Early last week, I headed for Syracuse New York for a volunteer project for Civil Air Patrol. I am writing this on Wednesday, March 14, as a light snow is falling outside my hotel window. On a flight from Phoenix to Chicago, I was sitting by a window reading an article on my iPad. I happened to glance out the window and noticed down below us a huge scar in the earth. I picked up the iPad, quickly switched to the back camera and captured a few images. I thought that I recognized the huge scar as the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. A couple of things made me think that my guess must be wrong. First, we had been too long on the flight for us to be passing the Grand Canyon right then. Secondly, the canyon’s shape didn’t seem quite right. It wasn’t until later when a colleague of mine in CAP suggested that it might be The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado. Looking at a map in Google Earth, I’m pretty sure he’s correct. It looks like this park will be on my list of places to visit in Colorado.  The dark area in the lower left is a shadow of the plane’s window. That’s how close I was to have missed the view of the Black canyon.

About the photo: There isn’t much more to say about it. Captured on an iPad Air at f/2.4, 1/1900 sec, ISO-32 in automatic HDR mode. On most browsers, you can click on the image to enlarge it for better viewing. The rule for Cellpic Sunday is simple. The image must be captured on a mobile device.

John Steiner

This week, we trek to the Grand Canyon. Our virtual hike is led by Mitch Stevens, a Sierra Club hiking leader, writer and photographer. Mitch has graciously accepted an invitation to write a guest post on one of his hiking and backpacking outings. During my own visits to the Grand Canyon, I play the tourist and stay at the top, capturing views of the magnificent beauty of the canyon. I know that I no longer have the stamina to hike down into the canyon… well, maybe the “down” is OK, it’s the “up” I fear most. These days, for me, the term “roughing it” means there is no refrigerator in the hotel room. So come along with me as Mitch guides us virtually into the canyon for a week-long visit.

Adventuring at Nankoweap

by Mitch Stevens

Atop a narrow and exposed ledge of Redwall Limestone, we gazed at Mystic Falls cascading 200 feet down a sheer cliff face to the abyss below. The “route” appeared to peter out and we had to locate a way down. We located a talus slope which plunged down steeply. The rock was loose and crumbly and I was concerned for my two hiking companions who weren’t used to the rugged terrain. Just a few days ago, Jay and Will traveled to the southwest from cooler, wetter environs to take part in this backpacking trek. Jay is an emergency room doctor at a hospital in rural Vermont and his son Will attends a small arts college in Vancouver, BC.  The desert sun on this early May afternoon was bearing down and the cool waters below were enticing. One careful step at a time, we gingerly down climbed the talus slope which delivered us safely to the bottom of Mystic Falls.

Welcome to adventuring at Nankoweap. Constructed in 1882 by western explorer John Wesley Powell, the Nankoweap Trail begins at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This seven day journey starts out as a gradual uphill hike through ponderosa pine and aspen in the Kaibab National Forest. After a few miles, you reach the rim of the Grand Canyon where unbelievable panoramas unfold.

Then a challenging descent deep into the canyon will ensue, featuring stupendous views of Marble Canyon, Mt. Hayden, and the mighty Colorado River. The scenery is indeed spectacular as the geological layer cake of the ages unfolds. Rock formations tell the story of our planet’s history, 300 million to 750 million years old. Two thousand feet below, Nankoweap Creek cuts into an immense plateau, surrounded by multi-colored ridges and majestic buttes. The most imposing is Mt. Hayden, a vertical spire rising to an elevation of 8,000 feet. After reaching the bottom of the ravine after 11 rugged miles, your camp for the night will be along cottonwood lined Nankoweap Creek.

The following day’s hike will include a pleasant walk down canyon along the trickling creek to the Colorado River, following the path of least resistance. You will cross the creek numerous times. When the canyon becomes confining downstream, high cliffs of Redwall Limestone and beautiful exposures of Muav Limestone make their appearance. After 2.5 miles, the landscape opens into a broad delta. Your first view of the emerald Colorado River in the distance will be mesmerizing. Not only will you finally see the river but you’ll hear the roar of the rapids, amplified by the walls of Marble Canyon. Ample places to camp abound along the Colorado River, a great location to spend a couple of days.

A short spur trail to the right ascends a steep slope which leads to Anasazi granaries and a spectacular view of the Colorado River. Most archaeological sites at Grand Canyon date back to between A.D. 1050 and A.D. 1200, a time when Anasazi peoples occupied the region. Granaries, rock art and pot shards are among the fascinating cultural artifacts you will observe in the backcountry of Nankoweap. Please bear in mind that ancient granaries and ruins are very fragile. Do not enter the ruins or climb on their stone walls.

On subsequent days, retrace your steps up Nankoweap Canyon, past the camping area you spent your first evening. If you are a strong hiker and don’t mind bushwhacking and rock hopping, hike upstream and veer right in a mile at a fork where two drainages of Nankweap Creek intersect. Continue hiking another 3 rugged and brushy miles, following the gently flowing stream to Mystic Falls.  It is there that you will take in the spectacular waterfall we mentioned earlier. Soak in the beauty of this remote and mesmerizing part of Grand Canyon. Moreover, there are ancient and seldom scene Native American granaries high up on a cliff face across the canyon.

Above all, what you will experience at Nankoweap is the real Grand Canyon, the raw and unspoiled grandeur of this most magnificent gorge, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Read the full article, Take a Hike: 7 of the Grandest Adventures in the Southwest here: (http://www.southwestdiscoveries.com/take-a-hike-7-grandest-adventures-in-the-southwest/).

Mitch Stevens

This week, Ben Huberman challenges us to keep our angles sharp and take it right to the edge. From the challenge post, “…share your own interpretation of ‘edge’.” You can view the entire challenge post here.

My challenge response features a gallery that includes images never before published here from our trip to the Grand Canyon in 2011. As you can see, the person in the image above is sitting on the edge of a pretty sharp drop. He and a buddy clearly accomplished a climb to get to where they are in these photos. The gallery features more images of these two climbers as well as other photos featuring the edge of a ledge at the Grand Canyon. Click on an image to enlarge it and to scroll through the gallery.

John Steiner

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The quote in the title is an excerpt from a speech given by President Theodore Roosevelt at the Grand Canyon on May 6, 1903. The Grand Canyon is found on many lists of wonders of the natural world. The canyon averages over a mile (1.6 km) deep and ten miles (16 km) wide.

As you may note in the photo above, the canyon is not one single gorge, but a myriad of gorges etched out of the landscape over the centuries by the Colorado River and her tributaries along the canyon’s 275 mile (442 km) length. On our trip, we visited the South Rim, easily the most popular and easiest to visit portion of the national park. Though the north rim of the park is only ten miles (16 km) as the crow flies, the closest path is a 21 mile (34 km) hike across the canyon along the North and South Kaibib trails. For most people, this is an overnight trek. A foot bridge along the trail crosses the river about 70 feet (21 m) above the water surface.

Over 5 million visitors view the canyon from the south rim. Less than 500,000 make the trip to the north rim as it’s over 220 miles (354 km) by car. No flights are provided unless you are small enough to hitch a ride on an eagle.

The rock climber in the photo above is taking a photo of the eastern portion of the canyon with his cell phone camera. His climber colleague is tucked under the rock that’s directly in front of him. Though it’s not apparent from this photo, they are on top of a tower that is a significant climb from the point where it joins the terrain at the south rim where we are standing.

The two days we spent at the canyon were clear and comfortable in the mid-70s F. (21 C.), though it was probably nearing 100 degrees F. (38 C.) on the canyon floor. More athletic visitors have many options to view the canyon from below. Backpacking, mule riding, and river rafting are all popular venues for viewing the lower canyon. I submit for your visual entertainment a gallery of images at sunset taken in early October at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Click on any of the images below to enlarge and to scroll through the gallery.

John Steiner