Cold water curls and cascades
Splashing our faces, drenching our bodies.
On the other side of riffles and cobbled rocks
We slap the boatman’s back: relax, laugh.
The green mile wraps it lovely arms
Around boulders, downstream
In the canyon agave flowers “pup” out rosettes
And at dusk, the sacred white Datura blooms.
I watch Lauren row in a subtle, delicate manner
Reading the water, finessing hydraulics, dodging boat- sucking holes.
She is at home and bound to her boat with a calm and
Passion, only a Grand Canyon boatwoman knows.
In this ancient terrain, I cannot grasp the vastness, or
The magnitude of time in the millions of years echoed in
Layers of rock, cliffs and slopes.
I can only make a grand sweep of my hand, majestically Across the land and say
A masterpiece of this scale, the desert, mountains
River, are uplifting gifts of deep mystery, history
And the memories we made here, exist now…but will disappear
Like rain that evaporates
Before reaching the ground.
Your photos are stunning! And I love the emotions you portrayed in this line: "On the other side of riffles and cobbled rocks / We slap the boatman's back: relax, laugh."
Thanks for taking a look, Mary Anne. It was the trip of a lifetime for me. Hiking out 7.5 miles to the South Rim was an outstanding experience.
Appreciation for your artistry aside, these magical images are telling me I must do this trip one day. I've certainly been wanting to for years.
Oh, do try to make it happen. The food is excellent, the guides top-notch, and the landscape simply breathtaking. Go with AZRA: Arizona Raft Adventures in Flagstaff
I agree, it was a wonderful experience, descending into the canyon, and for me opened up the reality of geological “deep time” plus … the other plus was to share the experience and jaw dropping views with the best of friends. And now we get to relive these experience here. I also loved the hike out.
What a fabulous experience. And the processing of the photos is perfect — the vintage postcard feel helps to establish the timelessness of the experience.
Crazy but I hardly take my big bulky (and expensive!) SLR camera with me anymore…you can do so much with the IPhone, and the editing apps are fabulous. Another new learning curve, though. Thanks, Linda.