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WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
Scott's dad always dreamed of a family trip to the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately for Scott's dad, the rest of the family always outvoted him, choosing the ocean and beaches over one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
Nearly fifteen years later, Scott—now married—stumbled across ZYN's Go For It Giveaway and noticed a Grand Canyon adventure up for grabs. It was the perfect opportunity to give his dad the trip he always dreamed of, before starting his own journey as a father. In his winning Go For It Giveaway entry, Scott wrote, "I still haven't forgotten. I would love the opportunity to take him on a trip like this, to show him how appreciative I am."
Over five days and four nights, Scott and his father hiked, descended, and scaled the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, stargazing in a mostly uninhabited Arizonan desert, and observed the unique plant and animal life of the land's brilliant ecosystem.
Arriving in Flagstaff, the adventurous nature of their journey immediately made its presence known. "It snows in Flagstaff over 100 inches a year. It's more than I anticipated. When you think Arizona, you think desert. It snows a lot there, and it showed up on that morning," Scott said. Elaborating on an initial unease, he continued, "Driving through that it was like, this is going to be fun, but it's going to be a little miserable. Then as you approach the canyon, the sky opens. The first day we walked all the way down to the bottom, at one point turning around and realizing how vast it really is. It's awe-inspiring."
Awe-inspiring continued to be the theme of the adventure. Describing the scenery as they explored more extensively, Scott said, "Essentially, each layer you can see from different terrains. There's a tan-yellow down to red to black, and it's basically the layers of earth on display." He went on, "And it all changes from evergreen trees up towards the top, then you progress down toward the Colorado River, and it's like a forest you'd see in the Midwest."
And no natural wonder is complete without animals to fill it. Scott continues, "There were mules. They take supplies up and down to the rangers. We saw some bighorn sheep. That was kind of cool. We saw some elk too."
However, the Grand Canyon offered much more than breathtaking vistas and unique daily adventures; it also provided Scott and his father the opportunity to bond in ways they never had before. "Any father-son relationship, you feel it, but you don't always say it," Scott said. "But this time, my dad went on and on talking about how cool and special the experience was - and I agree."
Settling back into life after his epic journey, Scott's perspective has refocused. He summed it up, "When you're looking up at the night sky or the Grand Canyon, you get the perspective that every little thing you worry about is not as big a deal as you make it. Big picture, there are so many beautiful things around you."
Scott's story serves as a much-needed reminder that sometimes what we need most in life is to simply step outside the everyday.
