The Grand Canyon is one of the most timeless places on earth. The spectacle of the sunrise over the mile-deep, 18-mile-wide chasm is as mesmerizing as watching ocean waves. But just as you can’t grasp the size of the swells without swimming, you can’t comprehend the depth of the canyon without descending. The best way to see it is looking up at the massive walls from a raft while journeying down the Colorado River.
River guides Bill Frothingham (L), Shelby Wolfe, Ben Bressler, and Joe Clark sit on the pontoons of the 35-foot J-Rigs. (Maria Coulson)
Millions travel to stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon, gaze across the expanse, and peer into the abyss. “It’s more than the wide-angle shot of the canyon from above,” landscape photographer Willie Holdman pointed out. “It’s the graphic nature of rock patterns adorning the walls. It’s the trickle of water dripping from the moss in a deep side canyon with golden reflected light. It’s the scarlet pincushion buds on a cactus, or perhaps the turquoise water flowing over travertine ledges with red monkey flowers in the many tributaries.”…