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Showing posts with the label Grand Canyon

Photo Friday: Grand Canyon Grand Finale

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Part 1 of this series was up on the South Rim . Part 2 took us down the Bright Angel trail and out the Tonto West Trail to Horn Creek . Part 3 is Monument Canyon and Granite Rapids . Part 4 took us to Hermit Creek and Hermit Rapids, where we finally saw some decent wildflowers. Today we'll finish the backpack trip with the scenic hike up the Hermit Trail (much less strenuous to look at than to hike) and some bonus photos from the drive out of the Park to the east. Day 6: Up and out After a couple of very hot days down in the Canyon, we figured we'd better hit the trail early to beat both the heat and some very high winds forecast to pick up during the day. We'd be hiking fairly light: down to a single small lunch (to be continued on arrival at the rim if necessary) and knowing we would be able to refill water at Santa Maria Springs before beginning the final climb. We did our best to crash early, with alarms set for 4:30 a.m. In the event, we were up at 4:20, really at the

Photo Friday: Grand Canyon Part 4

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Part 1 of this series was up on the South Rim . Part 2 took us down the Bright Angel trail and out the Tonto West Trail to Horn Creek . Part 3 is Monument Canyon and Granite Rapids . Below the Rim, Days 4 & 5: Hermit Creek and Hermit Rapids Days 4 and 5 continued the easy pattern of our Granite Rapids day. On the other hand, temperatures were climbing steeply, meaning we weren't going to want to do a lot of hiking during the middle of the day. So on Day 4 , despite only having about 4 3/4 miles to go (and some 1200' of climbing along with a goodly drop to Hermit Creek Camp), we chose once again to start as early as possible. First sun on the canyon walls. Time to get moving! Back up past the monument we hiked, stopping for a few photos and to fill water bags before leaving the creek. 8:25 a.m. and it's already bright and plenty warm, a harbinger of what's to come. Out of Monument Canyon, with just one more climb ahead of us. Passing near the edge of the Inner Canyon

First Friday Photo: Grand Canyon Part 3

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I'm linking up this week with the F irst Friday Photo bloghop from Many Worlds From Many Minds. If you like to post photos, join in and help Eden Mabee grow this start-up hop. Part 1 of this series was up on the South Rim . Part 2 took us down the Bright Angel trail and out the Tonto West Trail to Horn Creek . Below the Rim, Days 2 & 3: Tonto West to Monument and Granite Rapids One thing about cowboy camping (no tent) is that you wake up when it starts to get light. Our first morning I was up and prowling for photos by 6. The South Rim is somewhere up there. Horn Creek Eventually we got on the trail, with about 8 miles of the Tonto West to cover and temperatures rising. This part doesn't need a lot of narration! Love the geometric daggers of the agave. Last year's blossom. The plant dies after blooming. Indian Paintbrush is a reliable flower just about anywhere, and one of my favorites. Some species of prickly pear. Despite the distance we've come down, the river is