After a year of delay, the much-anticipated "Contact at the Canyons" event, hosted by the Grimerica Show podcast and the Brothers of the Serpent podcast, finally became a reality -- and what a reality it was!
Thank you to everyone whose hard work and planning went into this event, and especially to all the friends from near and far who patiently waited for twelve months to attend this special gathering.
We convened at our cozy log-cabin headquarters in the woods between Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon National Parks for a full non-stop itinerary of hikes through the canyons, Star Myth discussions, petroglyph exploration, powerful guided Wim Hof Method breathwork, and extended night-sky star-gazing under some of the darkest and clearest high-desert skies to be found anywhere.
Brandon Powell -- martial arts master, philosopher, and certified Wim Hof Method instructor -- led us through daily guided breathwork sessions which were completely transformative and which will now become a practice I will incorporate into my pre-dawn ritual. Regarding the impact of this discipline, Darren of Grimerica laughingly says: "No one ever sees the breathwork coming," which is a very true observation.
The night skies over Bryce Canyon were absolutely stunning and filled with more stars than I have seen anywhere else. We met constellations from Orion to Scorpio and Sagittarius, and all points in between, including the Pleiades, the Beehive Cluster, Virgo and Berenice's Hair, the Northern Crown, Bootes, Perseus, the Gemini Twins, Draco and both Dippers, the Swan, the Eagle, Delphinus the Dolphin, mighty Hercules and towering Ophiuchus, the Crow, the Cup, Hydra the hooded Serpent, and of course the Milky Way.
I had the opportunity to narrate a few of the related myths while indicating the outlines of the constellations using a laser pointer, and giving my best tips for locating these constellations again using easy "stepping stones" and night-sky "landmarks" that help in the identification of some of the more challenging ones.
Along the way we explored one of the iconic hikes down into Bryce Canyon and back up past Thor's Hammer and many of the most famous vistas the park has to offer, as well as a breathtaking hike through some of Zion's incredible slot canyons and towering massifs.
We concluded our outdoor activities with a completely voluntary plunge into the frigid water of the Virgin River which winds along the floor of Zion Canyon, cold-work which was guided and supervised by Brandon, as the rays of the evening sun lingered upon the tops of the sentinels and the shadows climbed higher and higher along the towering rock walls. Then we repaired to the comfort of the Lodge for spicy fajitas grilled over open flame under the open sky, provided by our talented cooks Keith and Gage, followed by an evening of jam sessions led by the Snake Brothers and anyone else who had brought their guitars and djembes.
There were also plenty of libations, including of the Texas wine vinted by the multi-talented Russ and Kyle of the Brothers of the Serpent.
At the end, we concluded this inaugural Contact at the Canyons event and pledged to keep the spirit going for future Contact gatherings. It was an unforgettable weekend, and I am very grateful to everyone who participated and whose positive feedback was very gratifying to me and to the other organizers.
If you were unable to attend this weekend's Contact at the Canyons, I sincerely hope that the stars will align for you to find yourself at a future evolution of this special series.
