Free Return of the Homework Machine by Dan Gutman Page A

actually walking from one geological time period into the previous one. It occurred to me that hiking down the canyon is about the closest any of us will ever come to traveling through time. It took millions of years for the river to slice its way through that rock, but we walked past it in a few hours. Even though it seemed like we had been hiking a long time, it sort of put things into perspective.
    JUDY DOUGLAS. GRADE 6
    We started to see more vegetation—bushes and trees. Some of them had grapes. I was afraid they might be poisonous, but Mr. Murphy said they were okay to eat. I tried one, but it was really tart so I spit it out.
    KELSEY DONNELLY. GRADE 6
    We came to the Indian Garden Campground. They have a ranger station there, and drinking water. The ranger told us that a long time ago, the Havasupai Indians lived there, and even did farming. He said we had walked almost five miles from the rim. It felt like a hundred. Mr. Murphy only let us rest for a few minutes before we had to gather up our stuff and keep going.
    BRENTON DAMAGATCHI. GRADE 6
    What struck me was how peaceful it becomes as you get closer to the bottom of the canyon. All the noises you hear in the real world—planes, cars honking, the hum of electrical appliances, people talking too loudly into their cell phones—are gone. It was like I never heard real quiet before. Just the rustling of the wind. The only people who make it this far are the serious hikers. Most tourists only hike a few miles and go back up to the rim. Back up to the real world.
    KELSEY DONNELLY. GRADE 6
    I’ve seen all these pictures of the Grand Canyon. But as beautiful as the pictures are, it’s not the same as seeing it with your own eyes.Looking up at the sandstone cliffs just blew me away. I had never seen anything so spectacular. It made me want to protect the environment of this wonderful planet even more.
    SAM DAWKINS. GRADE 6
    After we left the Indian Garden Campground, we could see the Colorado River plainly and everybody got excited. We were almost there. We passed through some switchbacks called the Devil’s Corkscrew, and then there was a steep drop down to Pipe Creek. There was a waterfall near there, and the River Resthouse. I wanted to jump in the water. But there was no time.
    KELSEY DONNELLY. GRADE 6
    Two more miles and we finally reached the Silver Suspension Bridge. On the other side of the bridge is the Bright Angel Campground, and that’s where we camped out for the night. We were all exhausted.
    JUDY DOUGLAS. GRADE 6
    We rested up and ate dinner. Mr. Murphy had some freeze-dried chicken. It sounded nauseating.I remember being really hungry and it tasted so good. Food always tastes good after you’ve been exercising.
    By the time we finished eating, it was dark out. It’s really cold at the bottom of the canyon, even in April. We all climbed into our sleeping bags to get warm.
    BRENTON DAMAGATCHI. GRADE 6
    I remember lying there, looking up at the stars, and thinking to myself how lucky I was to be alive. I was in a crack in the earth—one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Most people never get to see the Grand Canyon in their lifetime. And here I was, at the bottom of it.
    I could understand why some people would want to believe in Canyonism. I was lying on a rock that could very possibly be two billion years old. If you’re going to worship something, why not the planet that you live on? It’s the place that gives you air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink. And after you have those things, what else do you really need? A cell phone? An iPod? Who needs that stuff? I fell asleep almost instantly.
    MR. MURPHY. SIXTH-GRADE TEACHER
    Most folks who raft the Colorado start out at Lee’s Ferry. You usually can’t get a raft anywhere near the Bright Angel Campground. But I know a fellow over at Phantom Ranch down there. It’s the only commercial tourist facility below the rim. He arranged for us to get an