Fern Glen Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park

You wake up with a blue hue inside your vision. It's 0545 and you are within the corridors of the redwall inside of Fern Glen. The Grand Canyon — bold with presence and ever-eroding, a place that wears its history on its sleeve and one of America's great no-bullshit locations.

We dropped off a shuttle and worked our way across the plateau to the drop-in point. The rim descent was steep and very crumbly — one wrong move and you could tumble hundreds of feet. After reaching the esplanade and following the tuckup trail, we found the Supai sculpted rock and meandering passage. We encountered raps of 30 and 60 ft, then worked down a 3-stage 200 ft drop in the redwall, camping on top of the temple butte layer. The muav layer was extraordinary — layered limestone with beautiful contours, my favorite layer. After navigating the final rap and swimming through a pothole, we reached the Colorado River and pack-rafted to Lava Falls. This trip was one of the most amazing experiences in Grand Canyoneering — done in two long days. Dedicated to the late Kevin D. Hansen.