The Grand Canyon

I've lived in Arizona my entire life and have been to the Grand Canyon on a number of occasions. But in all those trips to the Canyon I had only ever been to visitor centers and tourist attractions along its edge and never ventured into it.

In September, two friends and I took a 4-day hiking/camping trip along the north rim of the Canyon to Deer Creek where we set up our final camp and stayed for a day and a half. It was one of the most grueling, physically and mentally demanding things I have ever endured, but the end result was worth the pain. In the seclusion of Deer Creek, standing in the cold fast-flowing waters that helped form the immense Canyon over millennia, I experienced a powerful yet humbling connection with the Earth that recharged my emotional and spiritual batteries.

These photos don't convey the experience in the least, but I hope that an appreciation for the sheer pristine natural beauty of this secluded place gives you some idea the effect it had on me. I am forever changed.