The Grand Canyon

So often in life, we tend to try to describe items by comparing to things that we have previously experienced. In the case of the Grand Canyon, I find this almost impossible to do.

First View

We arrived on a sunny but cold, late afternoon. It had been a long drive and everything was new and the drive had been testing – not least for the fact that I was still getting used to driving on the other side of the road to normal – and it seemed to have taken an age to drive through the park to get to the South Rim and the accommodation area. We had approached from the south and so no sneaky glimpses to combat the mindset. Getting a bit frayed around the edges, there were (unwelcome) thoughts of “will it be worth the journey?”

We shouldn’t have had doubts. From my point of view, I have never seen vista like it before, and its uniqueness is such that I suspect I’m unlikely to do so at any point in time in the future.

Visiting here for the first time was a truly awe-inspiring experience and, for me, defies simple description. Standing at the edge of its vastness for the first time, all eyes are greeted by layers of rock that show thousands of millions of years of geological history, carved ever so    s l o w l y   by the Colorado River.

Be prepared to be amazed at the vastness  and get used to viewing something with downwards gaze - it's usually upwards!

Some facts to amaze at….

The sheer scale of what comes up in front of you for the first time, standing on the edge of what is a VERY big drop, is truly staggering. The canyon stretches 277 miles in length, up to 18 miles in width, and plunges over a mile deep. Put an Eiffel Towers on the bottom of the canyon and then put another half dozen Eiffel Towers top of that first one and you will still be looking down on them!

El Salvador would fit inside the Grand Canyon. Alternatively, for us Brits, click on this link to see how the canyon would look superimposed on a map of Great Britain.

On average, there are 15 to 17 deaths a year. Some of these sad events come from falls – and as soon as you arrive at the canyon, you’ll understand all too quickly how a few people fall to their death by witnessing sheer ignorance of people – often with children - prancing about on the edge…!

Occasionally there's a foreground option for images - all so often it's just a VERY big drop!

Here’s the thing. The lowest point of the canyon is 2,400 feet above sea level (Phantom Ranch). The South Rim goes up to 7,498 feet at Navajo Point and the North Rim is higher at 8,803 feet. Don’t dismiss this if you intend to visit. At this altitude, you will be physiologically compromised by the altitude – no doubt about it. You might notice a slight headache and most definitely you’ll find yourself getting out of breath walking any uphill gradient. If you have Ischaemic Heart Disease, your angina WILL trouble you!

Lots of people hike the canyon. It must be an amazing thing to do, but beware. It starts easy as you go downhill (a long way). Then things get tough as it gets hotter as you descend and then to climb back up you are compromised by both tiredness and hypoxia, climbing a steep path that only gets steeper as you ascend. The Park Rangers are pretty hot on advising about water and heat conditions – pay attention to them – they know their stuff…!

Strange fact - There are no dinosaur bones in the Grand Canyon – it’s too old for them! There are lots of ancient marine fossils dating as far back as 1.2 billion years ago. There’s also a bit of a mystery, as 250 million year old rocks lie back to back with 1.2 billion year old rocks. What happened in between is a mystery.

How on earth can trees grow here ... of all places...?

Visiting the Canyon

Don’t be fooled by the Arizona location and think it’s bound to be hot. The Grand Canyon gets very cold. When we visited in April, there were still scattered pockets of snow around us and whilst sunrise was truly spectacular, it was cold, minus 4 deg C, i.e. puffer jackets, gloves and woolly hats. The North Rim was still closed to visitors when we went in April (it opens in mid-May) due to weather restrictions.

Easter holidays are busy but just wait till the summer. Sometimes it can take an hour or more to get through the queue into the Park, with endless lines of cars. So if you’re going – book accommodation early.

We stayed at Maswik Lodge and we would strongly recommend it. The classic hotel is El Tovar, which opened in 1905 with the railroad coming to the canyon. It has a real charm and atmosphere, that makes it a must to visit for a meal, even if you are not staying there! We were too late to make an accommodation booking at El Tovar but we had a great meal there and we were definitely not disappointed by our room at Maswik.

Layer, upon layer, upon layer....

There are lots of blog posts for the area and I was particularly impressed by this one by Matt and Cheryl (“We’re in the Rockies”). Far more detail than I could possibly provide and it helped us greatly.

Our Highlights

A couple of days was enough for us given that we were not hiking. There are lots of attractions to see, but for us, the highlights were the Kolb Studio and walking back along the South Rim after taking the bus out to Hermits Rest.

The Kolb Studio was made by two brothers in 1905. They carved a niche in the area by setting up a photographic studio, taking images of the early visitors (most of whom likely stayed at El Tovar) who visited and trekked the canyon. Their story is very impressive, with a workrate that is almost impossible to comprehend nowadays.  

I found myself mesmerised by these dead trees, with such amazing shapes.

The Hermit Road is travelled by a regular and very impressive bus service . It is one of the four bus routes available). Research the buses well if you plan to visit, it’s worth the investment of time and is the best way to get about. (Your car will stay in the car park!) We took the service all the way to Hermit’s Rest , where we enjoyed a simple lunch before walking back along the canyon rim to our accomodation.

The walk back was leisurely and the path was easy to follow. Take it easy, at >7,000 ft altitude, you will soon know that you’re working out!

Photography

Sunrise and sunset were brilliant to witness, but both times presented challenges. It gets cold very quickly so come prepared. I didn’t have gloves and regretted it very quickly in the sub-zero morning temperature. My hands were colder than at any time when visiting the Arctic earlier in the year.

Don't be fooled - this warm looking sunrise was sub-zero and the absence of a pair of gloves was regretted. 

Sunrise and sunset present significant challenges for taking photos here, as the shadows are contrasted by strong sunlight. It is a very harsh light once the sun has risen, (? Altitude related – see later?). If you wait till the sun hits lower down into the canyon at sunrise – then the sun will be pretty high in the sky. and the canyon goes into shadow quickly at sunset.

As soon as the sun sets, the shadows appear VERY quickly

Many of my photos are from the early afternoon walk back from Hermit’s Rest. The sun was harsh but it gives the best view into the canyon – which is a pretty unique situation and I feel creates an exception to the “only sunrise and sunset” rule.

Mindfullness and the senses

As you will be aware now, this is an important part of my travel and especially my photography.

Being sensitive to all senses in the Grand Canyon created for me a personal reward with an awareness that I felt to be spectacularly different to almost all other places I have visited, due to the uniqueness of the geographical location, the overwhelming natural history and the physiological impositions of the altitude.

The Desert View Watchtower - at the start of the Western approach to the canyon

1 - Light

The daytime light here is as crisp as anything - verging on harsh, but it’s unique and difficult to appreciate unless you are there! This is due to the fact that light can appear clearer with higher altitude and the removal of layers of the atmosphere with altitude, means there is less scattering of light, making objects appear more distinct than at sea level.

I couldn't resist this image - the diagonal texture of the tree fits in well with the canyon's  horizontal layers.

Add to this, the increasing rarity of the atmosphere with altitude reduces absorption of certain wavelengths (eg UV and IR) that we may not see, but influence our perception of the visible spectrum.

2 - Sound

It’s a windy place, so you will hear plenty of the wind rustling trees, but keep a close listen out for the Colorado River. There’s only a few points where the sound makes it to the top of the Canyon (the bus drivers on the Hermits Rest route will tell you where) and when it does, it’s amazing to hear.

One of the few places from where the Colorado River can be heard many thousands of feet away.

Be prepared for the opposite of sound too. Silence has the potential to be very loud.

Sure, aircraft and helicopter noise is a big issue when you are at the Canyon (you’re 7,000 feet closer to the planes after all!) but the Grand Canyon is also known for its quiet too. The park noise can get as low as 10dB at night. That’s good enough for me.

3 - Feel – the cold!!!

4 - Smell

The smell of the many fir trees transports me back to when we lived in Cyprus and visited the Troodos Mountain.

Petrichor – the smell after rainful is due to certain chemicals called terpenes (don’t get me started -this is a BIG subject for distilling gin!) and creates a truly invigorating experience - creating a smile as soon as you walk outside and smell the freshness.

Juniper trees (particularly Utah juniper – in Arizona!) abound and if you can pick a berry off one of the trees, crush it and you’ll be rewarded with the unadulterated smell of… GIN…!

5 - Taste

The memorable tastes for me were those of pizza and the beer at the Maswik Pizza Pub. After a long drive to the canyon and a long walk along the South Rim, we enjoyed slices of pizza whilst tasting some of the local beers and watching both the baseball and the ice hockey on adjoining TV’s – it was brilliant!

A pano from the western approach road.

SUMMARY

The Grand Canyon is undoubtedly unique. It’s a place to recommend visiting for at least a couple of days, using that time to be free of electronics and enjoy such clarity of air, the tranquility and the endless photographic possibilities. Be prepared to book well ahead and consider avoiding peak times to avoid coming across too many noisy humans crowding near the edge. Do your homework too, know about the bus routes, the need to get fit beforehand (if you plan to hike) and have a look at some of the awesome images that other people have taken to inspire your photographic ambitions. You won’t be disappointed.

This was as close as I was prepared for us to go! Daft - yes - Memorable - undoubtedly...!