As a lover of Glen Canyon, I persuaded my husband to
make a special trip out from Los Angeles to see Cathedral in the
Desert before the waters rose again (HCN, 6/13/05: The brief but
wonderful return of Cathedral in the Desert). On May 1, our
anniversary, we paddled our boat in. Across from the waterfall, a
small sandy hill was still out of the water, so I stood there
quietly, listening to the water and feeling very fortunate indeed.
After half an hour of happy contemplation, we paddled
out, and once around the corner, started the engine and proceeded
slowly. “I don’t see what the big deal is with that spot,” my
husband said. “We’ve seen lots of other places around here
even more spectacular.” Just then, a man approached in a tiny boat.
“Is it there?” he called out anxiously. “Oh yes,” I replied, “and
more beautiful than you can imagine!” We could see the man was
almost overcome with emotion. Then he said, “I’ve been
waiting all my life to see this.” “Enjoy!” I called out to him as
he passed by us. After that, my husband understood.
Crista Worthy
Pacific Palisades,
California
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Visiting a desert cathedral.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
