My tale is not just of a national park visit; it is of a national park adventure. In the summer of 1998, I worked in the El Tovar Restaurant on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.
I always wanted to see the Grand Canyon. Growing up next to water, I dreamed of living in and exploring the desert. Finally after graduating in May, I went. It was the perfect time to work at the canyon. Not only did I want adventure, I wanted a sense of freedom to travel and explore that you cannot have holding down a full-time, permanent job.
I remember first seeing the canyon. It was dusk. It was cold and windy, but after a full day of traveling, I was not going to miss seeing it. I walked to the edge near the El Tovar hotel. What I saw took my breath away. How is it possible that something is so beautiful and incomprehensible at the same time? The dark colors of a fading sunset contrasting against the layers of the canyon. It made me feel so small and insignificant, yet so precious.
I had that same feeling every time I saw the canyon that entire summer: absolute awe, wonder and amazement. Yet it gave a sense of completeness and belonging. I felt like I fit in where I didn't before.
The canyon brought unlimited adventure. I spent four months working in the Grand Canyon, traveled every day off from work possible, and still did not explore everything the national park had to offer. Most mornings before work, I would run or hike along the trails on the South Rim through the beautiful Ponderosa pine and juniper forests, catching glimpses of the canyon through the trees. Sometimes, after work, I would just sit at the South Rim and watch the clouds. One day a thunderstorm caught me by surprise and I was able take shelter under a rock outcropping. I watched the storm clouds roll in over the canyon to the South Rim, bringing rain and lightning, with bolts striking through the clouds.
My most memorable trips were hiking down to Hermits Rest and Phantom Ranch and camping overnight. The weather in these spots is hotter than at the South Rim. Despite the heat, it was wonderful to spend time at the river, watching rafters go by on the fast-moving rapids at Hermits Rest. Walking over the bridges connecting Phantom Ranch had a beautiful, yet scary view as the river and rapids were more than 50 feet below.
It's not only the view of the Grand Canyon that makes the park unique, it is the prickly pear cactus, rattlesnakes, scorpions, the red-colored rock and other plants and animals that you see as you hike down the canyon.
My biggest hiking adventures were the 10-mile hike to Havasu Falls and the 24-mile hike from the North Rim of the canyon to the South Rim. The long hike to Havasu Falls is worth it to swim in the gorgeous blue pools and admire the beautiful waterfalls. The North Rim is at a higher elevation, with different types of pine trees than at the South Rim. Hiking from the North to the South Rim, you see all the different layers of the canyon, such as basalt, limestone and Vishnu schist, to name a few. There is so much to explore, including slot canyons with waterfalls and desert oases.
Living and working in the park allowed me to travel with friends and relatives to other national and state parks and Native American sites including Zion National Park, Lake Powell, Sedona, the Four Corners area, Canyon du Chelly and Mesa Verde National Park.
While I have not returned to the canyon since working there, I think about it every day; the friends I made, our travels together, the place that time and water created and captured into one moment that will last a lifetime.
My national park travels will not end, however, as my husband, our three children and I will go on adventures together — a tradition to pass on to my children and their children. Our lives are minuscule in the timeline of our national parks, but the Grand Canyon, just like every national park, will always be there for the next adventurer.
Susanna Wilson Witkowski lives in North Branch, Minn.
