Growing up in the fifties and sixties in Britain, American western movies were a major form of entertainment for me and my brothers and sister. The mighty Colorado River and the limestone cliffs and peaks of the Grand Canyon were often featured in the movies. Even on black and white television sets they were powerful images, full of magic and mystery. If I had known the true meaning of the word then, I would have called them spiritual.
Following my retirement from work and our plans for a wee round-the-world trip before I settled down to a more sedentary lifestyle (or so I thought), a trip to the canyon seemed a nice way to finish off our world travels.
The canyon is a dangerous place. In summer the heat on the floor of the inner canyon (which is anything below either of the two rims) can be a high as 112F. There is little shade and if you are out in the open that is an awful lot of heat. Death from over-heating is not uncommon in the canyon. Water is scarce and a lot of that which is available naturally has been tainted by the many mine workings that dot the canyon, rendering it unfit for human consumption. Before you can drink any of the water from the river, pools or side streams you need to go through a very strict disinfecting procedure. For some of the destinations you need to carry all your water supplies with you. Water is very heavy to carry for long distances and walking in the heat of the canyon is arduous at any time, laden or not. The temperature on the day of our descent peaked at about 92F. Add to that the fact that we were carrying packs of about 30 pounds weight and you start to appreciate the potential difficulties.
Throughout the summer months there is also a risk from the severe storms that hit the area, particularly from lightning storms. People have died in the canyon from lightning strikes. The National Park Service estimates that during 1997-2000, lightning struck somewhere in Grand Canyon National Park 104,294 times, averaging 26,073 strikes per year. Part of the advice for campers and day trippers is to have a storm / lightning emergency plan to follow in the event of a storm.
Statistics relating to the canyon are mind-boggling and that is one of the attractions about going there. It is so vast and the scale so over-whelming, it is difficult if not impossible to describe it to people using puny words. You really do have to see it to fully appreciate the beauty, granduer and majesty of the place. As an experience it is unforgettable; as a challenge it is daunting, but the rewards for completing an expedition are exhilaration and tense excitement. The actual descent and the testing conditions are so daunting that there are rest stations at the 1.5 and 3 mile marks to enable people to rest up and take on board fluid and energy producing food.
Give the inherent dangers of the activity we decided to go on a guided trip where we would travel with other backpackers and be led by a qualified guide. The group we used were The Wildland Trekking Company, based in Flagstone, Arizona, although there are many other companies offering similar trips. We were a small group of five, including our guide, Doug Campbell. Not only did Doug have Scottish ancestry, he had also previously been a social worker which also led to some interesting chats around the campsite. His knowledge and craft in hiking the canyon were a huge contribution to the success and enjoyment of our trip. Throw in two Texans, one an unreconstructed rocker (still recording) and closet socialist, the other an out and out Republican and you have an interesting group. We were all good buddies by the end of the trip, despite the inevitable political disagreements.
The canyon of the Colorado River is bounded on either side by the national park of which it is part. Access to the canyon is by either the North or the South Rim. It is approximately 277 river miles (446km) long, up to 18 miles (29km) wide, and a mile (1.6km) deep. Descent from the South Rim is down a 'switchback' path, which at one point is called the 'Devil's Corkscrew'. Facilities on the south rim are open all year round, while those on the north rim are open between May and October. The access roads to the north rim close with the first heavy snow fall of the year. We are returning to the canyon in September this year (2015) to undertake a six-day hike from the North Rim during which we will investigate some of the smaller canyons, waterways and waterfalls that run off the inner canyon.
It is estimated that nearly five million people view the canyon every year. Most of them (90%) view it from a shuttle bus or a viewing platform or some such on the south rim. Just 10% view it from the north rim and even fewer actually enter the inner canyon proper and stay overnight. A permit is required for all over-night stays in the canyon, in our case taken care of by the company.
The South Rim’s average elevation is 7000 feet/ 2134 m above sea level. The north rim elevation averages 8000 feet / 2438 m above sea level. The walk from the south rim down to the Colorado River entails a loss of five thousand feet elevation. It is 220 miles by car, or 21 miles by foot from the south to the north rim, via the North and South Kailab Trails. The Colorado River is crossed in the inner canyon by a narrow footbridge 70 feet above the river. Although the actual distance is short from the South Rim to the canyon floor, general advice is not to try and walk down to the river and back in one day as the distance, as well as the loss and gain of elevation in what can be frightening temperatures, is considered dangerous.
As a geological feature, the canyon is one of the most studied landscapes on the earth. It contains examples of three of the four eras of geological time, as well as a rich and diverse fossil record and a vast array of geologic features and rock types. The age of the rock varies from 2 billion year old Pre-Cambrian rock to the youngsters of more recent lava flows at about 10,000 year old. The physical nature of the canyon means that gelogists can observe directly the horizontal changes that have taken place in the lower reaches of the earth. While numerous tracks of pre-historic animals have been found in the canyon, no bones have actually been uncovered, despite its great age.
The canyon is a pristine place and park rangers mean to make sure it stays that way. Activity and access is severely curtailed. They have recently stopped aircraft from flying over it. Whatever you take in to the canyon, you need to take it back out again. While there are some permanent buildings and facilities in the inner canyon, operated by the park authorities, they are very limited and their use closely supervised. I cannot remember seeing a single bit of rubbish lying about in the canyon. If only we could respect our wild places in Scotland in the same way.
One of the joys of the inner canyon is the changes in perceptions you experience looking at the rocks and rock features as the light and shade of the day advance. The same rock face can move from grey to green to red to black as the day moves on.
Our access point in to the canyon was down the Bright Angel Trail. Our destination on the first day was the Indian Garden Campsite. The trail follows what is known as the Bright Angel Fault, a geological feature that runs north east across the canyon, from where it follows the Bright Angel Canyon up to the north rim. The descent is very steep at times and can be very hard on toes as they press against the front of boots and, on knees as they take the bone jarring pressure of constantly placing your feet as you walk downhill. Walking poles are a godsend in this environment, as they either take the pressure going down, or help in pushing when walking up the many thousands of steps on the way out. The rest houses at the 1.5 and 3-mile marks provide a welcome and necessary opportunity to take your boots off and rest your feet and legs.
Indian Garden is a wonderful little oasis in what essentially an arid desert environment. The shade provided by the trees after walking in 90F + is more than welcome. There are strict limits on the number of people who can use the campsite at one time, as well a restriction on the nights that you can stay there. There are toilets (dry with no flush) and a central, outdoor water supply that does for everything: personal hygiene, washing up and resupply of drinking water. The water supply can be temperamental and subject to breakdown and only operates for a limited part of the year.
There is also a ranger station here. The rangers are very approachable and knowledgeable about the canyon, its geology, flora and fauna and are an important source of information on the dangers, as well as the attractions of the area. After a welcome rest and a meal prepared by our guide while we set up camp, we attended a presentation given by one of the rangers. On the way to the event we had to carefully pass by a wall where a tetchy old rattlesnake was resting after a day in the hot sun. When I say we gave him a wide berth, I mean a 'wide' berth. To someone used to the odd grass snake or adder this fella was evil personified.
The plan had been to take our evening meal up on one of the plateau over-looking the Colorado River but after the vigours of the day we decided to leave it to the next night. After a goods night sleep Joanna and I set off with our guide to hike to Phantom Ranch while our two colleagues stayed back in the camp with the rangers. The journey included completing the drop down to the Colorado River, including a descent of what is called the Devil's Staircase. This is a series of switchbacks that criss-cross a small river. While it was difficult going down, it was even more challenging when we came to come back up.
It was a joy to reach the banks of the green and fast flowing Colorado River. As we sat on a rock in the shade enjoying the achievement, a group of Mormons a short way up the trail enjoyed a wee paddle in the waters. The next stage of the walk took us along a high narrow path with the cliff on one side and a seriously high drop to the old Colorado on the other. I have a habit when I am tired of tripping over my feet. I can assure you there was no tiredness walking along the River Trail. Rounding a corner and seeing the long, narrow bridge that spans the river is a welcome relief because you know you are not far from the campground.
The walk back was difficult and we needed to take what seemed like an inordinate number of stops to rest the legs, get the breath back and take on water. At one stage, as I leaned over the river at a rest stop to splash water on my face my last bottle of water fell out my rucksack and bobbled away on the froth as I insanely chased after it. Fortunately, it got caught up in some rocks and I was able to retrieve it. I wonder if the other two would have shared their water with me?
Back in Indian Gardens campsite we only had time for a short rest before the walking boots were back on again for a hike up to Plateau Point to enjoy a sunset dinner. The scenery was magical. To sit there with a group of people with whom you have shared laughter and hardships was something special. The feeling as you looked over the cliff edge to the waters of the mighty Colorado below was frightening but exhilirating. The emotion of the moment made us all act like school kids and it was great to feel so free. The walk back was subdued as it sunk in that we would be hiking back out on the morrow. That thought gave us sadness, as well as a degree of fear and anticipation.
The walkout is hard: at times cruel; unremittingly up hill, in equally unremitting heat. One of our party was unwell and we needed to take things at his pace, lengthening the overall journey time. At one point we needed to stop to allow him to sleep and recover. We needed to distribute the contents of his rucksack between us. Despite the difficulties, there was a togetherness and we were determined that as we started so would we finish; together. And so it was.
It was in a National Park Service brochure, I think, that I read there are two responses to going in to the canyon: you either hate it and vow never to return, or you love it and cannot wait to go back. Roll on September 2015.
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