Following in the usual, yet some how unpredictable, pattern of emotional downs we arrive at the Grand Canyon to discover that every campground is fully booked. If there was one place we were looking forward to pitching a tent at the most, it was here but Labor Day weekend and our inability to predict break downs to properly book dates anywhere has prevented us from planning accordingly. Heart broken, we contemplate our options on how to make the most of our current scenario. Everything is pointing to heading about 20 miles south to camp with the plan to hit the canyon in the morning and try to make the most of it all on the way out of the area. I refuse to accept this defeat and in hopes for a small victory I tell the guys we are going to have a look at this natural wonder before going south for the night.
I believe the hashtag to use here is: “#worthit”. The sheer scale of this glorified hole in the ground is unbelievable. We are at the South Rim and a few lodges stand behind us, we figure it’s worth a shot to ask for availability. The non-existent cart we sit in heads straight up on this emotional roller coaster as there is an affordable room available. We take it before the woman at the counter changes her mind. With spirits high we park our bikes and throw everything in the room, grab cameras and take the 30 second stroll back to the exceptional views.
The next few hours are spent under the organic black screen that is the Arizona night sky, naturally decorated with constellations and twinkling stars. We gaze up into the past falling victim to conversations in the present about what the future may hold. The few times we arose to change our view points were led by myself, with an urge to find a unique cliff, stuck out far enough to feel pure nothing yet everything. Our last location was an assortment of jagged fingers poking out into the empty darkness where each of us chose a small piece of real estate to lay on.
In the break of conversation, I fill the air with Miles Davis. Pondering life and how we got here it’s relieving to look back at how today could have been a lot worse yet the silver lining appeared and once again things just worked out.