Homesick

Homesick

I am in a train going south from Seattle, Washington to Oregon, and this is what I see.  Stacks of lumber and lines of trucks.  Piles of rebar and blocks of concrete.  Downed trees and over-grown blackberries.  Water slick roads. Break lights. Trash. Rain. It was sunny in Seattle when… Read More

Living with Mr. Goodbar – an unhealthy love story

Living with Mr. Goodbar – an unhealthy love story

Typical Oregon Day I got home to Oregon on Sunday, and do you know what was there? The sun. Yes, my husband and my son were there too, but the surprising member of the ‘Welcome back from the Grand Canyon party’ was the big guy in the sky. Sun. Sunshine…. Read More

For the People Who Love Kaitlin Kenney

For the People Who Love Kaitlin Kenney

Kaitlin Kenney prior to running Hermit on her birthday, January 6, 2013. © Sophie Danison 2013 The night before I hiked into the Grand Canyon I was contacted by a friend of Kaitlin Kenney’s. He had read an essay I had written about Kaitlin entitled The Way We Die. Kaitlin had gone… Read More

Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

I left the Grand Canyon before sunrise. I had said my goodbyes the evening before. It was time to move on. Saying goodbye So I got in my car and crept out from the park. An hour later, I was nearing Williams Arizona—home of the Grand Canyon Railway. Everyday of… Read More

Cougar Crossing

Cougar Crossing

I did wonder, as I stood out alone at 5:30 in the morning, taking a picture of this unique sign, if I was being all that smart.  Or, more likely, being outsmarted…..Off to hike down to the canyon. Last post till Tuesday night (if I have the strength….)

Going Down

Going Down

Colorado River – August, 2012 (N. Rakha) The first time I was in the Grand Canyon was 1996. I was on an 18-day private rafting trip, and this is the main thing I remember: I did not want to leave—ever. In most stories that include a guru or two, one… Read More

The Quiet

The Quiet

More photos from this walk at The Quiet Snow is falling at the Grand Canyon right now, and it is—quiet. A cushioned cloister of snow-soft sounds. A feather-world of silent flakes. A hush, a whisper, a kiss. And I think, I love snow. I love its padded footsteps, a cat… Read More

A Killing Wind – Uranium on the Navajo Nation.

A Killing Wind – Uranium on the Navajo Nation.

Highly Toxic Uranium Mine in Cameron, AZ (New York Times 3/31/12) On Sunday, I had the opportunity to go for a walk with my friend Jeff who lives on the Navajo Reservation. His home, an Airstream parked across from the Cameron Trading Post, sits near the Little Colorado River in… Read More

One Happy Elephant

One Happy Elephant

Did you watch that Elephant? It is the happiest animal on planet Earth, except for me – yesterday – hiking into the Grand Canyon with Ranger Kristi Rugg, or as I think of her – Wiki – as in Wikipedia. Her knowledge of the canyon is encyclopedic. And so, as we… Read More