This awesome canyon is so deep, so sheer, and so narrow that very little sunlight can penetrate it. (Hence its name)
I was fascinated to learn that there is NO sign of human occupation in the gorge…not even by the Ute Indians living in the area since written history began. It is 2000 feet of vertical cliffs and in some places only 40 feet wide at the bottom…too dangerous to encourage exploration.
In the mist of all this ‘natural wonder’ I saw a strange scene. A young woman was trying to ‘pose’ her tiny girl at the edge of this enormous drop off into a dark and foreboding place.
One piercing scream after another rang off the canyon walls as I was making my way down to the lookout. A man passed me at a gallop…scooped up the child and said to the woman. What are you doing? She’s scared!!” And holding his daughter tight against him turned and walked away.
It does beg the question…Why in heaven’s name would a mother ‘ want’ to record for posterity a child’s utter terror? Was there a place for ‘most frightened moment’ in the baby book?