The Grand Canyon

By: Co-Founder and CEO Matt Altman

I think one of the many lessons from Covid I took to heart was to appreciate what you have. First, being alive and then everything you have that comes from that: your health, your family, friends, job and your ability to roam. 

Pre-pandemic, I was roaming all over the world, from Asia, Europe and all areas of North America. Due to the pandemic, there were limits on where we could roam, but our ability and desire did not diminish.  People have taken to staying closer to home and traveling by car primarily. Being a native of Arizona, I live three and a half hours away from one of the most picturesque and breathtaking wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon.

It had been 14 years since I had been to the Grand Canyon and prior to that it was when I was a kid; however in 2021 I have been to the canyon twice and eagerly planning my next visit.

The thing that strikes me the most when standing on the edge of the canyon is the connectedness you feel to the earth. In that connectedness, you feel how significant you are in being alive and how insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things. It is quite humbling.

Scientists have documented the Grand Canyon as being 6 to 70 million years old. Either way you want to look at it, technically they are correct and that is a lot of years. Relative to how old the Grand Canyon is, our existence on earth is  just a snap of our fingers at best. Hence the bigger comprehension that was reinforced to me with the pandemic is our time here is quite short.  

My visit to the Grand Canyon, albeit as beautiful as it to see, strengthened my resolve to live my life to the fullest.  Whether it was upon my hike down the canyon and experiencing the multiple geological layers, to hovering over the canyon in a helicopter, or gazing at the night sky, my connection to the canyon was profound. On my visit to the Grand Canyon, I not only observed a wonder of the world but I wondered about my world.  How I want to live and the goals I want to achieve, My quest for happiness in all that I do as I roam on this planet in a snap of time.

To learn more about the Grand Canyon and how to make the most of your visit there, visit the Grand Canyon Conservancy and shop our Sportiqe Grand Canyon Conservancy Give Back Tee here.