Ascending Into 2018: A Dispatch from Plateau Point

Roughly halfway to the bottom of the Grand Canyon lies a panoramic view of the Colorado River called Plateau Point.

On New Year's Eve, I found myself at that special place with my 12-year-old daughter. We were on the last leg of a week-long daddy/daughter backpacking trip to the bottom of the canyon. While eating our dinner, watching the sun set and recalling our awesome trip, we noticed it...a 1960's model typewriter sitting on a small table. Placed by the National Park Service during the last three days of 2017, the typewriter beckoned visitors to share their thoughts. While my daughter labored to type hers, I took a moment to think about mine.

We entered the canyon in 2017 and would hike out into a brand new year. At the rim lay all the possibilities and potential of 2018. But from our vantage point, a steep five-mile climb with heavy backpacks still loomed. This was no accident. We purposefully put ourselves in that place to experience something few people do. It got me thinking...isn't this how all great opportunities are? Tremendous possibility and potential, separated by a chasm of daunting hard work. The letters typed on Plateau Point were archived by the Park Service and incorporated into a cool website called Towers and Type. Among the collection is my daughter's letter, including the line, "I feel accomplished." Apparently, incredible experiences are way better when they come with daunting hard work. I think that may be my theme for 2018...one I'm happy to hike into. Click here for more about the Towers and Type project.