the dispason from tempest to tinkling raindrop from cataract to bubbling fountain."
"The landscape everywhere, away from the river, is of rock, cliffs of rock, crags of rock, ten thousand strangely carved forms....cathedrals shaped buttes, towering hundreds or thousands of feet, cliffs that can not be scaled, and canyon walls that shrink the river into insignificance, with vast hollow domes and tall pinnacles and shafts set on the verge overhead; and all highly coloured."
How can you compete with such eloquence? He has said in 3 short paragraphs what I have been grappling to articulate for the past 4 weeks.... Is it really 4 weeks already?
So the end of my 5 week holiday has arrived and I am well and truly back to reality, day two into a new job, and snuggled up under my duvet whilst a hoolie of a storm rages outside. Each of the elements of my trip were fun, interesting and different and it was fantastic to meet up with friends along the way, and make new friends too, but my overriding memories will be of the Grand Canyon.
Words truly fail me, and even now just remembering causes me to cry (again!). From our whooping and hollering at having survived Crystal, the coolness of standing under waterfalls or just wadding into the river fully clothed, clambering up creeks to find an oasis, hanging out in Havasu Creek, listening to the thunder bounce off the walls, finding out that the Ticket was there (i.e. The toilet was free!), just sitting back on the boat and watching the gorges widen, and narrow, sitting on the riverbank and being struck with how peaceful it was, the changes in the rocks, free floating down the river whilst Corey or Wiley would read extracts from books or tell stories, cowboy coffee in the mornings, listening to the river, and gazing at those magnificent stars.
I remember thinking last year before I headed off on my 3 month trip that perhaps I would find some magic answers somewhere. Answers to questions that I had or questions that I didn't even know. But there was no major break through! And to be honest I was probably a tad disappointed about that.
Who knew then that spending one week away would cause me to feel more than I could possibly have imagined, and give me an opportunity to learn about myself. Not only did the experience, on a very basic level, give me an immense sense of pride and achievement but it also created a greater sense of hope, courage and positivity, and I know that these gifts need to be held onto and nurtured, which will be the hardest task, as everyday life can have a tendency to chip away at one's confidence and resolve.
For all of you lucky people who I get to see in person I apologise in advance. Part of me will want to regale you with stories, part of me will no doubt get emotional, but part of me fears that by telling the stories the memories will weaken and fade. Daft I know, but there you go!
I was talking to some of the group whilst we were in the Canyon, asking if they would ever do the trip again. At the time I stated that I firmly believed that you should never go back, that part of the experience is the unknown, seeing vistas for the first time, the shock of the cold water, the awe at the stars on the first night (well every night actually!), not knowing how a Grade 10 rapid would feel, and not knowing what was around the next corner. We had amazing guides, perfect weather, and a fabulous group, surely any other experience would be a let down? But the further away I travel from that oh so magical place the less I can accept that I will never be there again. The only factor that has stopped me from re-booking is the thought that I will not be travelling with my Grand Canyon family, Victoria, Tracie, Steve and Keith. Steve is already cracking.... He, like me has looked at 2015 dates! He just needs to convince Tracie, then we can work on our two American friends......!
So this blog is finally at an end. I appreciate that this is just a means to effectively record my journeys and experiences, and hope that my random thoughts have not come across as those from too much of a bonkers and barking mad Guernsey girl. I know I have a tendency to ramble and sometimes my mind races faster than my typing, and I forget details!
To end. I left a large part of my heart at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I need to check that it is still there. And I will sleep under those stars again. I flipping well will.
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