Well, finally the time has arrived to visit this Natural Wonder of the World, The Grand Canyon. When we were back in Australia planning this trip we basically just gave ourselves a brief outline of what we must see along our journey. We kept the plan very basic and have just followed our nose so to speak. For our USA part of the journey we have always said we must see New York, tick, Niagara Falls, another Natural Wonder of the World and another tick, and Grand Canyon. Over these past months we have seen so much incredible beauty it is with trepidation that we have been approaching the Grand Canyon. Will it live up to the hype that surrounds it?
Five million people from around the world visit this geologists’ dreams come true, and one of the few geological features of the world visible from space, every year. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide, though averages about 10 miles wide, and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet or 1,800 meters). Recent studies have concluded that approximately 17 million years ago the Colorado river and its tributaries chose their pathways to begin carving through the nearly two billion years of geological layering that make up this part of the uplifted Colorado Plateau. For all these years this mighty river has channelled this spectacular landscape and will continue to do so forever more.
The canyon is contained within and managed by Grand Canyon National Park, The Hualapai Tribal Nation, the Havasupai Tribe and the Navajo Nation. Descendants of these Indian Peoples have inhabited the canyon since as far back as 500AD. They were largely left in peace until the mid 1500’s when the Spanish made some exploration in the area but quickly left them alone until the 1800’s when the West was invaded and new settlers arrived. Once ‘discovered’ the canyon has been a hive of activity ever since, including mining exploration. The first bill to create Grand Canyon National Park was introduced in 1882 by then-Senator Benjamin Harrison, which would have made Grand Canyon National Park the nation’s second, after Yellowstone National Park. Many times the bill was reintroduced to preserve this natural world for future generations but it was not successful until 1919 under the direction of President Theodore Roosevelt, and in 1979 UNESCO dedicated the park as a World Heritage Site.
This has saved the park from disasters such as mining and damming but it is a constant juggling act to save the park from the effects of projects going on outside its boundaries. This diverse eco system has taken some hits along the way and management are constantly working to minimize our impact. A seemingly successful project to date has been the long slow process of saving of the critically endangered Californian Condor. Air quality is another interesting factor facing the park, as is uranium mining outside the park, all things requiring much research and debate. Minimizing the impact of tourism is another issue on the agenda that park officials must handle on a day-to-day basis. All in all this is a Grand Challenge.
Over the years the Canyon has taken its revenge so to speak. About 600 deaths have occurred in the Grand Canyon since the 1870s. Some of these deaths occurred as the result of overly zealous photographic endeavours, some were the result of airplane collisions within the canyon, and some visitors have drowned in the Colorado River. Of the fatalities, 53 have resulted from falls; 65 deaths were attributable to environmental causes, including heat stroke, cardiac arrest, dehydration, and hypothermia; 7 were caught in flash floods; 79 were drowned in the Colorado River; 242 perished in airplane and helicopter crashes (128 of them in the 1956 disaster where two flights collided over the canyon); 25 died in freak errors and accidents, including lightning strikes and rock falls; and 23 were the victims of homicides. Our Park Ranger at the Black Canyon had warned us of the care required to visit this park. This is a harsh environment that must be respected, especially when the weather is hot.
Our visit begins as we approach from the East to take in our first view from Desert View Watchtower. The top of the tower is 7,522 feet (2,293 m) above sea level, the highest point on the South Rim. It offers one of the few full views of the bottom of the Canyon and the Colorado River. WOW, WOW, WOW. What a view to begin our experience. When we arrive our view is obstructed by low cloud, though spectacular to see its disappointing to think we will not get a clear view, but, as always our luck prevails and over the next hour that we spend here the cloud lifts before our eyes to unveil the whole splendid vista from this interesting tower.
It is jaw dropping amazing to look out over the magnitude of this creation. It takes time to soak in the sheer size of this wonder. The river below that looks like a slender ribbon at the base is actually at least 90ft wide and rushes along calm at times and churning rapids at others. That first view will be embedded on our memory forever as well as the feeling of the sheer size of what we are seeing.
Our day is a progression of vistas, each different from each other but still the same, absolutely amazing. Our favourites are decided, the first and the most eye opening, Desert View, closely followed by both Hopi and Pima outlooks. We are unable to walk down into the bottom of the canyon, as this is a two-day overnight experience and time does not permit (also snow is predicted tonight), so spend our day taking various trails along the rim. We are so glad we are here in winter when the tourist numbers are somewhat lower.
We spend time at the visitor’s centre taking in a wonderful movie, learning lots and particularly enjoy the footage of the Californian Condor, what an amazing bird this is. It is almost sunset when we take our last look into this abyss that is the Grand Canyon. It is aptly named, as it is the biggest and grandest of all the holes in the ground that we have visited. But is it our favourite? We all agree that even though it is spectacular and a must see in any ones lifetime that we have preferred other spots, and in direct comparison of vast drops down into this wonderful earth, we would put the Canyonlands and Black Canyon and Bighorn up the top of our list.
Is this unbelievable that we could not rank it Number 1? Don’t hold it against us! I think our preference has a lot to do with the fact that our favourites were experienced, for the most part, totally alone, when we could take in the grandeur in tranquil peace with time to reflect on the magnitude of that moment in time. Considering this we decide we would like to return to visit the North Rim, closed to us due to snow, and get a more lonely experience. We also have to come back to get to the canyon floor and we have decided the way to do this best is to take a ride down the amazing Colorado River, an adventure requiring a much higher temperature. More for the bucket list.
Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album ARIZONA.
Here We Come World 