All 13 of us are now piled in the two SUVs and have an 11.5 hour drive ahead of us (which does not include stops, so maybe more like 13.5 hours). I had no idea what to expect at the beginning of this trip. I only knew one other girl coming and everyone else seemed to know each other at the meetings. I was a bit nervous to say the least. Now I can confidently say that I have befriended everyone on this trip. We got so close in such a short amount of time. As I reflect back on the past 6 days, this is one of the best experiences I have ever had.
I firmly believe there wasn’t a better way to see the Grand Canyon for the first time. We got a lot of behind-the-scenes tours and were able to stay in the park and not have to drive an hour like the majority of visitors have to do. Our advisor, Park Ranger Perri, was incredibly helpful and informative, and we all learned so much from her. The most interesting thing to me was how Grand Canyon was formed; it is still a mystery. Scientists have their theories but they will never know for sure. The only thing they do know for sure is that the Pacific oceanic crust subducted under a continental crust and the entire canyon was underwater for thousands of years. Paleontologists have found shark teeth in the canyon but have yet to find a whole shark fossil. Ranger Perri took us on a fossil walk and helped us spot a few small fossils. We went on educational trips like this in the mornings and began work in the afternoon.
The first workday we were in the parking lots, which were a bit crazy. Roughly 5,000 spots are within the park and roughly 10,000 cars try to come in and park in them. This caused a lot of angry drivers and illegally parked cars (or, “creative parking”). Our job was to direct these frustrated patrons to another lot. The second workday was a lot easier. They pulled us out of parking lots and placed us along the rim near bus stations and viewpoints so that we could answer any questions. The majority of everyone was nice and we got to meet some really interesting people from all around the world.
One of the days we were there, IT SNOWED. We not only got to experience the Grand Canyon, but we got to experience the Grand Canyon in the snow!!! It was amazing to say the very least. Once the snow clouds blew over and the sun peaked through, the colors shown were incredible. There were tons of visitors who were sour about it and griped about the cold and how you couldn’t see anything, but had they only waited a few minutes they could have had the experience. Don’t get me wrong, it was blizzarding, and I’m not a fan of the cold so many breaks were taken that day. But what a grand experience.
I am so glad to have the opportunity to go on this trip. I love doing service work and giving back to the community, wherever that community may be. Seeing the sun rise (almost) every morning was a fabulous way to start the day as well.
-Sydney