Angels Window ·
Bright Angel Point ·
Cape Royal ·
Grand Canyon ·
Grand Canyon Lodge ·
North Rim
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The Grand Canyon: Views from the North Rim
Thursday, October 25, 2012
I don’t know if it was due to the proximity to Los Angeles or not, but Kathy and I saw a lot of strange stuff during our short visit to the Grand Canyon. At the Grand Canyon Lodge we saw a guy walk out onto the porch wearing a black Japanese kimono donning a large red dragon on the back. We saw another guy on the Cape Royal Trail walking with a stuffed poodle in his arms. Then on the way back from Bright Angel Point we passed a young gentleman, presumably Dutch (tall and blonde hair), walking down the trail in traditional Dutch wooden shoes. Oh well….
On the flip side we did meet some very interesting people. One person in particular was an older gentleman who served in the Army Air Force during WWII. During his tour of duty he flew the hump, that is, he flew over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China to resupply the Chinese war effort against the Japanese. After the war he became a NASA engineer and helped build the Apollo program, and was very involved in helping to bring back Apollo 13. I asked him about the Tom Hanks movie. He told us they got the story just about right.
During our visit we did several short hikes, including Bright Angel Point, which is a quarter-mile walk along the peninsula that juts out from the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. From this vantage point you can “see” Grand Canyon Village on the edge of the South Rim - roughly 11 miles away in the hazy distance. You can also see 12,633-foot Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona roughly 64 miles away! You may be able to see the peak in the first photo below - rising above the "horizon line" through the haze:
While soaking in the views we noticed a helicopter fly into the canyon. We assumed it was a tour ride, however, after a few minutes it flew back in our direction with a rescue basket hanging from it. It then made another run, this time coming back with two large cargo loads tethered to the bird. We never found out if this was a rescue or not. Coincidentally, there actually was a search and rescue operation carried out that same day, but it was in another part of the park.
Although we didn’t get an opportunity to see one, you should definitely keep an eye out for California Condors riding the thermals over the canyons along the North Rim. Extremely close to extinction in the late 1980s, condors were reintroduced into the wild in 1991, and have been making a steady comeback ever since. As of May 2012 the population count of known condors was 405, including 226 living in the wild, mostly in northern Arizona and southern Utah. These rare birds have wingspans that exceed 9 feet, and can live up to 60 years! Although we weren’t lucky enough to see one, we did see a golden eagle floating on the breeze.
Our next stop took us out to Cape Royal, a place with a reputation for great sunsets. This easy 0.6-mile roundtrip hike offers a few peeks at the Colorado River flowing through the bottom of the canyon. The view while standing atop Angels Window was quite stunning.
You might consider this to be a bit of national park heresy, but I thought Zion National Park was far more impressive than the Grand Canyon. However, I should say, we never ventured into the canyon itself, so that opinion could possibly be changed.
Hiking Grand Canyon National Park provides firsthand descriptions and detailed maps for all of the developed trails in the park—from easy day hikes suitable for novices and children to extended backpack trips geared for intrepid wilderness travelers. The guide covers 15 hikes on the South Rim and 13 hikes on the North Rim. Also included are tips on safety, hiking with children, access, and services, as well as indispensable information about backcountry regulations, permits, and water sources.
Jeff
Hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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On the flip side we did meet some very interesting people. One person in particular was an older gentleman who served in the Army Air Force during WWII. During his tour of duty he flew the hump, that is, he flew over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China to resupply the Chinese war effort against the Japanese. After the war he became a NASA engineer and helped build the Apollo program, and was very involved in helping to bring back Apollo 13. I asked him about the Tom Hanks movie. He told us they got the story just about right.
During our visit we did several short hikes, including Bright Angel Point, which is a quarter-mile walk along the peninsula that juts out from the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. From this vantage point you can “see” Grand Canyon Village on the edge of the South Rim - roughly 11 miles away in the hazy distance. You can also see 12,633-foot Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona roughly 64 miles away! You may be able to see the peak in the first photo below - rising above the "horizon line" through the haze:
While soaking in the views we noticed a helicopter fly into the canyon. We assumed it was a tour ride, however, after a few minutes it flew back in our direction with a rescue basket hanging from it. It then made another run, this time coming back with two large cargo loads tethered to the bird. We never found out if this was a rescue or not. Coincidentally, there actually was a search and rescue operation carried out that same day, but it was in another part of the park.
Although we didn’t get an opportunity to see one, you should definitely keep an eye out for California Condors riding the thermals over the canyons along the North Rim. Extremely close to extinction in the late 1980s, condors were reintroduced into the wild in 1991, and have been making a steady comeback ever since. As of May 2012 the population count of known condors was 405, including 226 living in the wild, mostly in northern Arizona and southern Utah. These rare birds have wingspans that exceed 9 feet, and can live up to 60 years! Although we weren’t lucky enough to see one, we did see a golden eagle floating on the breeze.
Our next stop took us out to Cape Royal, a place with a reputation for great sunsets. This easy 0.6-mile roundtrip hike offers a few peeks at the Colorado River flowing through the bottom of the canyon. The view while standing atop Angels Window was quite stunning.
You might consider this to be a bit of national park heresy, but I thought Zion National Park was far more impressive than the Grand Canyon. However, I should say, we never ventured into the canyon itself, so that opinion could possibly be changed.
Hiking Grand Canyon National Park provides firsthand descriptions and detailed maps for all of the developed trails in the park—from easy day hikes suitable for novices and children to extended backpack trips geared for intrepid wilderness travelers. The guide covers 15 hikes on the South Rim and 13 hikes on the North Rim. Also included are tips on safety, hiking with children, access, and services, as well as indispensable information about backcountry regulations, permits, and water sources.
Jeff
Hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This being my first visit to the deserts of the southwest, I was quite surprised by the amount of wildflowers we saw along the trail.
Phantom Ranch is only accessible by foot, mule or raft, and seems like an oasis after an all-day hike. We arrived late in the afternoon and made our first stop at the Phantom Ranch canteen where t-shirts, snacks and cold drinks are available. After purchasing the ceremonial Phantom Ranch t-shirt and a supersize Snickers, we headed over to our cabin. After a long day on the trail my feet were pretty beat up. Since our cabin sat along Bright Angel Creek, I immediately removed my boots and dipped my achy feet into the creek water. Although quite cold, it felt great. While the cabins only have the basics: bunk beds, a sink and toilet, guests must go to a separate building to take a shower. What I remember most were the luxurious towels and the hot water…this was an unexpected treat for being at the bottom of the Grand Canyon!
Dinner is served at a pre-determined time and your menu is chosen at the time you make your reservations. I’m glad I went with the beef stew – probably the best I’ve ever had. After the ranger presentation we all turned in early - too tired to do anything else.
About midway up a park ranger stopped all hikers from going any further for roughly 30 minutes due to a helicopter rescue. The next day we actually met the rescued woman in the airport and found out that she broke her ankle after tripping over some rocks. This is another reminder of how dangerous hiking can be, especially on the Bright Angel Trail, which was recently named as one of the 10 most dangerous trails in the country by Backpacker Magazine.
Although tired and sore, once we reached the top of the South Rim I was overjoyed by a spectacular sense of achievement. At that time it was the most miles I’d ever hiked in a two-day period. After a well-deserved ice cream stop we headed over to our hotel, El Tovar, which is one of the park’s National Historic Landmarks. This was the perfect spot to pamper ourselves after two days and 24 miles of hiking.
