Life at 3MPH

I just accomplished one of my dreams, I kayaked the Grand Canyon. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. 24 days of river life. The hikes, people, food and everything about the trip was surreal. While words cannot truly describe the experience, here is a little something I wrote to describe it in simple terms...

Life at 3MPH

life at 3mph
    the closest i'll ever get to the speed of light

worldly cares wash away with spring rain

then comes the desert bloom
   Palmer's Penstemon, Desert Larkspur, Sacred Datura, Primrose, Mariposa Lily, Prickly Pears and Poppies

sing in the amphitheater
   scale to look for another view

the enormity of everything is a halting horse

carved giants watch from above
   river, washes, tributaries
relics of the past leave simple traces
   stories make them into legends
      Anasazi, Hopi & Navajo

tracks of the day: mountain goats, deer
   scorpions, ringtail cats
   and river rats

survival is a simple cadence
   chores, paddling, swimming, and grooving with a view
life is more primal, routine, slowed
and every eye blink is of canvas quality

subtle fear sets in as the south rim arises

dance in the shadows of the canyon walls and laterals
   where serpentine waltzes show respect to the boil lines

STOP what you are doing
look up, it's breathtaking
   promontories, mesas, buttes, pinnacles

       as the fire red colors melt into the starry sky.

3/3/2010