Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most storied places on earth. Listed as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, this park has been visited by millions and millions of people from every corner of the world. Before its establishment as a National Park in 1919, it was the native home to the Hualapi, Havasupai, Navajo, Southern Paiute, Ancestral Puebloans, and more until their “discovery” by the Spanish in 1540. Even with assistance from Hopi guides, they didn’t make it very far down the canyon! Until the 19th centurey, Europeans did not go out of their way to visit the immense canyon amongst their travels. Since then, the canyon has bestowed its majesty and secrets upon European-descendants and Americans at an unending rate. Flagstaff is fortunately, only a 90 minute drive from the Grand Canyon- so I have had the pleasure of spending a significant amount of time there even though I’ve only seen about five percent of the canyon!

There are few places I’ve seen that feel like you are standing in a painting, and the Grand Canyon is the primest example. No matter what point on the rim you view it from, no matter what trail you take below the rim, no matter how much time you spend in the Colorado River at the bottom- it never seems to make sense as a whole. nearly three billion years of history lays in front of your eyes with little opportunity to answer the questions they beckon. I can only take photos to try and make up for this deficit of understanding, where words hold no meaning.