Arrival

After a pleasant and relaxing drive up from Phoenix through Payson, and then through Flagstaff (where I bought a new hat), I finally arrived at the Canyon around late afternoon. So, after checking in at the Maswik Lodge, I ventured over to the rim to take a few pictures before sunset.

Luckily, the evening was partly cloudy, the shadows of which give a extra depth to the photos which were all taken not far from the Bright Angel Lodge.

This picture looks down into the side canyon in which the Bright Angel trail descends (or ascends, depending). You can see the Plateau Point trail down there. The shadows combined with the setting sun gives the photo a lot of visual depth, if you'll pardon the expression!

Here's another great shot looking more toward the East. You can see the pointy Zoroaster Temple just to the right of centre.

With this shot, I tried to compose the picture somewhat by using the Pinon Pine trees to frame the distant shot of the Canyon. I think I got a bit too much of the trees in, but I suppose I could crop the photo to remove the excess. We'll see if I get around to that!

Finally, I took this shot looking over toward the El Tovar Hotel (the priciest one on the rim). In it, you can just make out a couple of the ravens, which were using the air currents to soar up the wall of the Canyon. They would then tuck their wings and drop quickly, just to keep repeating the thrill over and over. It looked like fun!

After all that, I went to get something to eat and then headed back to my room to relax. My next day was a "free" day, so I wasn't sure what I was going to do - would it be a relaxing day of walking along the rim, or a 7 mile round trip excursion below the rim down into one of the quieter areas of the Canyon? Hmm... I wonder...

Flora

This Winter/Spring in the Grand Canyon has been one of the wettest in recent memory. As a result, the wildflowers were out like crazy!! Even the rangers were commenting on how they had never seen anything like it for many years.

Here's a few pictures of some of the flowers I saw along the way. Keep in mind these are mostly close ups, but these things were everywhere - covering every plateau and even growing out of cracks in the rocks! It was incredibly beautiful.

Here's a nice clump of.. something.. that I saw on my day hike to Dripping Springs, about a 7 mile round trip. This flower was not in my field guide, so I'm not sure what it is. It could be an invasive plant, not native to the Canyon.

Here's a great close up of an Indian Paintbrush. These are quite common in the Canyon.

A striking clump of Prickly Pear blossoms. So very pretty, but don't touch!!

This is a rather shaded picture of a Weakstem Mariposa which has a wandering vine that crawls along the ground.

It looks rather similar to the abundant (this year) Sego Lily, of which this appears to be a perfect specimen.

Here's a nice Brittlebush, which is one of the most common flowers to see in the lower elevations of the Canyon. It was everywhere! I thought this shot captures a nice contrast between the yellow flowers and the reddish-purple Bright Angel Shale.

A nice close up of a Brittlebush blossom.

Along my day hike from Bright Angel Campground at the bottom of the Canyon up to Ribbon Falls on the North Kaibab Trail, wildflowers were still in abundance. Here's a nice clump of Globemallow surrounded by a few other colourful characters...

Finally, a delicate little Fleabane blossom, which is also a fairly common flower in the Canyon.

Grand Canyon Overview

Before I start on my day to day description of my backpacking trip, I just felt like blathering a bit on a couple of things. I would like to send out a BIG kudos to the National Park Service - Of all the times I have been at the Canyon, I have yet to meet a ranger or any of the staff be anything but completely pleasant and helpful. They truly hire the best for the Canyon! There is one intrepretive ranger (Pam Cox) in particular who works out of Phantom Ranch, who is remarkably friendly and professional and whose presentational style can make the most mundane topics absolutely riveting. They also deserve credit for making the best of the relatively little funding that they get from the government.

I also wanted to comment on one of the most interesting aspects that I always find about hiking in the Grand Canyon (or any quiet area, really). There were several times during this hike when I was by myself that the silence around me was really noticeable. Well, not the silence, really, and that was what was remarkable. During our noisy, daily lives, we usually completely miss the subtleties around us. While walking in comparative silence, though, I began to notice things that I normally wouldn't. A fly buzzes lazily in the distance. A lizard overturns a small rock someplace near the trail. A Canyon Wren calls from a nearby bush. These are sounds that I cherish in retrospect to returning to the noise of the "real" world. When I feel rushed or harried by some artificial deadline, my thoughts return to these things and I find solace and perspective.

Anyway, enough of all that! I was going to post some pictures today, but Photobucket seems to be resisting all attempts to post anything for today, at least. I will try again tomorrow.

A New Look

I got bored with the old blog look. What do y'all think? Unfortunately, it means I've lost all my old comments, but surely someone will comment again. Won't you?

Yes. I'm Back.

Hey everyone! Well, I'm finally back from my trip to CA/AZ and the Grand Canyon hike. Actually, I've been home for a few days, but have been pretty busy catching up on stuff and, well, sleeping off the jet lag. Oh, there's been working involved somewhere there, too.

I'm going to give a more detailed version of the trip over the next few days, but I just wanted to add now some of the things at the END of my trip. I spent the last couple of days back in LA and had the good fortune to meet up with the inimitable TVJunkie to do a little hiking in Malibu Creek State Park and just generally shoot the breeze. It was a great time and I really appreciated the tour!! On my last day in LA, I just kicked around Venice Beach for a few hours before heading off to the airport to catch my flight (which was a red-eye to Toronto).

I was really quite concerned about going through security in LA, considering all the things I've heard and read over the last year or so. I needn't have worried - I breezed through with no problems at all and the staff were actually very friendly.

But, after a 4.5 hour (no sleep) flight to Toronto, I landed there and then had to change terminals from the USA flights to the domestic departures. I couldn't believe how poorly the directions are marked there to find the shuttle. I finally found a "sign", done with black marker on a white poster board (!) with an arrow pointing the way. Sheesh.

So, after all that, you have to go through security again, because you just came through Customs and had to get your checked luggage. Well, the security agent at the x-ray machine asked to see the boarding pass of the fellow that was in line in front of me. She peers at it intently, and then slowly says.. "So... where's this.. 'Charlottetown'?" (Which is, of course the capital of Prince Edward Island and the city where Canada was born! ) So, he says "Uh, it's in PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND". She, still not looking completely convinced, hands him back his boarding pass. Yes - I feel SOOOO much more secure knowing these are the people handling security. *shops online for portable parachute*

Anyway, the rest of the trip home was completely uneventful, but I sure was tired. So, I will endeavour to get the rest of the story and some of my pics up within the next few days.

Away We Go!

Well, tomorrow I leave for my umpteenth trip to the Great American Southwest. I'm looking forward to it, and it's a much needed break after a long Winter. I'll be in the city, I'll be in the country, it will sure be a trip of contrasts.

Anyway, hope to get some pics and update you all later - wish me luck!!