Large Dirt Hole a.k.a. Grand Canyon
As promised, I'm reporting out on the Large Dirt Hole from the perspective of the upper South Rim.
I did an exploratory pass of the entire South Rim by doing a quick sanity check on the edge and going in deeper and random points up to the fence at viewpoints as well as looking into binoculars for a closer view. We did climb the tower at Desert View on the far east end for an overview. At first the functionality was overwhelming!
The depth could not be explained in photos or numbers or written comparisons, so I understand why people told me I had to just experience it for myself.
Luckily I had someone there with me who was unwilling to accept the current boundaries. Safety was really not a concern. After watching him go on one life risking stroll after another, I followed him out one area. Do you see in the photo below the portion in the foreground that juts out into the canyon?
It doesn't seem that impressive in pixels, but I walked down a pretty steep area on to the very end with him. At one point I had to step a slight 8" from one rock to the other (see the rock back from the end? Those don't overlap entirely). It was an easy step, but certain death if you slip. For that reason I was shaking. My brother (seen in the red shirt far left in the photo scoping out the place) took my hand and told me that fear makes an accident far more likely and that he wasn't going to let me fall. He might scrape me up by tackling me to the rocks if I start to fall, but there is no way he'll let me fall over the edge, so just get going. I did, and the view from the edge was like no other. I now know for sure that it will never be a "Large Dirt Hole" so long as I get away from the fence.
They have a new 20' "skywalk" to give you a fake experience like this where you pay $25 for what already exists for free. The faux risk will never compare to taking the real one, but I'm sure it will be as close as many people get, and not everyone has someone willing to tackle them if things go wrong and encourage them if they are so afraid that they may stop short of what is possible.
I'd like to report one bug however. The Colorado river is very ugly and brown, unlike the postcards and drawings. As a visitor it was far less lovely than expected and I was shocked to find I'd been looking at it many times, but due to expecting something more impressive, I didn't even see it until it was pointed out to me!
Message received from Canyon: Disguarding boundaries is always important in discovering the truth. Having an experience is worth more than safety. To really know something, standing at the edge isn't enough.
Message received from the River: Having the power to carve an amazing canyon isn't always pretty. Sometimes functionality and looks don't go together. You've got to decide if you want Eleanor Roosevelt or Kate Moss on occasion.
So, on the paper? I've decided to go as far as I can. This means it will follow MY style. It will be personal. It will have jokes. It will have more heart and fewer numbers than most other technical papers. In fact, it won't be a technical paper. It will be an article of ideas. If that is too far over the edge, I'm lucky enough to have backup.
I did an exploratory pass of the entire South Rim by doing a quick sanity check on the edge and going in deeper and random points up to the fence at viewpoints as well as looking into binoculars for a closer view. We did climb the tower at Desert View on the far east end for an overview. At first the functionality was overwhelming!
The depth could not be explained in photos or numbers or written comparisons, so I understand why people told me I had to just experience it for myself.
Luckily I had someone there with me who was unwilling to accept the current boundaries. Safety was really not a concern. After watching him go on one life risking stroll after another, I followed him out one area. Do you see in the photo below the portion in the foreground that juts out into the canyon?
It doesn't seem that impressive in pixels, but I walked down a pretty steep area on to the very end with him. At one point I had to step a slight 8" from one rock to the other (see the rock back from the end? Those don't overlap entirely). It was an easy step, but certain death if you slip. For that reason I was shaking. My brother (seen in the red shirt far left in the photo scoping out the place) took my hand and told me that fear makes an accident far more likely and that he wasn't going to let me fall. He might scrape me up by tackling me to the rocks if I start to fall, but there is no way he'll let me fall over the edge, so just get going. I did, and the view from the edge was like no other. I now know for sure that it will never be a "Large Dirt Hole" so long as I get away from the fence.
They have a new 20' "skywalk" to give you a fake experience like this where you pay $25 for what already exists for free. The faux risk will never compare to taking the real one, but I'm sure it will be as close as many people get, and not everyone has someone willing to tackle them if things go wrong and encourage them if they are so afraid that they may stop short of what is possible.
I'd like to report one bug however. The Colorado river is very ugly and brown, unlike the postcards and drawings. As a visitor it was far less lovely than expected and I was shocked to find I'd been looking at it many times, but due to expecting something more impressive, I didn't even see it until it was pointed out to me!
Message received from Canyon: Disguarding boundaries is always important in discovering the truth. Having an experience is worth more than safety. To really know something, standing at the edge isn't enough.
Message received from the River: Having the power to carve an amazing canyon isn't always pretty. Sometimes functionality and looks don't go together. You've got to decide if you want Eleanor Roosevelt or Kate Moss on occasion.
So, on the paper? I've decided to go as far as I can. This means it will follow MY style. It will be personal. It will have jokes. It will have more heart and fewer numbers than most other technical papers. In fact, it won't be a technical paper. It will be an article of ideas. If that is too far over the edge, I'm lucky enough to have backup.
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