Seeing the Grand Canyon Through New Eyes

April 7-8, 2012- On Saturday, Sarah and Jason drove up from Chandler, AZ to join us at the Grand Canyon. Jason had not seen the Grand Canyon since visiting it as a young child. It really is wonderful to share the excitement of seeing such a marvel from ‘fresh’ eyes.

Our children, Sarah, Laura and Brian had hiked the Grand Canyon with us in 2004, and Sarah wanted to share some of that experience with Jason.

We hiked the South Kaibab Trail down to Cedar Ridge. This is the trail that we had hiked down to the bottom of the Canyon in 2004 and the one that Fred and I will be hiking on Monday.

We stopped at OHH and AHH Point…..

Before continuing on to Cedar Ridge where we enjoyed lunch…..with a view!

 

And then, of course, there were those few heart stopping photo-ops!

After the long trudge back up to the rim, we hopped on the shuttle and stopped at Yaki Point to look back down on Cedar Ridge…..

And the trail that continues on down from there that we will be hiking in just a few days.

Back at the campground, the dogs got a bit of attention. Jason and Sarah have been keeping Jade for us while we are doing our overnight hiking.  Lucky, getting cuddled,  looked quite ‘spiffy’ in his sweater.

Later, Joann joined us for dinner and we  roasted hot dogs and had s’mores and sat by the fire and visited, which felt really good on this chilly night.

Tackling a Small Piece of the Grandview Trail

Friday, April 6, 2012 – Fred and I left Joann to do a bit of sightseeing on her own while we stretched our ‘hiking legs’. I had been having my eye on the Grandview Trail since we were last here two years ago. This trail descends steeply to Horseshoe Mesa, where you could connect to several loop trails and campgrounds if you were making a multi-day backpack trip. We were only interested in a nice day hike, but I had wondered just how steep the trail was…in case we should want to backpack it some day.

Grandview Point at 7,400 feet elevation, is the highest point on the South Rim. The Grandview Trail drops 2,500 vertical feet over 3.1 miles to the junction with Horseshoe Mesa. We were not planning to hike all the way to Horseshoe Mesa, but only to hike as far as we wanted for a nice day hike before heading back up.

The trail was, as promised,  steep and rocky and narrow…….

Threading along sheer cliffs. Look closely at this photo and you can pick out the trail running diagonally across the middle of the rock face. Timber ‘cribbing’ helps support the sides of the trail.

Other sections of trail are covered with rip-rap (large, flat rocks set on their sides, like cobblestones).

There was beauty all around us…….The views of the canyon, and Horseshoe Mesa (pictured here) were awesome.

And we found beauty even underfoot…..

As we spent a lot of time looking down …..at the rough footing…..and me, focusing closely on the footing, and trying not to look down over the edge!

This is an example of the timber cribbing used to ‘bridge’ a gap in the trail. From the side, it looks much more precarious than it felt. The trail surface was filled in with dirt and rock, and seemed continuous.

We hiked about 1.5miles and 1,500 feet down into the canyon…..very slowly (I am a very timid downhill hiker)…in about 2 hours. We had gotten a taste of the trail, and were ready to head back. We had passed this broad landing, the Coconino Saddle, on our way down. It seemed perfect for a lunch break, so we stopped there on our way back up……

Lunch with a view…….This trail was aptly named….. Grandview……

I should say…..the hike back up was not as bad as I had worried that it might be. This trail IS steep and not for beginners….but I am glad that we were able to add this trail to the ones that we have hiked in the Canyon.

Desert View

Thursday, April 5, 2012 – We drove out with Joann to Desert View, the farthest most Eastern point in Grand Canyon National park.

The Desert View Watchtower, designed by Mary Colter in 1932 as the Visitor’s Center for the eastern side of the Canyon, is one of my most favorite places…….

It was built of stone and steel…..fashioned after the ancient Native American ‘watchtowers’ found throughout the Southwest, only on a much larger scale. Each stone was hand placed….and the openings, which seem random, afford  wonderful  views of the Canyon.

Inside the main section,  the tower is circular, open 3 stories high in the center……

And decorated on all walls with art created by Hopi artist, Fred Kaboti. The artwork depicts Indian ceremonial paintings and designs that have been passed down through the generations.

Walls, alcoves, ceilings, almost every surface is covered with Spiritual art……

And the lighting hidden in these earthenware jars adds an element of mystery…..as well as the human touch….. in the familiar objects of daily life.

Mary Colter truly created a place which allows one to feel the spiritualism of the Canyon and her peoples……

A place where one can feel the presence of those ancient ones……who left their handprints in this Canyon….throughout time.

Hermits and other Creatures

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 – Fred, Joann and I caught the Grand Canyon Shuttle all the way out to Hermit’s Rest, the farthest west side of the National Park that the shuttle runs.

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Hermit’s Rest is named for Louis Boucher, aka ‘the Hermit’, who maintained a tent camp and corrals below Hermit’s Point (around Dripping Springs) from the 1890’s to about 1912.

The Visitor’s center at Hermit’s Rest was another of Mary Colter’s designs. I really love the stone work and large timbers. This building looks as if it were built hundreds of years ago, and ‘fits’ into it’s setting, as to almost disappear.

Though the building was designed as a visitor’s center, not a home,  one could just picture sitting by the large fireplace in the winter and looking out the windows at the snow.

We stopped along the shuttle ride at most of the overlooks……The Canyon is just too immense to comprehend….much less, photograph properly….but, it begs one to keep trying.

When you glimpse into the inner gorge…….there is a feeling of foreboding……And a respect for the enormity of the Canyon and the powerful force of the Colorado River.

Along our stops, we met several ‘residents’ of the Grand Canyon. This is a Grey-Breasted Jay (also called a Mexican Jay). This beautiful bird only lives in parts south-central Arizona, southern New Mexico and the Chisos Mountains in Texas.

We also saw what the ranger referred to as ‘the most dangerous animal in the Canyon…….

This Abert’s squirrel…..they are plentiful, and have been, unfortunately, fed by tourists and have lost their fear of people. This little squirrel sends more people to the medical clinic with bites than any other injury in the Canyon.

And, of course, there are the Ravens……everywhere! This bird is featured in many of the Native American legends, and is thought to be the smartest bird around. It IS pretty smart….the Ravens can get into trash, or hiker’s lunches, or anything left out at your campsite! Beware…..

Sharing the Canyon with Special People

Monday, April 2, 2012- We arrived at the Grand Canyon, set up the camper at our site at Mather Campground, and before we could turn around…..

Joann drove up in with her Casita. We had chosen campsite close to each other, and planned to spend the week sharing the wonders of the Canyon.

We spent Monday afternoon, walking along sections of Rim Trail. Tuesday, we walked all around the main Lodge areas in Grand Canyon Village.

I really love this architecture by Mary Colter……She designed several buildings at Grand Canyon National Park. This is the Look-Out Studio.

At the time, (1930’s) the traditional thought was to build the lodges (like the El Tovar Lodge here at the Canyon) after the style of large, European hunting or ski lodges….very nice, but out of place here in a rock filled canyon.

Mary Colter was a bit of a ‘free thinker’ of her day, and wanted to build structures that fit into their environment, like the Hopi House does. So innovative and forward thinking……..and beautiful.

While visiting the Canyon Village area, we even caught a ranger talk on the California Condor.The California Condor is the largest bird in North America, with a wing span of 9 1/2 feet. The Condor was almost extinct, by 1987, there were only 27 left in existence. Due to a very successful breading and release program, there are now 400 Condors, 79 of them live in Arizona. We were lucky enough to see 4 of them circling around us at Yaki Point.

We had gone out to Yaki Point to catch the sunset. The Canyon colors intensify with the setting sun.

And the sunset paints the sky……

With vivid splashes of color……..

Allowing Space

April 2, 2012- Anne Morrow Lindbergh writes in Gifts From The Sea that she gathered a few shells…..as “One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach.” She then placed them in her beach home…each with space around them, so that each could be fully appreciated. Likewise, we have enjoyed having the ‘space’ around our time at Havasu Canyon to fully process and appreciate that experience.

This is a lesson that we are just learning in our travels. We had learned to slow down our pace to allow more time in each area. Now, we are learning to place a bit of ‘space’ or down time around each experience.

Before we had our camper and took to traveling on longer trips, we would go out on vacation, then come home. ‘Home’ provided the space or frame around each experience. Life on the road creates challenges in finding that space. Each place that we visit is new and exciting to us. So much to see and do! It is difficult to not fill each day with sightseeing or exploring.

But, just as 50 shells all grouped together loses the uniqueness in each individual shell……..so does too many new experiences, no matter how wonderful. It is better to take the time…..not only to be ‘in the moment’…..but to process the experience afterward, reliving it, savoring it, and learning from it….before moving on.

Today we are driving to Grand Canyon National Park where we will meet up with my sister, Joann, and share the wonder that is the Grand Canyon.