Exploring Deep into the Grand Canyon’s Hidden Mysteries 

Hey everyone, thank you for watching! A couple quick comments. - My friend Josh helped me with filming this vid. He's a professional photographer/videographer and does great work. You can find his site and contact info here joshthomson.website/work - If you want to learn more about the Native perspective in Grand Canyon, you may want to check out this book amzn.to/4dhNWUy

I’m not sure what you’ve changed but the cinematography in your videos has improved dramatically. Those shots of you with the river as a backdrop are just incredible. Keep them coming! Great job

I'm a 99 year old brain in a jar and I just want to thank you for making these videos since I can't exactly go around hiking and camping myself. god bless ❤❤💯

I'm in my 60's & I'm completely blown-away by the high-quality of videos being shown on youtube, so-much-better than the standard programs that you'd find on television today, this one here is Top-Notch Material, keep up the great work !!!

*I'M 70 YEARS OLD AND DISABLED, HAVE PRETTY MUCH ACCEPTED MY NEW PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS* 😻😻😻 *THANK YOU FER TAKING ME ALONG VIA TECHNOLOGY. WITH YOU ON ADVENTURES I'M NO LONGER ABLE TO HAVE* 😻😻😻

The finger marks and prints give a very real human touch to these ruins. The desire to know more about these people is never-ending. Looking forward to the longer video, thank you.

My oldest brother did a grad school internship in the Canyon and village 1972-1973. When he was done he retrieved my 13 year old butt to come there and help him pack up to return to school. I was there for a week and helped him minimally! What a wonderful week it was. One day I decided I was going to hike to the bottom and back; when I told him he said no you won't, so of course that made me more determined. I filled his old fashion canteen with water and made a beeline for the Bright Angel Trail. What an adventure! I made it to the two mile marker and decided to rest a bit. Next thing I remember is a middle aged couple patting my knee and asking me if I was OK. I'd fallen asleep! I had a big decision to make: continue my journey or head back to my brother's apartment. Suffice it to say I returned to my brother's apartment. He knew I couldn't do it, which is why he said no you won't instead of can't (he also knew it would be easy to locate me if I was stupid enough to try it). Andrew is spot on...a Grand Canyon Mile is different!

First, you do a good job of narrating your excellent video without resorting to sensationalism. Thank you. Secondly, you clearly respect the canyon, culture and the journey of humankind. Thank you again. I visited The Canyon once. In about 1980. I knew I could devote a lifetime of study to it, but that was not to be. Now I am 75 with time on my hands but not the where-with-all to do what you are doing. Thank you for following your passion and for sharing it.

I've been to the Grand Canyon twice from Australia. The first time, as you say, I'd only ever seen it in pictures and in documentaries so I wasn't prepared for the scale and grandeur and beauty of the place, nothing can prepare the visitor for what unfolds. Sadly, I could only experience it from the South Rim, though on my second trip I wanted to take the mule ride down to the Colorado but it was booked for two years, so I ended up taking a helicopter down to the Havasupai reservation. There, along with three Japanese tourists and our "Indian" guide took a three hour horse ride down to Moonee Falls along trails that followed the canyon walls not much wider that a meter and a half. On one side was the canyon wall, on the other was a long deep drop. If I was a much younger man I would love to walk Bright Angel Trail and walk some of these trails you guys walk on the North Rim, though I wouldn't be brave enough to "mountain goat" those very high ledge trails. I love the Grand Canyon and if I had a choice, when i pass away I would have my body left on a high sunny ledge somewhere. Thank you guys, so much for showing us sights that most people will never see or experience in person.

Thank you for including us in your adventures. This is new life for many with illness and infirmities that cannot travel to these places. Magical

I`m 70 and hill walk in Scotland. I would`nt dare walk where you do, but I admire you for your stamina and determination in your explorations of ancient sites and structures. The scenery and views of the Grand Canyon are awesome. Thank you for sharing your adventures, and may you continue to do so.

Seeing you hiking with a friend and not alone makes a video more soothing. Great storytelling too.

“Commanding view” couldn’t have explained it anymore simple and more perfect.

When you showed the night skies it reminded me of the beautiful clear night skies, I saw back in the mid to late 80's in the high desert area of 29 Palms in the high desert of the Mohave desert, only they were so much more spectacular back then. I was in the middle of a huge Marine Corp training area with zero light pollution and when I would get off of radio watch in the middle of the night when it was clear I would sit out there instead of getting the sleep I needed to get and just look up at the bands of stars that was nothing like I had ever seen before, beauty in its purest form. Seeing it with your own eyes is the only way to properly enjoy it, I can't put it into words, I don't think anyone can. Maybe earlier peoples saw seeing something like what I saw as a religious sign that made them do what they did back then, it's likely been talked about many times before.

As a seventy year old woman with a lifelong fear of heights your films fill me with both awe and terror. Thank you for taking us to places most of us will never be able to see. Some wonderful film making 👍🏼👍🏼

Six years ago, we rafted here with a company and climbed to the Grainery. On the way down a friend snaped a picture of the wife and I with the canyon and river below. One of my all-time favorite pictures.

Coming from Ukraine years ago, I found myself at the Northern rim of the canyon one day. When I stood there, my jaw dropped, I couldn’t move. I’ve seen plenty of other beautiful corners of this planet, yet nothing came close to leaving an imprint as big, as Grand Canyon. Camped at a small campground housing only few camp spots at the rim. One day I tried using a trail there (don’t remember the name anymore) to get down to the river. Made it nearly to the bottom, yet had to turn around helping two young hikers in distress to get back up. Perhaps next lifetime I will be able to repeat the trail?

I confess I really enjoy longer videos. I can't get enough of these beautiful places!!!!!

I Absolutely LOVE the GC! My best friend and I hiked the Rim2Rim, South to North back in 1999. We took it easy, more so, to take the time to explore side canyons and such. We started planning the trip two years before, learning all we could concerning needs, foods, water consumption, dangers, wildlife, etc. We would practice hikes going up and down mountain terrain along the Wasatch Front, as we lived in the SLC area. I've always felt a connection to the GC but our hike into the bowels blew our mind. My friend had a degree in Geology and I am a Registered Nurse with experience in both emergency and surgery. I can't stress enough how being prepared and knowledge going into the GC is tantamount. It is not a hike for the unprepared. Yet, every year, people need to be rescued or their body recovered. The GC is unforgiving. But it is also the most amazing place. I am 71yrs old now, and due to health reasons, I am restricted in my movements. I've told both my children to cremate my remains and have them spread in the GC.

Even on camera the magnitude is impressive. I can't even imagine what it looks like in real life.

Hello, I'm from Germany and recently discovered your channel on RU-vid. I quickly watched all of your videos. What you do is first class. Better than Discovery Channel or National Geographic. Videos of a very high standard, very good camera work and first class editing - in my opinion not always at a high scientific level but that's what makes it good because I can really identify with your style. That's how we should deal with what our earth offers us - always very respectful of the previous inhabitants and their landscape. And you do it all alone! It's amazing! Above all, your manner and way of speaking puts the viewer at ease without becoming boring or losing the suspense. I really appreciate your work. Thank you very much! Best wishes from Germany! Please keep going!

As a Swede......keep e',m coming!.......I love history and I love Geografy! Your Channel are The Goat!! Greetings from Sweden 💛💙💛💙

Thankyou so much Andrew!!! Your passion to explore and drag all of us You Tube 3rd string bench sitters along for the ride is completely a fantastic gift to us old farts!!! How vast and how deep is the legacy of this great land America and the ancient peoples that lived here before any of us were even thought of? To even get a small glimpse of how these people lived is quite amazing. Surrounded and immersed in a natural world setting and experience many of us can barely fathom. To live one's life totally steeped in the natural rythems sounds sights and experience of the natural world must have been both magic and raw as life ebbed and flowed not only around you but through you! The energy of glowing fires radiating through the canyons beacons of human life to the inhabitants. With bedazzling stars overhead the sound of water falling and flowing, the brilliance of the sun by day the moon by night. Neither an electric or high frequency microwave,radio wave or buzzing electri high power line to disturb the crystal clear silence of the sky. Except for the cracking power of a lightning storm and the ominous thunder claps rolling through the canyons! What thoughts raced through those peoples minds as they huddled in their cliff shelters on cool brisk nights seeking the warmth of their precious fire. Possibly eating ground corn cakes and deer meat heated on a rock . With watchers eyeing the perimeter of their dwelling knowing that what they had worked so hard for could possibly be taken away from them if marauders attacked. Maybe the inhabitants were peacefull cooperative and accepting of their neighbors to a degree. However given human history present day included what are the chances of that! I wonder how many of us could even stand to survive in their world for a few days let alone a month or a year. Would any of us even have the mental capacity to cope with the shock of being in their circle of experience? Thanks Andrew so much!

I’m 42 and can’t thank you enough for making these amazing videos. I can barely get off the couch to drive to McDonald’s let alone hike the Grand Canyon. I’m really enjoying the scenic views

Don't change a thing about how you do these vids...the photography, the narration, the chill. I click the button and am lulled...

Building the granary up high makes sense.The desert southwest has periods of a lot of rain followed by long droughts. Also the Colorado river in the past before all the dams were built was known for its unpredictable floods especially in the spring. So where would be the best place to store your food and materials? Up on the side of a cliff not only to keep it safe from floods but rain. If part of your village gets flooded or destroyed you can rebuild. If you also lose your tools and food reserves now you have a much larger problem.

I’m 33 and recently disabled, I can’t get out anymore due to a neurological condition. Watching these makes me feel like I’m there. Thank you

Narration and filming both really great. One of the best hiking channels around. Keep up the adventures!

ok, here's my analysis...you hired a hollywood producer...bought a $750,000 camera...hired an archeologist and forensic scientist...and i forgot a few more things. all kidding aside...this is your best video thus far...so well done...s and t up. well done. we appreciate the location, because we all knew this was not kentucky...cheers.

As a 67 yo woman with arthritis, I love watching your videos! Thank you for the tours!

I’ve been to the Grand Canyon three times (which is quite a feat when I live in England) for a few days each time, and I always find it awesome. The fact that it was carved out by the Colorado river is mind blowing. Depending on the time of day the canyon seems to change with the light, and I’ve been there first thing in the morning, late evening and mid day and the scenery constantly seems to change. I’ve told other people it’s a must visit place.

Thanks for taking us on this trip. Stunning. Very thoughtful too. I can hear in your hushed voice your reverence for that place. Excited to see more. Be safe too.

I am SO looking forward to the extended cut, Andrew!! And I'm glad you had a compadre with you, on this adventure. Blessings.

My dad and I hiked down the Canyon a few times together back in the 80's and he had been down there dozens of times. The glorious splendor of the space never ceased to amaze me, even as a youngster, and to think that people once called it home. Just awe-inspiring. Thank you for sharing your exploration.

Just discovered your channel last week, have watched most of your recent posts, and look forward to seeing many more! I'm 77 and not able to travel anymore, although I DID make an auto trip via Route 66 in 1969, from Alabama to California. Your videos are well done and I enjoy them immensely. I appreciate your reverence and consideration for the locations you visit, how you never damage the artifacts. The history info is spot-on. I follow Time Team and always I think of how I wish we could experience the past as it was instead of having to "guess" how structures looked and functioned... Thank you for what you do!

Another amazing video. I have always wanted to visit the Grand Canyon. Thank you for bringing me closer to it. I love that you always take us on adventures one would not have the chance to experience, but you bring the experience to us . Thanks for this adventure 😊

Oh yay! I’ve been waiting for another video! I’m 5 minutes in and am overwhelmed with the massiveness of the canyon. Beautiful photography. The colors are breathtaking. Also, the size of the space is deceiving. Even watching on my tiny screen gives me vertigo. I can only imagine being there. Your videos are my respite in my busy day. ❤ *Waiting patiently for the next one*

I did this hike two years before I had my hip replacement. That was one of the toughest hikes I have ever done. Yet the Puebloans or whomever lived here probably did that hike a few times a year. They could hunt elk and deer on the No.Rim at 7,000 ft and farm at 2,000 ft. Even more crazy to contemplate is that they must have had to carry food stores, elk meat, pottery for water, and small children. I was really scared about some of the exposure. I will never forget that hike. Truly exceptional work with this video.

I we enjoy your trips makes me feel the thrill,I am 89 years old ,thanks

Thank you for being respectful when traveling thru the indigenous sites

Warm greetings from New Zealand, Andrew. This Kiwi was incredibly fortunate to visit The Grand Canyon and to do the overnight mule ride in July, 1996. A highly emotional experience for me, with tears on entering the Canyon, and tears and strong emotion when nearing the top of the trail out. I have never looked at geology in the same way. This stunning place woke me up somehow. Thank you so much for this excellent video. 😊

Archeology, native oral stories, evolving age technics. Theories put forward, tested, discussed,vetted, researched. No ends ever absolute. Resembles life’s mysteries. The joy is in what we can imagine. Observe the smile on his face as he does what we wish we could do. The world is full of wonderful things. I’m sure we should all be happy as kings! Thanks for letting us peek into this part of the world!

I"m french and I went to the Gand Canyon 20 years ago. The view from south rim just overlaoded my brain: too big, too complex and too beautifull! We went down Bright Angel trail, ate and slept in Phantom Ranch, and went back by South Kaibab trail... As it was in winter, we started with snow and ice at the top, to the lower part showing a desert landscape with agaves and catuces... A kind of reverse mountaineering! Nice to see those rocks and rivers again in your video! Thanx!

As so many commenters have stated, your work is beautiful, professional and so very welcomed by those of us who haven't the ability or means to do what you do. You are a blessing. I thank you so much. The way that you narrate is such a welcome change. Your voice is calming, your informative yet somewhat awestruck tone is proof of the reverence that you hold for the canyon. Also, it is such a refreshing change to be able to find a video that I can watch in front of small children. No profanity, no whoops every time that the trail turns the bend to reveal an entire new landscape of profound majesty. Thank you. Sincerely, New Subscriber

Badass brother! I hiked the GC when I was 17. Camped 2 nights in the bottom. Still one of my favorite memories! Thanks for taking us with you. Memories came flooding back!

Andrew, only a little way into this video. Camping in the Grand Canyon -- priceless.

First time I've seen one of your videos. Absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!!!

Keep walking so we keep watching. Thank you for your love for exploring and your youth!!!

Such amazing country! When I was a boy and young teenager, back in the 1960's, some of my favourite books and stories were set in and around the Grand Canyon. I've never been in the canyon but I have flown over part of it. What an amazing sight from high above! Those people that lived, all those centuries ago, in the canyon must have had a very rugged and difficult existence. I lived, as a hunter/gatherer, for some years far north of the southwest, in high mountains and deep rich forests. My dwellings, thirty plus years ago, were tepees and old abandoned prospector cabins. I know how hard and sometimes very difficult that existence is, often in survival mode. Your videos are so well done. Thank you for sharing your adventures and knowledge. Safe travels and happy hiking! Cheers from an old timer that has climbed mountains and spent cold winters by myself in the bush.

Experience and taking NOTHING for granted is key to survival. I loved hiking, camping, boating, hunting, and living in Arizona desert and the Canyon.❤️❤️🇺🇸

An absolutely incredible watch. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures in the Grand Canyon. You include everything that makes my heart sing... Geology, wildlife, photography, history, nature at its spectacular best. So glad i found your channel ❤

It's very kind of you to share with us, thank you!

You ask why they would build their grainaries so high up, and my personal take is: Food security. It looks like a southern wall, where it has a good overhang. That immediately controls the temperature inside to help preserve dried foods like grains, seeds, etc. It protects the contents from water of any kind. Great flood, or pouring rain, the supplies will remain dry. Because it is so well protected, they only need to build it once, and then never really need to maintain the structures themselves, unlike anything on the confluence, which will see exposure to all of the weather the valley will see. So it saves on labour. Instead of having to maintain the roof of their storage, they have more time to tend their crops, hunt, gather, train their children, play games, maintain their own dwellings, make tools and clothes, and other manufactured supplies, etc. I remember reading in a book, something that really makes a lot of sense, and I'll paraphrase here, _"Real wealth is knowing you won't go hungry before the next harvest season in ready."_ For people living in such an area, i think that would resonate with them strongly. For the highest one, with the wooden supports? It makes me think of a lookout tower. It is high, with a very commanding perch over the valley below. It might have held a ceremonial purpose even. Just randomly thought of what it would be like if you had a fire on a perch light that, and when it burned through a thin bottom, it would disperse glowing coals and ashes into the wind, which could be akin to fireworks at night. Thinking along those lines, it might have held a signal fire, for alerting other settlements down the river (though I do doubt this one due to lack of extreme range sight lines). These are just the musings of an average idiot in B.C. Canada, who has utterly no experience with the cultures and histories of those who lived in the southwest.

Absolutely the best video I have ever seen, as a 76 year old I would have never been able to see these wonders had it no been for u and your channel- a heart felt Thanks!!

Just one word - beautiful! Thank you Andrew for all you do.

Amazing trips! Can't wait for the extended version. Thank you for sharing with us.

Thank you once again for your exploring the grand canyon I haven't been there in years. Thank you for always being so respectful to my ancestors cultural sacred sites you have my deepest respect ! ! !

Just awesome. Beautiful. Breath taking

Thank you very much. I live in Australia and most likely never get to see the Grand canyon. Your footage was easy to watch and your knowledge was well presented. I love rocks.. The thing most that I would love about the Grand Canyon is looking at the earth history. Seeing all those layers of rock etc. It is an amazing place

Thank you for taking us to these out of reach places. It really gives us so much insight into a country that we’ve lived in for so long, but know so little about.

I grew up out there in the West. People who live there get it. Those who don't can only imagine. The desert Southwest is truly sacred terrain. The Native Americans were right. It is holy land. I would absolutely love to travel with a guide like you!

Mind blowingly fascinating. Those paths were pretty loose and rugged, my heart was in my mouth seeing you both teetering on the edge with hundreds of feet below you. Thank you again. Look forward to the next part. Take care, keep safe. ❤ Dorset, UK

Very well filmed and relaxing narration - you've gained another subscriber! I think there has to be so much we just don't know about The Grand Canyon along with the other canyons & mesas inhabited down the millennia throughout the 4-Corners region/Desert Southwest. I've imagined living in those places and why I would risk life & limb, & that of my children to daily traverse such treacherous terrain - with the tools of my existence on my back and then carrying baskets of produce hundreds of feet up those canyon walls, and it really doesn't make sense... Then I look at the river and I think of the desert - when it rains, all hell brakes loose and you certainly don't want to be at the bottom of a canyon then. Maybe it's that along with a relic memory of historic catastrophes that dictated they could farm and hunt on the canyon floor, but felt it safer to live at height, above the risk of flash floods. and would protect them from other predators... You'd love an X-ray machine that could look back in time. Safe travels & thanks for bringing the desert to us. I always loved it!

Absolutely beautiful scenery! Thank you for sharing.

Yes.... perfect way to enjoy a great Friday.

Dude, this is my favorite channel. Thank you so much for doing this and sharing it with us.

Thank you for being so respectful of the area's history.

You guys have the best camera work, and interesting educational comments. Also good music. Thank you.

Being an Aussie, you guys are so privileged to have this in your country .brilliant tour mate loved it

The twelfth century is about the same time as the demise of the Mayans too. Some have purposed a El Nino or La Nina climate event is responsible. Years ago I enjoyed a helicopter tour down below the rim of the Grand canyon. I shot many photos looking up the canyon walls from inside the Heli. I've also experienced a ten day hiking trip in Wyoming's Wind River Range wilderness area where ten miles in a day will kill your ass and the horse flies are so big they knock you down to tenderize you before they take a bite. Thank you man.

It is worth reading the chronicles of the exploration of García López de Cárdenas, one of Coronado's men, and who was the first European to visit all these lands in 1540. What an adventure! Good video and thanks for sharing it.

im not in usa im in australia and the only movies weve seen of grand canyon is related to old explorers boating the length. i ve never see such beautifull scenery ,ty Sir you are indeed incredible .

Your videos have sparked a new appreciation and interest in the southwest indigenous peoples. Incredible.

your videos not only educate, but inspire me to enjoy my surroundings even more. You truly encapsulate the feelings of wonder and awe in your videos and I appreciate it immensely. Thank you!

Such a beautiful video! Amazing! Thank you for it. I enjoyed it alot.

I am mesmerized. My palms were sweating as you walked the ledges. Thank you.

As soon as we see that you uploaded a video, we click on it immediately!!! Your videos are so incredibly interesting...and enjoyable. We've watched other Southwest exploration videos, but yours beat them, hands down. It's your commentary that does it. You are quite knowledgeable, but throw in enough curiosity to make us really think about the past. Can't wait for the next video to drop!!!

I look forward to your treks through canyons and valleys. Thank you. 😊

Well done gentleman. Thank you for the beautiful journey and history lesson.

I’m soo glad ,that I found your channel!!! I be able to see all that places I ever dream of ! Thank you !🙏 keep on doing it for the people around the world!! ❤

Close to where I live is a beautiful park with canyon, streams, hills, etc. A logging company / mill set up at the end of the 1800's. It was wiped out by a massive flood, only a few artifacts remained. A few years ago, we had another massive flood - and the whole place was destroyed. We're talking water 50+ feet deep. Takes a long time to drain. I can imagine a flood raging through the Grand Canyon might induce the natives to relocate. I enjoy your channel. Thanks.

My how huge this place is, I just can’t comprehend. Absolutely breathtaking. Also thanks for being so respectful towards all you find out there - Native pottery, stones etc. Thanks so much for sharing this x

first video I've seen of yours, enjoyed it thoroughly 👍🏻

Excellent narration and videography. Wild America is still wild… even today.

Man, this is some of the best filmed archaeology on u tube! Thank you for telling us what you do know, and being humble enough not to surmise that which you don't! I'm from the anza borrego d sert, and much of the plant life I've been taught is similar to that I've seen on your excursions, so I find pleasure identifying what I recognize....though I'm currently living in tornado Alley, I miss my desert, and you help that yearning a great deal.For that, I'm extremely grateful. Thank you for sharing!!!!😂

Dude 90,000 views in 8 hours with 170,000 subs is insane. Needless to say, we've all been waiting for this vid

First time viewer. It's windy in Denver tonight and I can't sleep. So I went to the Grand Canyon. Thank you this was incredible. I enjoyed your narration too. Extremely good quality video too. Thank you...subscribed. Let's GO!

Your videos are amazing and I keep returning to watch more. Thanks for giving us all the vicarious experience of hiking the southwest.

I found out one night staying in a cabin on the north rim that I get altitude sickness and had to take at bus the next morning for the southern rim once there I felt soooo much better and stopped throwing up now I carry an altimeter so that I stay lower when in the western lands. so I will never explore the state of Nevada and the Himalayan mountains. I can only watch others. I did manage to hike the canyon north rim to south by quickly descending from the north rim. my one and only trip so I enjoyed to the fullest. and I enjoy every bit of this filming!! thank you

Went to the G.C. about 20 years ago. The first time we walked up to the first stop on the bus tour I cried. Until you've actually seen it, the pictures cannot do it justice. I remember the feeling of how loud the silence is. I know that sounds strange but it's the only way to explain the feeling being there.

I appreciate your interest, understanding and just your physical stamina to continue exploring these canyons. We are all benifiting and enjoying your work.

I really appreciate the way you've developed the narrative of these videos. You've moved on from just some guy climbing around saying "Hey, this is cool, I wonder ..." to providing more context and information.

Such absolutely stunning landscape!

This was an amazing video. Kept watching to the end. Very well done, entertaining and kept me focused on the topic. Great photography audio was superb. I subscribed to see more great content. Thank you for the awesome quality of your documentary. Looking forward for more.

Great Work for those of us who cannot physically duplicate your efforts. Thank You!

Your delivery and photography are spell binding! I honestly can’t put one of your videos down. Totally enjoy your channel! Orlando, FL🏝️😎

The museum in Flagstaff has lots of artifactsfrom G.C. and surrounding areas. My great grandparents(Kirby) and my grandparents(Walter and Mary Strange) built the MOQUI LODGE back in the 30's in Tusayan. It was torn down long ago.

The scenery and cinematography in this episode is amazing! Thank you for taking me along on your latest adventure!

Drifter,.. this is one of your best! Very interesting and beautifully filmed. MORE please!! Ever since I was a kid I've wanted to visit the Cliff Dwelling throughout the South West..... but sadly never have. As a Kid I dreamed of sleeping overnight in some remote site. Wonderful memories. Thanks for sharing my friend. Ax

Great respect brother, I’m glad you have a buddy along.🇦🇺