Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Last week we took a walk along the South Rim. This week, we're hoisting our packs and heading down. Since I'm not currently able to hike and make more exciting photos, I'll probably take it nice and slow through this trip report and share lots of photos over the next few weeks. Below the Rim, Day 1: BA and Tonto West to Horn Creek With cool temperatures and a reasonable mileage, we made no effort at a crack-of-dawn start, planning to meet at the Backcountry Office Parking (where it's okay to leave a car for days) at 8 a.m. Eventually, we actually met about 8:15 at the trailhead itself. Close enough.   Traction devices at the ready, we started down the trail. There were already quite a few smart dayhikers out, making sure they got down and back up before it got too warm. Even with frosty overnight temperatures, the Canyon was warming up. Within a couple of hundred yards we had to stop and put on our microspikes to deal with the icy trail. Many dayhikers were doing withou

Along the South Rim Although the main point of my recent trip to the Grand Canyon was to hike in the canyon, I arrived a day early and thus had time to walk the South Rim Trail as well, in part as a scouting expedition: I wanted to know how far the ice extended down the Bright Angel Trail. The afternoon I arrived, I walked a short stretch of the trail east from the BA trail. Late-afternoon sun makes for an extra-special shadow-and-light show. Yes, that's snow. There was a lot of it around; the campground, though open, was still melting out. Low light on the Canyon. The large side canyon directly across on the right side of the photo is where the North Kaibab trail runs.   The paved trail is marked of in millions of years, with signposts here and there to describe what the place was like at that time. The next morning I had time for a longer hike, and headed west along the rim from the Bright Angel trailhead for several miles. Conveniently, when you get tired of walking, you can gra

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. Back in March I shared photos from a 2021 visit to Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. Last month I went back for another visit and a few more trails among the stunning rock features of that park. My timing was awful--it was Easter Week and thus spring break for way too many people, so the park was crowded and campgrounds full. Nonetheless I found a place to crash outside the park, and trails are never crowded at the crack of dawn. I drove into the park in the afternoon and caught the low light coming up to sunset, doing a couple of short hikes to stretch my legs and see the sights. Mouse's Tank My first little hike was in to Mouse's Tank, which got its name from an outlaw who hid out there. The real attraction, as it turns out, is not the tank (which was dry, despite the wet winter?) but the pe

Last month I enjoyed a girls' weekend on the Oregon coast before heading to the Grand Canyon (and yes, I had to pack for 4 seasons. I experienced them all in 3 weeks). We had scenic weather--rain showers and sun, wind and waves. Here are a few of the scenic highlights. We stayed two nights at the adorable and literary-themed Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, OR. Every room is named for and decorated in keeping with a writer. Our group used the Ken Kesey room--think bunkroom at the asylum only with comfy beds--and Oscar Wilde. The hotel is named for Sylvia Beach, who opened the Shakespeare & Co bookstore in Paris in 1919. The hotel sits on a bluff overlooking the beach. The view from breakfast. Unfortunately, they weren't serving dinner while we were there. It was too cold, wet, and windy for us to sit out, but I'll bet it's wonderful in summer! We enjoyed the usual things--great meals out, walks on the beach, and a massage. Rain just made new magic. My artist friend P