First Light

wild heart

prone to wandering

discovering the secrets meant for me

my spirit will not be contained

we only have these small moments

let me explore

let me run free

let me be myself

The Descent:

The best way to tell the story of the Canyon is to embrace the fascination; the love of how a place reflects them as the colorful stratified layers change over the course of the day and the sunlight transforms the scene.

No one could have prepared me for the hike into the inner canyon; a 7 mile trek descending the South Kaibab trial from switchback to switchback until reaching the Colorado River. I began the journey at 7 am on January 15th.The weather was calm and cool. The iconic landscape was breathtaking at every turn, but only saw it in glimpses so I could focus on my every step. I was entering a whole new world below the rim…the rough and rocky terrain gave way to beautiful vistas with towering century plants that looked like they could touch the sky.

The Return:

After spending 2 glorious days in the canyon, it was time to return to the South Rim. Leaving at 7 am, I crossed the Silver Bridge; the Colorado River roaring beneath my feet…the sun not yet up. The weather was brisk and clouds had started to form above. Tiny droplets of water started to hit the ground. I took this moment to look up and embrace what I had accomplished thus far. The scene was truly without words…I had to photograph this moment. I had decided not to take my DSLR on this trip and instead used my iPhone XS Max.

The sun had started to creep over the stormy blue clouds and gave way to the first light; casting shades of pink and orange across the vast sky. The glow of the sun illuminated the sandy terrain and green foliage as the blue-green waters of the Colorado River carved passed the rocky formations of the canyon walls. I took a view photographs from different perspectives using the Moment app instead of the camera that came standard with my phone. I edited the photos using Adobe Photoshop Express.

I started with a RAW photo in Adobe Photoshop Express; shot f/1.8 1/122s 4.2mm ISO50. I used one of the HDR presets and played with contrast, highlights, as well as shadows. I also tweaked the hue, saturation, and luminescence a bit without being too overpowering. I wanted to make sure that this moment that I was capturing was what I saw with the naked eye. This was to remind me of what I had accomplished as I had never imagined that I would see the Colorado River up close or the bottom of the Grand Canyon for that matter! There was such a feeling of empowerment that this photo encompassed it all; satisfying my wanderlust ways as well as letting me be one with nature.

The hike up was grueling…with each step my calves burned as I continued up the Bright Angel trail; passing the switchbacks of the Devil’s Corkscrew and into a spectacular oasis of green foliage. I crossed several creek beds until I reached Indian Gardens; cottonwood trees, lush grasses, and cacti line the banks. This scenery stands in vast contrast from the surrounding rocky desert terrain I had just encountered.

After a much needed rest, I continued the last 4.5 miles to the top of the Rim. With each switchback that I passed, I was that much closer to finishing the epic 17 mile round trip hike. As I got closer to the 1.5 mile Resthouse, the sun had started to set and the ground gave way to ice and snow. The temperature began to drop quickly and my steps became more labored, but I was almost to the top! It took 11 hours, but I had made it! The canyon had taken its toll on my body, but as I looked out across the Grand Canyon it didn’t seem to matter…I couldn’t wait to do it again!