Most folks who visit the Grand Canyon stand along the rim and look down and across is awe. I wanted to do a bit more and physically immerse myself a bit in nature, so I convinced my reluctant wife to hike a few miles down into the canyon to a scenic spot. Having survived the hike and seen some good views, we turned back, but it was hot and we were pretty tired. My wife starts blaming me for this loony idea of hiking into nature. She is munching on dried fruit and nuts for some energy. Then, a small desert squirrel appears on the path. Rather than mind the obvious rule of not feeding wildlife, for amusement my wife tosses the squirrel a few dried fruits. Okay, this squirrel most likely has never tasted dried mango and pineapple before. We are in a desert far from these tropical fruits. He bites in. A rush of sugar. All of a sudden he looks up. He comes bounding toward us as if to say, give me more. Amused at first but then realizing he is coming directly at us at a swift clip, we run for it. Wife tosses some fruits and nuts to distract him. We scurry on by. The encounter kept us energized and humored to the top of the canyon and back to our car and civilization.

Ron Broglio