Dave Ford Does Earth

Posted by Dave Ford

We hiked 8 miles into the depths of a massive hole in the ground and fell in love with what we discovered. A vast, open, beautiful new world lie in the depths of the Grand Canyon. We saw new animals, met new friends, and liked it so much that we decided to stay longer than we originally planned. We stayed at the lone cabin system in the Canyon. The Phantom Ranch is usually only available if you book 1 full year in advance. Our motley crew rocked up and got a cabin to ourself. There was a water main break and many of the people with reservations had canceled at the last minute. We got very lucky. This luck gave birth to some of the “highlight moments” of our entire trip.

While in the Grand Canyon it felt was like we were on another planet. We were so removed from everything and everyone. It is a place where one can achieve the inner peace that so many of us are looking for by simply hiking around.

For me, I was able to reflect and personalize my experiences of the last year. I thought quite a bit about what the future will bring and how I have come to this point in my life.

I had found out just before our trek that a a dear friend of mine had died. I had a chance to reflect and confront all of the emotions I was feeling. I thought about what Lola stood for and what she was accomplishing as a freelance journalist in Bolivia.

Lola was so brave and living her life to the fullest. She was also successful while on the road in a foreign land. She was achieving exactly what I am hoping to make happen myself.

In my mind I had wanted to move on from this subject. I wanted to avoid another round of condolences. But, how can I sit here and write a post about the Grand Canyon and leave out the underlying theme of my experience there. The feelings are rushing back. I came face to face with the idea of my own mortality.

In all of its magnanimous beauty, with the Colorado River powerfully ravaging at its base, the Grand Canyon is a place where it is easy to contemplate life, death, happiness, and friendship. I find that this is the case with many of the treks that I have done. My thinking is always much clearer. The distractions vanish.

This trip has been about friendship. Five of us started off together. The first part of the trip was a party. The second part was about the outdoors and connecting with nature. Benny, Jess, and I have been traveling together for months upon months this year. Dave has had a near death experience himself this year. He was very lucky to have survived, even luckier not to have had any lasting injuries.

2007 has been such a life changing, unforgettable year for all of us.

It was in the Canyon where it all came together. As a group we connected. Some of us may never see each other again. In the Canyon we hiked– helping each other through the tough parts– while spending time together and alone in our individual heads. Other aspects of our experienced included partying all night, laughing as hard as I can remember, and laying on our roof watching a sky full of stars surrounded on all sides by 6000 ft high walls of rocks.

Through this trip as a whole –and through our experience in the Canyon particularly– we created an experience in our lives that we will never forget. We jumped into some very old cars and took off across a seemingly never ending country.

This trip has completely refreshed me on America. The people and places have filled me up with a renewed sense of love for my country. We have our problems, but I discovered so much kindness and generosity on this trip.

There was an energy present in the Grand Canyon that we were able to connect with. An energy that is present when you are out there in the middle of some of the most fantastic places that our planet has to offer. I have experienced this energy before. The same feeling was present in the mountains of Torres Del Paine in Chile, in the Jungles of Rurrenabaque in Bolivia, in the ice and snow of Antarctica, in the ancient ruins of the Lost City of Colombia and Machu Picchu, and through my experience with Ayahuasca in both the Amazon and the Andes.

NOTE: All of the above links are to previous posts from 2007.

You can add the Grand Canyon to this list. For both Benny and I, our time in the Canyon cracked our top 5 travel experiences.

After reflecting I have come to the conclusion that as much as I love to party, it does not come close to the natural highs I have experienced simply “being” in these special places.

Whatever it is that we found down there, It is addictive. And, it is why we travel to begin with. For me it is what I am striving and searching for. I cannot wait to add to the list with my experiences to come in Africa and beyond.

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Notes:

> After the Canyon we spent a few more days on the road rolling through Vegas and Los Angeles. The Grand Canyon was the pinnacle of the trip. Thus, I have decided to end my posting here. Our time in Vegas and L.A was a wind down. We all were getting ready mentally for our future destinations.

> We dropped Dave off into a very positive new life surrounded by creativity on every side in L.A. We all wish him the best of luck in his new career. He is living with Mike Russeck, a close friend of ours, and an incredible musician. Mike was on the phone with both of us everyday of this trip. Thanks Mike for your support from the get go.

> I spent 10 days skiing in the Canadian Rockies (Fernie and Banff) with Benny and my old Aussie friend Billy from South America. Benny’s life will be there on the slopes for the next few months. It will be full of snowboarding and good times. I can promise you that.

> Jess is traveling through Mexico with our friend Lisa. To give you an idea of what she is doing here is an email she sent out today.

So it`s the festive season and I am sharing a two sided house with 5 Australian boys and one American in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. We have so far had a house warming and a going away party for a guy we knew for a week.
We have also been on a road trip to a slightly hidden surf spot where we spent the night sleeping on top of a Volkswagon van, better known as a Combie. Yes, we woke up to a bunch of locals walking by staring at us and calling us loco (crazy). The plan for Christmas is a little Secret Santa followed by a lot of food and booze. Just a normal Chrissy really. For lack of a cricket bat however we will be playing the traditional match of Christmas cricket with a tennis racket on the beach.
Have a great Festive Season.

Lots and lots of love,
Jess”

> As for me, I am going to take off until after Christmas and spend some good old fashioned time with my friends and family in Baltimore. I have about month and want to make sure that I can connect with all of the people that I care so much about.

> I would like to thank everyone that has been reading my snoop bloggy blog for the last year. It has been a year I will never forget and it feels incredible that so many of you have been able to share it with me. There are going to be some pretty big changes coming in 2008. I am still trying to figure everything out. This cross country project was a excellent learning experience. I learned many valuable lessons that I will be taking with me to the Mother Continent.

I will be releasing some Cross Country TV video over the next few weeks. Let me know what you think of it.

Peace and Happy Holidays,
DF

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