Standing Still

I am not a stationary person. I like moving around. I like running, climbing, hiking, swimming, exploring—nothing can get me to stand still.

I thought that's the way life should be lived, although that was before I saw one of the Seven Wonders of the World—the Grand Canyon.

No amount of photos, videos, paintings, or descriptions could have prepared me for what I saw when I traveled out west last week. After two decades of living, I finally saw one of the most jaw-dropping images I will ever see.

Ever since my boyfriend and I started seriously hiking, the Grand Canyon had always been at the top of our list. We had seen pictures and heard camp stories of this vast crack in the Earth and knew it would be one of our most desired travels. However, since we are both full-time college students who work during the summer it seemed like we would have to put our longing on the back burner.

Then a fortunate situation came up in our lives. His family had planned a vacation out west and had invited me along where (among other activities) we would spend two days hiking the Grand Canyon.

Almost immediately I began preparing for the trip. I couldn't stop counting down the days or talking the ear off my coworkers explaining my excitement. I bought new hiking boots along with a new water reservoir because I wanted the trip to be perfect. I packed my GoPro, two disposable cameras, and my film Canon AE-1 to capture every moment of the trip. (Not to mention my camera on my phone).

Finally, after a couple months of planning and eagerly waiting, we flew out to Las Vegas and even though we weren't hiking in the Grand Canyon yet, I was struck by the different terrain of the west.

I had never been anywhere near the western part of the United States up to this point. I grew up and lived in Kentucky, the furthest I've ever ventured west was to St. Louis, Missouri which isn't a whole lot different. However, going from the rolling green hills, thickly forested areas, and humidity to the dry, barren desert of the west made me feel like I was on a completely different planet... no, seriously it did.

I had to wait patiently for two days to get to see one of the top destinations on my bucket list and by the time we were driving through the gates, I was nearly jumping out of my seat. I wanted so desperately to see it that any lull to make sure everything was packed, finding maps was wasted time to me.

My feet seemed to glide across the ground towards the first lookout point of the Grand Canyon. What I had been building up in my mind for the past four or so years was finally about to reveal itself around the corner and when it did... well it made me literally stop in my tracks.

All the tourist voices around me seem to fade away into distant noise as I looked out into the canyon for the first time. I took off my sunglasses that I had been wearing because I didn't want any barrier between my eyes and what laid before me. No amount of description could have done this natural wonder justice. It didn't seem real... it looked like a painting but at the same time it put all the artwork made of it to shame. Sure you might get good lighting or long-exposure shots that take your breath away but there is something about the raw, unfiltered land before you that just hits you and you just have to stand there.

The colors of the canyon; the dark clay reds, the streaks of black lava rock, the softness of the sand color, and the richness of the specks of green dotting the sides of the canyon were full of their own kind of life. The craters, cliffs, and the caves carving the landscape were fascinating to look and made one ponder how long it took to create them. How much power did the Colorado River have to produce to chip away all of this rock?

It was packed at the first lookout point, surrounded by bustling tourists, talking in languages I didn't understand, with dogs barking and parents telling their children not to get to close to the edge... and yet I could have stood, in silence, taking picture after picture wanting to get every angle I could. I wanted to stand there soaking up every millimeter of the canyon from this angle because never in my life have I wanted to remember something so precisely. I wanted to see how the landscape would change if the sun moved just a smidge after a minute or two. I wanted to hear the wind howl through the canyon and wash over me like a powerful wave. When asked about my experience, I want to give the most accurate description possible even though I know I will never do it justice. No amount of descriptors or metaphors could accurately portray to you how I wanted that moment to last a million more. How I slowed my walk to make sure I didn't miss a single view even if it was just a few steps difference.

The Grand Canyon's sheer massiveness and longevity put us tiny humans into perspective. We tend to think that the world is at our bidding and it will move for us, this place never will move to humans. If you suddenly tripped and fell to your death, the canyon would still stand strong and unfazed. It is the pure Mother Earth.

Standing still, on the edge of a massive force of nature, one that takes lives and continues to amaze us, this canyon humbled me. It makes you stop in your tracks because it took millions of years to make and mankind can never hope to create something as powerful as the Grand Canyon and dominates over humans for hundreds of years. This Wonder of the World was here long before us and will be here long after us.

I'm someone who wants to see everything in my life. I think those who stay in one place are missing out on life. I'm someone who is constantly on the go, eager to experience more and slowdowns for no one, but yet, I'm glad that I was finally put in my place and shown that standing still really isn't all that bad if you have the right view.