Adopt A Tree Day

James woke up early this morning to join a ranger-led hike into the canyon.  He took some awesome pictures and learned some cool facts.  The Grand Canyon gets about 5 million visitors each year, and only 5% go below the rim!  The average length of a visit is 30 minutes, so apparently most people just drive through, look into the Canyon from the rim, and move on.  Only1% make it to the bottom of the Canyon, which isn't so surprising because that involves a 6-7 mile hike that descends more than 5,000 feet.  James's hike went about 1.5 miles down and descended 1,200 feet.  The history of the Canyon is mind-blowing.  In short, almost 2 billion years of layered rock formation thousands of feet deep and created, in part, by a huge saltwater sea spreading and receding across the middle of the continent, plate tectonic movement that raised all that as an enormous land mass, at different times, and then erosion caused by the Colorado River.  The Canyon is 277 miles long and averages 10 miles wide and 1 mile deep.  Fascinating. 

Views from the trailhead at South Kaibab.  

A series of switchbacks descending into the Canyon.  

A view of the top 3-4 layers of rock, alternating between hard rock, which breaks off in chunks creating steep cliffs, and softer rock, that erodes and sloughs off over time, appearing as slopes between the cliffs.  That softer ground holds more water and can support tree growth.  

The view from ooh-aah point, showing where the Canyon really steepens into the lower layers.  The river flow is more controlled now, but the Canyon bottom continues to erode approximately the thickness of a sheet of paper each year.  

The point at Cedar Ridge.  

A panorama from Cedar Ridge.

The girls and I joined a junior ranger tour called "Walk on the Wild Side".  I didn't feel like messing with the shuttles so we walked the mile or so to get there.  I swear I heard a bear one time.  On the tour, we hunted for certain things and hiked to the rim.  The girls received their badges at the end of the tour.

As part of the program, the girls "adopted" trees.  They named them and drew a map so they can find them on future visits to the canyon.  This is Sarah Ellen with "Lisa."

 And "Max"

Guess what Lily's trees were named: Margaret Anne and Porter! 

We had a low key afternoon.  I went to the laundromat and did 5 loads of laundry at once!  James and the girls hung out.  We went to dinner at El Tovar with a fabulous view of the canyon.