A Stairway From Gloom To Heaven

Stand at some point on the brink of the Grand Canyon where you can overlook the river, and the details of the structure, the vast labyrinth of gorges of which it is composed, are scarcely noticed. The elements are lost in the grand effect, and a broad, deep flaring gorge of many colors is seen. But stand down among these gorges and the landscape seems to be composed of huge vertical elements of wonderful form. Above, it is an open, sunny gorge. Below, it is deep and gloomy. Above, it is a chasm. Below, it is a stairway from gloom to heaven.
--John Wesley Powell