Winter on the West Rim

If you enjoy the spectacular views of Grand Canyon afforded by the eight scenic overlooks west of Grand Canyon Village, and prefer to have your personal vehicle close by, now’s your time.

During most of the year, the only way to enjoy the eight-mile Hermit Road (formerly known as West Rim Drive) is to take advantage of the free shuttle provided by the National Park Service. The “shuttle only” policy was implemented to avoid traffic congestion, not to mention accidents along this rim-hugging thoroughfare. Given that park visitation drops dramatically in the winter, the road is open to private vehicles from December through February.

Regardless of how you travel, the views from the Hermit Road overlooks are some of the best in the park. Architect Mary Jane Colter’s historic Hermits Rest can be found at the end of the road. Enjoying a cup of hot coffee while rocking before the structure’s magnificent fireplace is a great way to cap a wintry day.

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Grand Canyon History Comes Alive

Grand Canyon has been a magnet for humanity over the Millennia. The past few centuries in particular have witnessed the arrival, departure, and occasionally the demise, of a whole host of colorful characters and noteworthy personalities. The upcoming Grand Canyon History Symposium will highlight the legacies of a wide variety of these individuals. The January 25-28, 2007, symposium will build upon the success of the first such event that was held in 2002. Based in Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, the three-day weekend will include scholarly presentations by experts on Grand Canyon history as well as interpretive tours and lively social events.

The 2007 Grand Canyon History Symposium is the result of hundreds of hours of work by the board and members of the Grand Canyon Historical Society, as well as employees of the National Park Service, the Grand Canyon Association, the Grand Canyon Field Institute and Xanterra South Rim, LLC. For more information or to register visit the Grand Canyon Historical Society at www.grandcanyonhistory.org.

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Deluge in the Desert

October is historically one of the best months for backpacking at Grand Canyon. The late-summer rains are over, and winter snows lie ahead, leaving crisp, dry days and starry nights for those lucky enough to secure a coveted camping permit. Apparently Mother Nature didn't get the memo. On October 13th, a rare string of thunderstorms left hundreds of inner canyon travelers scrambling for cover.

I was backpacking rim-to-rim with my wife and friends, and got caught in the thick of it. Two straight days of rain resulted in raging creeks, spontaneous waterfalls, and nerve rattling thunder. At one point we were forced to wait for an hour as a flash flood inundated the North Kaibab Trail with waist high water. Sadly, one woman was swept downstream as she chose to cross a swollen Bright Angel Creek as a workaround. She was fished out of the torrent by fellow hikers relatively unscathed.

For anyone wondering how the canyon got to its present depth in such a dry part of the country, the answer was sloshing around every corner. Soggy duds aside, it was a magnificent experience; one that ended as quickly as it started. We finished our hike a day later under piercing blue skies, and amidst the rising steam from a scrubbed and polished chasm; neither of us worse for the wear.

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Birthday wishes from Phantom Ranch

Gabcast! Grand Canyon Prints #9 - Happy Birthday, Tery!

We missed our backpacking buddy on our latest rim-to-rim hike... but, you were with us in spirit, Tery!


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Switching Gears on the South Rim

Each year, Labor Day Weekend ushers in a number of milestones at Grand Canyon National Park. The most noticeable is a transition in the visitorship from families to unencumbered adults. Replacing the stroller-pushing parents and their squirrel-chasing toddlers are vacationing seniors, and serious Grand Canyon backpackers taking advantage of the cooler temperatures. In terms of sheer numbers, visitation all but falls over the rim, a mixed blessing for frazzled canyon residents having endured one more "high season."

September also signals the departure of the seasonal employees, many from as far away as Malaysia and the Czech Republic, who return home after spending their summer months changing beds, scooping ice cream, wrestling luggage, and hopefully sneaking in a hike or two between shifts. Left behind are we thousand-or-so permanent locals, sad to say "goodbye" to newfound friends that graciously brought the larger world to our doorstep.

Farewells aside, this change in pace (think Manhattan to Mayberry) suits most of us who call Grand Canyon home. It affords the chance to reconnect with the canyon on our terms as we coast into the holiday season. As if to herald in this new paradigm, the elk begin their lovesick "bugling" about now. Their plaintive sirens punctuate the dark nights and remind us all of our deep connection to the natural world; one that has been waiting patiently for us to take notice.

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Rocky Mountain (Too) High

The family vacation season is drawing to a close at Grand Canyon, and with it the days of wall-to-wall visitors in every direction. I'm often asked, "Where do YOU vacation if you live at the Grand Canyon?" This summer is was the lofty peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park. Joining me in a backpack to the summit of Longs Peak were a few friends for another installment in our once-a-year mid-life crisis peak bagging tradition.

Longs Peak stands on the Front Range of Colorado's Rockies, towering over the endless plains that trail off to the east, literally as far as the eye can see. The 14,259 ft. mountain was first climbed in modern times by Major John Wesley Powell; coincidentally the first man through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River in 1869. Having rafted through the Canyon in May I was excited to repeat another of Powell's achievements.

After dodging lighting on the grueling climb to our campsite above treeline, a few of my altitude sensitive pals were reeling from the lack of oxygen. We decided to forgoe the summit and descend the following morning. The adventure wasn't a total loss as we were treated to a glorious sunset and sunrise, big views of the nearby peaks, and all the bewildering antics that two hundred city slicker day hikers could serve up.

Any lingering frustration with our aborted climb was washed away when I arrived home at the Grand Canyon, better for the wear as I prepare for a rigorous fall hiking schedule.
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Shower Power

As I type, the smell of approaching rain is drifting through my open window. It’s 4:00 p.m. and the clouds have been building all afternoon after a starry night, and muggy morning. Must be time for the Arizona monsoon! A meteorologist I’m not, but you can learn all about this seasonal shift in prevailing winds and welcome rains by following this link http://geography.asu.edu/aztc/monsoon.html#monsoon.

In northern Arizona, the monsoon season arrived on the Fourth of July weekend—a full three weeks early with history as a guide. It was not a moment too soon, as the much-feared wildfire season of 2006 was just starting to erupt in the tinderbox forests of the region. After our dry-as-a-bone winter, we locals braced for catastrophic wildfires that promised to scorch huge tracts of forested highlands. To be sure, a few have broken out. Just ask the relieved residents of Sedona who survived the fast-moving Brins Fire which was eventually contained by a few hundred firefighters at great expense.

We’re not…ahem…out of the woods yet, but the sporadic afternoon “soakers” may just get us through another year without too many coniferous casualties. Keep your fingers crossed, and, if you’re headed to the Canyon anytime soon, have your rain slicker handy.

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Return of the Web Cam

Grand Canyon National Park's web cam is back! The camera atop the historic Yavapai Observation Station on Grand Canyon's South Rim was out of service for several months while the park service began a series of interior renovations. As a result, Canyon junkies far and wide were deprived of their daily (hourly?) fix when the lights went out. Temporarily gone were the days when my web-surfing friends around the country would alert me, a local, to the Canyon's dramatic cloud play, pooling fog, or approaching storms. The dramatic image to the west refreshes several times an hour, and is just one more way for Canyon enthusiasts to stay connected to their favorite chasm. You can access the web cam from our homepage, or by clicking here: http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/grcacam/grcacam.cfm

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Wildfire Prompts Evacuations on North Rim

A massive wildfire forced the closure and evacuation of the North Rim in Grand Canyon National Park. The lightning sparked blaze, dubbed the “Warm Fire”, charred approximately 60,000 acres of the Kaibab National Forest before being fully contained by firefighters on July 6.

Although the fire failed to reach the boundary of Grand Canyon National Park, it burned along the only road (Highway 67) that provides access to the lodges, trailheads and scenic overlooks of the North Rim proper. Visitors and employees alike were escorted to safety via motor caravans through ominous clouds of smoke by National Park Service, National Forest Service, and Arizona Department of Public Safety personnel. At one point, a shift in the wind even shrouded the distant South Rim in smoke and ash. The South Rim remained open throughout the ordeal.

The cost of fighting the blaze is expected to exceed $7 million dollars. Now that the closure has been lifted, visitors to the North Rim will be confronted with a stark reminder of the dangers of wildland fires in the form of an eighteen mile stretch of highway with everything in sight having been burned to a crisp.

Many experts agree that such a conflagration was long overdue on the Kaibab Plateau where a century of fire suppression has had the unintended effect of creating an overgrown forest that is vulnerable to catastrophic wildfires. The good news is that fire is an integral part of forest ecology, and even the areas affected by this recent event will undoubtedly be restored naturally in the coming decades.

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Grand Canyon Photography Takes Center Stage

The inspirational qualities of the Grand Canyon are impossible to exaggerate. For decades, photographers, writers, and artists alike have flocked to the grandest of gorges, collectively trying to make sense of the overwhelming experience through a wide variety of mediums.

Of these artistic disciplines, photography is perhaps the most universally applied. From tourists taking snapshots with disposable cameras, to seasoned professionals dodging lightning and flash floods in pursuit of the perfect picture, camera enthusiasts of all stripes have captured innumerable visual vignettes of the famed chasm.

In recognition of the ongoing dance between camera and canyon the Grand Canyon Association, in cooperation with the National Park Service, Northland Publishing, and Hance Partners, Inc., has produced an exhibit and companion book entitled Lasting Light: 125 Years of Grand Canyon Photography.

This juried exhibit and richly illustrated publication pay homage to the most accomplished and prolific canyon shooters past and present (including this author, I’m happy to report). The free exhibit is located in Kolb Studio in Grand Canyon Village, and will be on display through October 18, 2006.

For more information visit the Grand Canyon Association.

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When the Lights Go Down

Ironically, one of my most memorable moments on the rim of the Grand Canyon took place in total darkness. It was at the peak of the Leonid meteor shower several years ago. On an icy November night, perched on a cliff near Yaki Point, I saw meteorites streaking in every direction. Some fast, others slow. A few dragged luminous trails from horizon to horizon. It was breathtaking.

The South Rim’s combination of high elevation, low himidity, and limited “pollution” from manmade light sources provides for spectacular celestial viewing—as anyone who has visited Lowell Observatory in nearby Flagstaff would agree.

One group that takes full advantage of these fortuitous conditions is the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA). For the past sixteen years they have clustered in Grand Canyon National Park for their annual “Grand Canyon Star Party.” Free star programs are offered, and numerous telescopes are fixed on various galaxies, star clusters, planets and other heavenly bodies. Astronomers from across the country will be volunteering their expertise for this event.

This year’s event will take place June 17-24 in the developed area of both the North and South Rims with events taking place each evening. As always it is free to the public. For details, visit TAAA's site. If you're in the park, check the bulletin board at the Visitor Center for the schedule, or contact Park Naturalist Marker Marshall for more information at (928) 638-7830.

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Uplifting trip Downriver

During a recent ten-day Colorado River trip through Grand Canyon I was reacquainted once again with the seemingly endless array of magical destinations that await the hardy traveler. Elves Chasm, Deer Creek Narrows, Blacktail Canyon, Whispering Falls; each casting it's own spell on the awestruck visitors. One could truly spend a lifetime below the rim and barely scratch the surface of all there is to explore.

My two-dozen companions and I shared everything from turbulent rapids to moonlit nights (not to mention a nasty little gastrointestinal bug, just to keep us honest). Needless to say there was ample subject matter for this slightly overwhelmed landscape photographer. Indeed, I found my greatest challenge was deciding what not to shoot given the finite nature of both time and photographic supplies.

I'm happy to report that I did come away with a few great shots. However, the real "keepers" are the fresh memories of the sublime, serene, and sometimes-spooky world that plays host to the lucky few that run the Colorado River each year.

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Rare May Storm Rumbles Through

Gabcast! Grand Canyon Prints #8



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Another Day in Paradise

Grand Canyon Prints (AudioBlog)



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Live from the Grand Canyon's South Rim

Grand Canyon Prints (AudioBlog)



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Park Visitation Swings Into High Gear (Audio)

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Park Visitation Swings Into High Gear

"If you get lost, just start a signal fire!" "Is that Canada over there?" "Look mom, the squirrel eats crayons." Ah, the sounds of spring along Grand Canyon's South Rim. For the thousand or so year-round park residents, the slow-as-molasses pace of winter in an empty park has been replaced by a visitor-fueled frenzy. Each year the twin engines of Spring break and Easter Week herald the beginning of what's collectively known by Grand Canyon Village residents as the "busy season." The pace will quicken after Memorial Day, relax a tad after Labor Day, and taper off completely through the Thanksgiving holiday; after which the few of us remaining will have a chance to ask each other, "what was that?"

Seriously, these park visitation rhythms are part and parcel of living on the edge. As locals, our energies (and in many cases our paychecks) are calibrated to the inevitable seasonal pulses of activity that come with 4.5 million annual visitors. Yes, the arrival of the tourists means we have to suddenly endure a few more lines, and shoo the occasional picnicking family off our back porch. But it also means connecting with old friends, making new acquaintances, and sharing our enthusiasm for the Canyon with people from every corner of the globe. Most locals agree that it's not a bad trade-off. And, heaven knows, you can't beat the views.

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Air Tragedy Anniversary

A somber milestone in Grand Canyon history is fast-approaching. June 30, will mark the 50th anniversary of the tragic mid-air collision of a TWA L-1049 Super Constellation and a United Airlines DC-7. The two aircraft had ironically left Los Angeles International airport minutes apart, only to converge in a fiery collision that would claim the lives of all 128 people onboard.

The damaged planes plummeted into the rugged terrain of eastern Grand Canyon near Chuar and Temple Buttes. The high-profile tragedy represented the worst mid-air collision in the nation’s history, and was partly responsible for the formation of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Though human remains were removed as soon as crews could get to the scene, it wasn’t until the late 1970s that the National Park Service was able to clear the wreckage from the highest cliffs. Not all the debris could be reached, and it can be seen by passing river runners on the nearby Colorado River.

A decade ago, on a solo hike from my river camp just below the Little Colorado River confluence, I stumbled upon a large tire that was left behind. The ’56 crash was the last thing on my mind, so the partially-buried artifact caught me completely off guard. Once I realized what I had discovered a chill crept over me. In the graveyard silence that enveloped me, it was impossible to imagine the chaos that must have erupted on this rocky slope when the sky rained steel and aluminum.

My melancholy lasted for a few days thereafter—only to lift after I vowed to make the most of every moment below the rim. For myself, and those who spent their final few in the grandest of Canyons.

http://www.aircraftarchaeology.com/twa_united_airlines_grand_canyon.htm

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Take Me to the River (Audio)

Take Me to the River (Audio)

Hear Mike read his personal stories about Grand Canyon. (Click the Play arrow on the above graphic to start.)

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Take Me to the River

Each year, April marks the beginning of the much-anticipated Grand Canyon commercial river running season on the Colorado River. It's a time of year when the grizzled boatmen (and slightly less-grizzled boatwomen) come out of their deep hibernation in the darkened coffee houses of Flagstaff, Durango, and Moab to spend the next seven months ferrying more than twenty-thousand thrill-seeking clients through the world's most famous chasm.

There are many variations on the theme (oars vs. motorboats, a few days on the water vs. weeks, etc.), but the common denominator is unfettered access to the depths of Grand Canyon in the company of an impassioned and knowledgeable crew. The combination of challenging whitewater and majestic environs attracts some of the most accomplished whitewater professionals in the business. In addition, the National Park Service (NPS) holds the sixteen licensed river running concessioners to a very high standard in terms of safety, training, and resource protection.

There are many fewer private boaters who also run the river each year. In some cases these lucky ducks have waited as long as fifteen years for a permit to tackle the river in their personal watercraft. With multiple stakeholder groups arguing for greater access, occasionally through high-profile legal action, the NPS recently underwent a multi-year policy making initiative designed to address these concerns. Their efforts to even the playing field in terms of access had to be balanced with their mandate to preserve the natural and cultural integrity of the Canyon itself. This process culminated in the Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP). The final Record of Decision was released in February 2006.

As expected, the CRMP has no shortage of critics. For the moment, however, these differences seem to have been set aside. At least long enough for the quirky subculture known as the Grand Canyon river runners to grab their Tevas, sunglasses, and lucky hats and prepare to burn off their winter fat threading Hance, Crystal, Hermit and Upset Rapids (to name a few).

For more information on the CRMP follow this link http://www.nps.gov/grca/crmp/documents/FinalROD.pdf

Winter Weather Worth the Wait

Two late-winter snowstorms blanketed the forested rim, cliffs and upper slopes of Grand Canyon during the past few weeks, raising hopes that the ongoing drought may have run its course. A combined three feet of fresh powder couldn’t have come at a better time as communities in northern Arizona prepare for an active wildfire season. As with most Grand Canyon winter storms, the interplay of fog, rain, flurries, and heavy flakes were punctuated by the occasional view of the Canyon—oftentimes through a brief “window’ in the clouds that tends to close as quickly as it opens. For the patient (and warmly-dressed) photographer, the rewards are many. Generally speaking the hikers and mule riders were less lucky. The trails were ice-covered and nearly impassable for at least the first mile below the frosty South Rim. True to form in springtime, the snow is all but melted in a matter of hours as the clouds have been replaced by the warm Arizona sun.

Coming Full Circle on a Canyon Mystery

This past November, during one of my Grand Canyon forays, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a thousand-year-old ancestral Puebloan pot. An archaeologist friend later determined the place of origin for this black-on-red, well-fired ceramic as modern-day Tsegi Canyon (roughly one-hundred miles due east). I backpacked into Tsegi last week as a means of coming full circle with my discovery.

The shining jewel of Tsegi is Keet Seel, the largest and best-preserved cliff dwelling in Arizona. Home to over one hundred farmers at its zenith, this remote sandstone paradise was abandoned in the late-1200s.

Though the mysterious kivas, granaries, and dwellings were impressive indeed--the biggest thrill for me personally was running my fingers through a mound of maroon-colored clay; perhaps the same quary used for the pot that fired this pilgrimmage.

A pot that remains intact against impressive odds, both in the field and in my mind.



For more info on Keet Seel click here:
http://www.desertusa.com/mag02/Feb/ksteel.html

Big Canyon; Small World

The National Park Service has estimated that nearly 30% of Grand Canyon National Park's 4.5 million annual visitors reside overseas. This seems most appropriate given Grand Canyon's status as a World Heritage Site as declared by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Less is known about the specific nationalities of these foreign visitors. Brits, Germans and Japanese are some of the most frequent countries of origin, though numbers largely depend on the relative strength of worldwide economies. For example, during the Asian financial crisis in the late 90s, far fewer Pacific Rim visitors were able to make the expensive journey.

Lately I have noticed a large increase in tourists hailing from China and the Indian subcontinent. This should come as no surprise given the emerging muscle in their respective economies. A growing middle class typically results in more citizens with the means, and desire, to travel. What I find most interesting is that, regardless of one's point of origin or cultural background, the Grand Canyon has a common mesmerizing impact on all. For this writer, the world feels a bit smaller as a result, and it brings me hope that we can find peaceful means to bridge our differences.

Romance on the Rim

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and love is in the air. My favorite Grand Canyon lovebird story happened last year as I was leading a family from Philadelphia to remote Shoshone Point as a Grand Canyon Field Institute instructor.

On the dusty road through the forest, just short ofthe South Rim, we encountered a flustered bride and groom on Harleys with a preacher and photographer close behind in their SUV. The couple from Wisconsin were on the rim and just about to exchange vows when the preacher remembered that they needed one more witness (besides the photographer) to make it legal.

Their choice was to drive miles back to Grand Canyon Village and recruit one, or convince us to suspend our hike and conduct the ceremony right there onthe road. My clients were game, so the ceremony began in earnest before the dust from the bikes even settled. Seconds into the preacher's words I noticed that the mother and daughter of the family in my charge were watery-eyed. "Is it the dust?" I whispered. "No," said the sobbing mother. "We always cry at weddings."

Everyone had a good laugh. The newlyweds were delighted by the serendipity, and I have heard since that they all keep in touch.

L' Amore!

Happy New Year!

The holidays have come and gone at Grand Canyon; as have the crowds. The weeks between New Year’s Eve and the arrival of the spring breakers in March are historically marked by the lowest park visitation of the year. Local residents, perhaps 1,200 strong, seize the opportunity to enjoy the Canyon with fewer distractions. Even the wildlife seems to sense the diminished activity as they are in more ready supply, and tend to linger longer, during the winter months. Speaking of winter, the desert Southwest has been locked in a low-precipitation pattern since mid-October. Collective fingers (and hooves?) are crossed as we anxiously await the first blanket of snow.