Grand Canyon Hike - Bright Angel Trail - August 2002

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Early morning arrival at the South Rim where we had breakfast at Mather Point. We stocked up on plenty of food in Valle, where we stayed the night before. The drive up to the rim took about 30 minutes. At sunrise the temperature was only 2C/35F, so it's hard to believe that a few hours later the heat would become the most challenging part of the hike. The Grand Canyon formed during the last 5-6 million years. The rock layers that make up the walls of Grand Canyon range from fairly young to fairly old. Kaibab Limestone, deposited approximately 260 miltion years ago, forms the cap rock in most of this region. The oldest rocks exposed at the bottom of the canyon, gneiss and schist, date to about 1.8 billion years old. The view can be summarized in one word - GRAND! The Grand Canyon is 277 mile (446 km) long. The width varies from 10 to 18 miles (16-29 km) throughout much of its lenght. In Marble Canyon the width is only 600 yards (meters), and at Toroweap Overlook it is about a mile (1.6 km) wide. The average depth of the canyon is 1 mile (1.6 km). The elevation (from sea level) is 7000 feet (2134 m) for the South rim, and 8100 feet (2469 m) for the North rim. After finishing breakfast at the rim, and packing all the necessary supplies, we started the hike down the canyon wall along Bright Angel trail. Because of the danger from heat exhaustion, the rangers strongly recommend not to hike between 10 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. With all precautions in mind we started the hike at 10. At the beginning of the hike it seems like it takes forever descend. The grandness of the canyon greatly affects the visual conception of distance. It doesn't necessarily look that far, but after walking for a long time without getting much closer you realize the grand scale of things. Passing through a tunnel inside the canyon wall. OK, looks like we are starting to make some progress. So far, we have only descended through 5 million years of rock. Kjetil and Petter need a short break from the relentless heat. It gets warmer the farther down we get. There is a 20-30 F (11-16 C) temperature difference between the rim and the inner canyon. Canyon temperataures can soar to more than 110 F (43 C) in the shade, and we are not hiking in the shade! This was towards the end of the summer when the temperature was in the 90s (35 C). Looking back up at the South rim behind us. You can see the trail going through Indian Garden and out to Plateau Point in the far distance. Beautiful view of the layered redwall limestone. For millions of years the Colorado River has cut down and caused canyon walls to collapse around it. Rain and water flowing down the canyon walls carries away material and forms side canyons. Softer layers erode faster, undermining the harder layers above them. Without adequate support, the cliffs collapse. Posing in front of millions of years of geological history. Kjetil in front of a very tall plant. There are 1500 species of plants in Grand Canyon. Petter reminds us that we have to hike back up again also!! So far it's only been downhill. Looking down at the English Garden. Plateau Point Trail branches off from Bright Angel Trail in forrested area in English Garden. It takes 8-12 hours round trip to reach Plateau Point which is visible at the end Plateau Point Trail. Bright Angel Trail continues down to the the Colorado River. After a pretzel break to restore sodium loss, we agreed not to continue the hike down to Plateau Point. There were warnings, or should I say threats about prosecution etc (in case of rescue operation). if we continued beyond our current point without an overnight stay. Apparently, people die every year from heat exhaustion when trying to hike from the rim to the river and back up again in one day. Because we did not carry a tent or supplies for overnight stay, we had to hike back up again in the same day. Here, I am actually standing at the edge of a several hundred feet cliff. I don't know the name of this plant species, but it's some kind of succulent marvelously designed to survive in this harsh climate. Condensate forms on the leaves at night, and the dropplets slide down the curved leaves to the root of the plant. A look over to the North rim. We have started the return hike back up to the rim. This is a short break in the shadow to get some rest from the sun which is now at its strongest. Petter seems to finish a bottle of water every 30 minutes. It's a good thing we brought plenty of it. Petter sitting down for a short break. I hope there are no rattle snakes behind that tree! Kjetil and I have similar hats. A good hat is a must on a hike like this. OK, I look funny in my hat so I took it off for the picture. Looking straight up from our trail. A massive cliff to the right and the North rim in the distance. A close-up of one of the side canyons at the North rim. Grand Canyon is one of the few places in the US where you can see as far as theoretically possible. The average visibility in Grand Canyon is 90 miles (145 km). However, exceptionally clear days are becoming rare. Over 90 percent of the time, air pollution obscures distant landmarks. The haze is worst in the summer, when winds bring pollution from southern parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, and northern Mexico. Kjetil looking down from the trail above. Petter holding on to a stone at the edge of the trail. He actually brought his hat from Norway, while Kjetil and I had to buy hats for the hike. Kjetil in a good mood -- despite heat and exhaustion. No hat this time either. You have to ask me for the picture if you want to see how funny I look in the hat. I am used to hiking in warm California weather, so it was not too bad for me. I am more like a reptile -- the warmer it gets the better I feel. That's also one of the reasons why I moved to from Norway to California :) I cute squirrel standing up on his hind legs for a pose. The curious squirrel looked at us strange bypassers for a while before it disappeared into his underground tunnels. Colorado River can be seen at the very bottom of the canyon. It was a great hike with memories that will last a lifetime. I will for sure return to hike the Grand Canyon again.

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