July 15th, 2010

The important things about the Grand Canyon is that it is always there.
You go to it and look at it.
And you can take pictures of it.
But the important thing about the Grand Canyon is that it is always there.

Cave of the Domes

Down from Grand View – across the front porch and past the old copper mine
We found the wrong cave
bats only and a steeply sloping entrance ending with the canyon cliff.

Leaving the treacherousness, we hope that the cave we seek is more welcoming.

In a wash, we follow the correct path,
well worn by over 100 years of footfall.

The Cave of the Domes opens to the drainage silently, unassuming
revealing nothing of the depths within.
We were told that we would find Teddy Roosevelt’s signature inside
We found others’, dating back to the late 1890′s amidst contemporary graffiti-like scrawling
No Teddy

Sam and I immersed ourselves in the depths of the cave,
climbing over millions of years of geological formation
We turn back after reaching an impasse, fighting the pull to go deeper and deeper.

Near the exit, I stopped alone and extinguished my headlamp
the palpable darkness filled the space around me
pushing against my body and into my eyes.
I fell silent
basking in the rarity of the experience as ears took the place of eyes as my primary organ of orientation

As I reached for my headlamp, I remember the strong recommendation to bring three lights per person.
And then I could see again
Grateful

During the decent, Jake had told us
“that each step down into the Grand Canyon is like going back 10,000 years in time.”
We traveled forward again and as we reached the present
exhausted
sordid
and vibrant
we found it swarming with tourists.
I walked past them
proud of the difference between my experience and theirs.

• 

  1

• 

  2