To The Grand Canyon!

After our excursions in southern Utah, Crystal and I headed to the North Rim of The Grand Canyon! I heard about this place since I was little, seen pictures of it grandeur, and long awaited a visit. Here I finally was, getting to see it for myself. To say I was excited would be an understatement.

I drove in ahead of Crystal, van chores to complete, but promised I wouldn’t sneak any peaks of the main attraction without her. Gosh, was that hard! I did avert my eyes though as glimpses of the canyon came through the trees. And waited patiently at the visitors center for her arrival.

And then we were off! I hurried us down Bright Angel Point Trail to catch our first view. The paved path skirted rock outcroppings and descended down to the trail end. There the magnificent Grand Canyon stretched before us, larger than life. The smile on my face gave away my pleasure.

It was different than expected though. Almost all the photographs and pictures I’ve ever seen have been from the South Rim, the more accessible and popular side. I had the image of an arid, desert like cliff dropping straight down to the Colorado River below. The North Rim is seven miles removed (as the crow flies) from the Colorado River, the South only 2. That meant we couldn’t see the water, it was obstructed by the mountains and cliffs and islands dispersed throughout the canyon. And it is lush, green and tree covered over the rocky red cliffs. Spectacular, beautiful, and very different than anticipated. And I loved it.

The layers of rock stood like large stairs along the canyon edge, steeply descending to the floor below. From the rim to the river is nearly 6,000 feet from this edge and a 14 mile trail, if you choose. We did not choose that, but instead to loop around the rim, catching different angles of the canyon, back to the car. What a wonderful start!

We spent the rest of the day driving the scenic road, stopping to enjoy different viewpoint. Point Imperial gave us the highest viewpoint, a look above the Supergroup rocks, the middle layers of the Grand Canyon, and the ability to walk right to the rim’s edge. Erosion has created various towers and other landforms throughout the canyon, a surprise at every turn. And the amount of forest green trees dotting the horizon and hanging on to the cliff stairs continued to surprise me. A beautiful contrast to the dry rusty rock.

About 900 years ago, this area was home to the Kayenta Anasazi, possible ancestors to the current Hopi people. These prehistoric people farmed beans, corn, and squash on the rim in the summer and took refuge near Unkar Creek in the winter. They also hunted and gathered goods for food, medicine, and clothing. They left the area around 1150, possibly due to declined rainfall. Evidence of their life has been found all around the plateau.

It must have been difficult to thrive here. The indigenous people are inventive, resilient, smart. They learned to adapt to the earth.

As Crystal and I continued our tour, we caught windows the in the rock, climbed out on rocks for spectacular pictures, and learned how the temples in the middle are formed. It was a spectacular introduction and I couldn’t wait for more!