The Grand Canyon. One of the world's most impressive and astounding rock forms, not only for geologists but for people of all ages. And it truly was. I have seen pictures of the canyon of the Colorado River, but these images did not do justice for the real thing. The burgundy, russet, and beige hues of the rocks were accentuated by the intense blue of the sky. The river continues to carve around and erode the walls of the canyon, as it has done for the last few million years. Not only has the Colorado created a 277 mile ravine through northern Arizona, but it has exposed the history of life on Earth hidden below the surface. Of particular interest to the amateur Terp geologists was the sedimentary rock type that makes up the canyon. Sedimentary rocks are rocks that form at the surface where life occurs. Therefore, by studying this rock type we are able to recreate an extinct world, since a rock is a record of the environment in which it forms (the proposed mantra of the trip).

In order to get a close up look at the "rocks of the day", the scholars strapped on their hiking boots and trekked down into the canyon. Led by Dr. Tom Holtz Jr., the first group of students hiked down 1,250 feet (from 6,905 ft. at the surface to 5,655 ft) to the Hermit Shale layer, encountering ice, snow, sun, mules, and bubbles (thanks April!). Meanwhile, further back up the trail, Dr. John Merck, Jr. and the other students had a little adventure of their own. Apparently, squirrels really are trying to take over the world as a rock squirrel attacked Hyo Jung and Christina while they were trying to eat their sandwiches. Luckily this squirrel will have to wait for other victims as both Hyo Jung and Christina were eventually able to scare it away. Before we left the Grand Canyon, I was able to find out a little history of the Southwest. The hunchback flute player, familiar in Native American art, is called the Kokopelli Musician. He is known as the prankster, symbolizing abundance and fertility. The superstition behind him is that if you follow his sweet music he will lead you to fun. He is a teacher, a storyteller, a healer. He also brings out the best in everyone.

Following our adventure in the canyon, we all enjoyed dinner at a traditional Native American trading post in Cameron. The most popular dish ordered was the Navajo Taco, which John Booze informed us was really people! Satisfied with the food, we ended the day in lovely Tuba City.

In my opinion, the Grand Canyon was the most spectacular site that we saw while we were in Arizona and it was one of my absolute favorite places I have ever been to. Sitting on a ledge in the Hermit Shale, surrounded by immense rock formations created by millions of years of deposits and erosions, made me realize how minute the human life is compared to the history of the Earth. I'm just glad that I got to visit the canyon during my lifetime!

Day 3 - Kayenta trackways and Wupatki
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