LOCALadk Magazine
Issue link: https://localadkmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1356268
LOCALadk 30 Life on the river is pared down to essentials. At the core, the only real responsibilities are to eat, move downstream, sleep, and repeat. Of course, it's more detailed than that: you have to rig the ra each morning, cook, set up camp, clean, and stay warm, but there is still a remarkable amount of leisure time, even with limited daylight. e canyon is so deep and narrow, there are many places that never get direct sunlight from December through February. Despite all this, we were able to do a short hike almost every day, examining ruins from the indigenous Anasazi cliff dwellers, sinuous slot canyons, trickling waterfalls, and gravity-defying arches. Our first hike began at South Canyon camp, crossing a dried- up tributary, or "wash," to scramble up a short set of ledges to reach the foundation of some Anasazi ruins. e Anasazi people are some of the most mysterious in Indigenous American history, essentially vanishing aer more than 2,000 years of relative prosperity. It is fascinating to contemplate carving out a cliffside existence with the river flowing hundreds of feet below. ese walls of rock and stone have endured thousands of years of weathering and erosion, and paint an especially poignant picture of what life must have been like so long ago, if only you allow them to play on your imagination. In a way, it feels similar to our own existence in the canyon. Just beyond the ruins, the trail butts up against the canyon wall. A deceptively small alcove leads to a tunnel just wide enough to squeeze through, looking a couple hundred feet directly down into the narrows of South Canyon. With dinner sizzling on the stove back at camp, I turn back, but make a mental note to spend more time here on my next trip. On our third night, we arrive at Dinosaur Camp, named for the numerous outcroppings high on the canyon rim that resemble cartoonish outlines of those giant reptiles. A precipice looms thousands of feet over camp. It's called the Diving Board, and the following morning we find ourselves clinging to cliffsides on the way to the intra-canyon summit. e hike begins with a steep climb up gravelly limestone and then traverses the cliffside up a deep wash. I'm grateful for my climbing experience and sturdy hiking boots, as a stumble here would mean the end of the trip for everyone. Aer a few gripping moves, we reach the edge of a "pour off," or dry The Grand. The Canyon.