3 0 | C A N YO N V I E W S I am falling in love with all that the canyon has to offer—geology, wildlife, plants, clean air, or whitewater—what I am really falling for is the solitude and the way it creates a path to knowing myself. Modernity has a way of stripping us of our former relationship with nature. But Grand Canyon allows us to transcend time and reconnect to something real—simple upright walking, exploring landscapes, discovering self, embracing all. This is how a lifeless rock works its magic. In being so large and so difficult, the canyon repulsed farmers and settlers; nor did it give much in the way of mineral wealth. And therein lies its value.
Wayne R ann ey tod ay
A 45-Year Reflection of Life and Work at Grand Canyon National Park B y Wayne R anney Were they able to speak to us from the depths of time, I’m convinced the trilobites preserved in the Bright Angel Shale would shout, “Where did those 500 million years go! Time flies by so fast.” I believe it is the nature of time to move ever more quickly as it passes, an acceleration through time. Naturally, my 45 years of living and working at the Grand Canyon seems to have blown by as fast as the run through Lava Falls (about 15 seconds). And yet by human standards, 45 years is deemed a lifetime!
As I begin to imagine what the next 45 years might bring to this place, I can imagine a day, not too far off, when entrance to the park might be restricted by a limited number of total “user days.” Many will decry the idea but nearly all forms of enjoyment within the park now are already governed by such necessities. With a limited water supply, unchecked growth in Grand Canyon Village is untenable. So I will gladly trade the odd casual visit in the future for visits that can ensure the right amount of deep connection with Grand Canyon. These 45 years have shown me that the canyon provides what is too rapidly being destroyed elsewhere—
When I arrived here as a young man to take a job as a backcountry ranger in 1975, Grand Canyon had about 2.6 million visitors per year. Now those numbers are reversed at 6.2 million and will only increase as long as the canyon leaves spellbound those who encounter it. My time here causes me to reflect on how and why the Grand Canyon captured my life, changing its course not just then, but time and time again. How can a seemingly lifeless “hole in the ground” have affected me, and so many others, to redirect their lives toward something that once was just a “blank spot” on the map? I likely answered my own question. For me, the greatest attribute of this place IS the solitude and its absence of human intrusion. Within this massive, carved out space, one can lose himself in a completely singular world of color, form, textures, and cascading waters, with just enough danger to heighten the senses. “Getting lost” in the canyon is a desired outcome for me and likely what draws me back over and over. But “getting lost” in this sense means establishing a connection to our innermost truth, as the trappings of the human world fade away far back up the trail. And while I may think
Wayne Ranney in Grand Canyon Photo by Bryan Brown
