The Canyon
Was alive with sound
Rushing, pouring,
Dripping, gushing
Water
Over and around
Through and under
Rocks,
Many of which
Lay in small, shallow
Hollows, melted pits
In snow
Having recently fallen
From the walls around
Me, the spring thaw
Of things
And canyon maples
Waved in a breeze
Cooled by the icy, old
Snow in hollows of rock
Taking in the light of morning
Growing on rock
Lit both by shadows
And reflected pools
Of noise
Water on rock
June 5, 2021
Otto De Groff has spent most of his life living in Utah. As a young man, Otto’s father often took him (along with his brothers) to western Utah, where they spent days exploring, hiking, and rockhounding. These experiences gave Otto a rooted respect and love for Utah’s wild places, especially those found along the state’s western edge.
After serving an LDS mission in Mexico, Otto studied at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation. Currently, Otto is pursuing a master’s degree at BYU in the same field, with a special emphasis on bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva D. K. Bailey) forest ecology and variation in growth rates of these trees through time. While studying at BYU, Otto met and married his wife, Maddie, who is from St. George, Utah. They live together with their son, Ferris, in Utah Valley.