The Path Less Taken

By: Ananya Venkatesh

I look up into the sky and see millions of stars shining brightly due to the separation from city lights.  I take in the silhouette of the canyon rim, which is slightly darker than the starry night sky.  I could hear the creek water rushing as if it were trying to race to the finish line.  The rushing creek water gently coos me to sleep as the droning chirps of the cicadas fade into the background.  So this is what it feels like to be 5,000 feet inside the earth.  No, I am not sharing what I dreamt of last night.  I actually went on the arduous journey to the bottom of the earth, the Grand Canyon.

            It all began at 4:30 in the morning on a promising summer day.  My family and I were standing at the ‘South Kaibab’ trailhead shivering (yes, shivering at the desert in the summertime, but it was actually cold outside.)  We were standing feet away from where the trail starts, and we were just standing there wasting precious time.  So why hadn’t we started?  I think I was just taking in the fact that we were about to hike to the very bottom of the Grand Canyon.  Millions of people worldwide flock to the Grand Canyon each year; however only about 2% of the people make it to the bottom of the canyon, and I wonder how many of that 2% are 14 year olds like me!  I felt privileged to be among that 2%!  So I took that dramatic step onto the trail and we began our descent into the Grand Canyon.

            Early in the morning it was still cool outside but once the sun came up, it started warming us as well as the red canyon rocks.  The canyon walls were the oven and we were the cookies taking our time to bake.  We were all hiking excitedly until about halfway through the hike when the sun was pounding on our bodies and sweltering our skin.  We were all looking forward to the next rest stop and we were very hungry.  My sister asks, “How much farther until the rest stop?”  My father replies, “Just five more minutes, come on keep walking.”  About ten minutes later, my sister asks, “Are we there yet?”  And my father still answers, “Just five more minutes, you can do it.”  “But you said that five minutes ago!”  This conversation goes on for another 30 minutes until we finally reach the rest area.  We begin eating on a nice shady rock until we encounter the squirrels.  I personally love squirrels, but I do not like those squirrels.  Those squirrels would come up to us, so close that we could touch them, and they would try to get into our backpacks and steal our food, which ruined our meant to be peaceful lunch.  After lunch, we continued walking.  I would stop often, and as I did so I would get lost in thought.  I was amazed by the changing geographic formation of the rocks, its varying colors, texture, and formations.  Since there were not many trees in this arid land, we could see miles of path zigzagging through the area.

            Finally, we reached the bottom of the canyon to Phantom Ranch.  You would think they would name it something a bit more inviting rather than Phantom Ranch.  Maybe that’s why only a few people make it to the bottom!  The creek was beckoning to me and my sweaty body, inviting me to come and cool off.  I couldn’t turn down such a nice invitation, so the first thing I did when I got there was rush to the creek.  After eating dinner which consisted of salad, vegetarian chili, cornbread, sweet tea, and chocolate cake, we took a relaxing stroll around the ranch.  The evening flew by as we spent time with the Phantom Ranch park ranger.  Her love for the ecosystem and the area intrigued me, and the way she shared her knowledge about the Grand Canyon’s unique rattlesnake species fascinated me.  Although these pink rattlesnakes are very rarely spotted, it still amazed me that the Grand Canyon had its very own species of snake.  

After a long day of hard work it was finally time to retire.  We barely had the energy to pitch our tent on the banks of the Colorado River.  However, it was still too hot to sleep inside the tent.  Therefore, I slept under the gorgeous night sky.  When I looked up, I could see the silhouette of the Grand Canyon walls with the backdrop of a starlit night sky.  I was surrounded by the Colorado River and the magnificent canyon rim.  I thought about the difficult journey to the bottom of the canyon, but since I was sleeping under a beautiful starry night, I knew it was all worth it.

            The next day, we woke up at 4:30 and prepared for our hike back up the Grand Canyon.  After a fulfilling breakfast at Phantom Ranch which consisted of eggs, fluffy pancakes, juicy peaches, and refreshing orange juice, we started the hike back up the Grand Canyon.  This time however, the whole hike was going to be uphill.  We took the Bright Angel Trail which is a ten mile hike.  The beginning of the trail was along the Colorado River and we watched the sun rise over the magnificent canyon walls.  Once the sun came up, there was no escaping it.  There was barely any shade and soon we made our way to Devil’s Corkscrew.

            Devil’s Corkscrew is a steep winding path which seems to go on forever.  I would consider it the hardest part of the hike.  At Devil’s Corkscrew, I stared at the white, grainy sand as I trudged up the steep, winding hill.  That stretch was torturous and all I could think of was placing one foot after another and to continue walking.  At last, we reached Indian Garden.  Indian Garden is a true oasis.  In the middle of this arid desert, it was amazing to see tall birch wood and cotton wood trees with small creek meandering amidst them.  However, we didn’t take too long a break since we wanted to finish the hike in one day.

I could see the lodge at the top of the canyon!  I was almost there!  I hurried along with excitement and I finally reached the top of the Grand Canyon.  I was hot and sticky, but I was also extremely happy and proud.  I hiked one of the hardest hikes: the Grand Canyon, and I hiked during one of the hottest times of the year.  This hike was challenging both physically and mentally; It tested my strength and made me push the limits of my endurance. I believe that it is the ‘attitude that matters not the altitude’. By hiking the Grand Canyon, I got to experience its natural beauty in the most intimate way- one step at a time.  I am sure that just thinking about this experience will give me the strength to deal with obstacles in life with a positive spirit!  The emotions going through my head were overwhelming!  I couldn’t get over the fact that I actually hiked all the way to the very bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up!  I could still picture the scene at the bottom: the Colorado River serenely rushing beside enormous red canyon walls.  It was an incredible experience which will remain etched in my memory forever!

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