Feeling small at Grand Canyon National Park.

Sometimes you don’t really know where you are going. I for one can attest to this. I maybe for the most part stuck where I am, but any chance I get to go somewhere I do. Sometimes it feels like I’m just running in any direction that I can, just so I can see or experience something new. So when a friend invited me to go to Flagstaff Arizona for a road trip, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

My friend and I have become great pals over the last year. We both have love exploring, beer, and enjoying a good laugh. On top of that we have some friends in Flagstaff that we will be visiting so it’s even better. These three people that I had the privilege of spending time with mean a lot to me. In some ways they are like my family.

So one day while we are all together one of them brings up going to the Grand Canyon for the day. It’s not that far of a drive, and I’ve never been to the south rim before so I was all for it. After running a few errands and getting some stuff for the road we were off. Sitting in the backseat soaking up the views of the San Francisco Peaks and the Ponderosa Pines, brought me back to a time when I traveled a lot with my friends. Like when we traveled up to Yosemite and spotted a tornado near Panum Crater. Or the time we drove through some of the Sierra Nevadas on our way to Fresno, and had a whole camp to ourselves; and many other similar adventures.

It’s funny really, when I think about it. I always thought I would leave first. I never imagined that I was going to be the one left behind. I think it’s actually better this way to be honest. Maybe I needed them to all leave so that I could finally leave? I was actually supposed to leave almost a year ago and I pushed back my plans so that I could have more time. I’m glad I did, because after I leave. I won’t be able to see any of them for months.

When we arrive at the Canyon there was a good size crowd there. Which I really don’t mind, it saddens me when I visit an empty national park. We go up to the fence and the sight of the canyon is magnificent and breath taking. Only problem I have is that there is a fence between me and the canyon, but lucky for us there is a trail that goes along the rim, so we take it. It isn’t long before we are away from the crowds and the fence. Now we can truly walk up to the ledge of the rim and gaze in wonder..

Being on the ledge and looking out into the great below is like no other feeling I have felt before. The way the rocks are layered and how the Colorado River meanders through it. The lush of green at the bottom of the canyon and the reds near the top, it’s just wonderful. Seeing it stretch far out into the north, it appears to stretch on forever, even though it doesn’t. I sat there high on the ledge, my feet dangling off hanging in the wind. It felt peaceful and invigorating at the same time. There is just something about that combination of sensations that helps you realize that you are alive, and at any given moment that can all change. It reminds you to appreciate the good and the bad that life has all to offer, and that for now it still has more to offer.