Back into Civilization

For three days, I removed myself from mostly all contact with the outside world and lived among the Havasupai natives within the remote, outlying depths of the Grand Canyon. It was an experience that I'll not soon forget, and hope to relive again in the near future. Even more than a year later, the memories of that oasis amidst the desert live vividly in my mind, with its turquoise water, blazing crimson rock and lush green foliage surrounding my every step through the narrow valley. Such places are only meant to exist in dreams and yet, there it was, a living reality. It makes one's obligation to leave all that much more difficult.

After three days of meditation, exploration and hiking along the valley's numerous and picturesque waterfalls, it was time for me to pack up and head back up the long, hot, 10-mile path to the rim of the canyon and begin the third leg of my trip towards Phoenix and Tucson to spend my final days within the southwest with family. That morning, accompanied by a new canine friend I named "Quixote" (fitting, as I was reading Cervantes' book amidst my stay) I enjoyed a quick breakfast, packed up my tent and began the trek back towards my car. Quixote, who had been shadowing me all over the valley for the better part of a day and a half, followed me for about two miles past the village, my last view of him being atop a small ridge behind and above my path, regally watching me as I passed into the great crevice that would lead me home.

Four hours, ten miles and 2400 vertical feet later, I was finally able to rest alongside my car, gratefully ending the brutal climb to the top of the rim. Without wasting much time, I hopped in my rental, cranked up the AC and headed south down Indian Rd. 18, then east towards Flagstaff. Due to a small mishap with my dinosaur of a phone and the pools underneath Mooney Falls, I was unable to make outgoing calls. Using this opportunity to final invest in an iPhone, I made a quick stop into an AT&t store, made the quick exchange, and jumped on Interstate-10 to head down the big hill into Phoenix.

Two hours later, I was pulling into my Uncle's house and after a vibrant greeting with my boy Cougar (the resident Golden Retriever that becomes attached to my hip during each visit) and their new addition Blitz, I was ready for a nice, comforting, hot shower. Just after I finished cleaning up four days of desert filth off my skin, my cousin Danny walked in the door, followed a bit later by my Uncle Dave. Not long afterwards, we found ourselves heading up the street to a local wing joint to gorge ourselves on a few baskets of wings and a bit of beer. My Aunt Ellie and cousin Jon joined us a bit later on their way back from a college visit for Jon. We ate like kings.

The night continued on back at their house, watching a few movies with a couple of Danny and Jon's friends, heckling each other over Facebook and discussing what the next few days were going to include. Those plans would have to wait, however, as the next morning I would be traveling even further south into Tucson for a day to visit another aunt and uncle and their three grown boys, Matt, Tim and Adam, all of which I hadn't seen in almost five years. Until then, only one thing was saturating my mind; the promise of a good night's sleep. Promise: kept.