Grand Canyon

Finally, no need to rent a car to get to the Grand Canyon. A shuttle took me there from Flagstaff (150 km/100 mi away) where I stayed at Henry's. I think I should help locate us. The Grand Canyon is located in northern Arizona, neighbouring state of California and Nevada. And who says canyon, says river in the canyon. Who would have guessed that the Colorado runs through the Grand Canyon?

From Flagstaff, the road goes up to reach the Colorado Plateau, a vast and flat region, larger than the United Kingdom and Ireland combined, which covers the States of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.

Click on map to enlarge

So here I arrived at the gates of the Grand Canyon National Park. But I still couldn't see anything. I pitched my tent because there were a lot of people, despite the early hour, and I didn't want to hear that the only campsite at thirty miles around was fully booked. The excitement grew since I am now heading to the Rim. I will not see anything until I reach the rim.

And then, suddenly, everything appears under my eyes. Like everyone, I am amazed by what it is considered to be: nothing but a gigantic hole in the ground. The majesty of it resides in its dimensions. The Canyon deserves its adjective Grand. The opposite rim is 15-20 km as the crow flies (about 10 miles). In some directions, we see more than a hundred miles around, but do not have an overview of 450 km of the Canyon. And the bottom of the canyon is 1500 meters below us. It's so cashed we can hardly see the river.

But obviously, like everyone else, I also arrived with my own representation and images of the Grand Canyon. And ultimately, it did not fit quite the reality. Here, for three reasons: visibility, colours and chaotic.

1. Visibility, because there is always a sort of veil, due to pollution coming from Southern California (to the West) or sometimes New Mexico (to the East).

2. Colours, because when I arrived on the edge for the first time during the day, there is virtually no shade and the sun is hitting the stones, giving them a uniform gray color - so as to other times of the day, you can admire the whole range from red to green through the ocher and gray.

3. Chaotic, finally, because the Canyon has not eroded uniformly across its width, knowing that in addition, rivers flowing into the Colorado have also contributed to create side-canyons.

So I made the necessary settings on my camera (contrast, brightness and saturation) for optimal shots.

When you see that, we easily understand that the Canyon is subject of much attention. The United States made it a National Monument in 1908 and then a National Park in 1919. And 60 years later, in 1979, the Grand Canyon is among the first World Heritage sites listed by the UNESCO. More than 400 Park Rangers ensure its preservation and welcome some 4.5 million people who, like me, will visit the Grand Canyon in 2012.

I spend my first day on the Canyon rim, hiking to several different viewpoints. This place is really fascinating. But I felt that I might experience more interesting stuff if I was hiking in the heart of the Canyon. I went to the backcountry information centre. Twenty minutes later, I came out with my special permit and my reservations for overnight camping. The day after I left for three-day hike.

When you stay on the edge, it changes its point of view horizontally, of course. But actually, going down offers a totally different perspective. The first image that came to mind is that of sand through a giant colander. Do not tell me that I am the only one fascinated by the slow flow of sand beach in a colander and patterns that appear gradually.

The descent is steep at first. Thank God, I'm not sensitive to the height and vacuum. Then the slopes are less steep, then steeper again. And so on according to the rock layers that we are crossing. Let's break a few moments, the time to quickly tell the story of the Canyon.

Basically there are two billion years, began a process of sediment deposition in different layers, of different composition, on what was then submerged by the ocean. Then, about 65 million years ago (when the last dinosaurs were dying), what is now the Colorado Plateau rose water, to over 2000 meters (6,000 ft). I'll spare you the theory of plate tectonics, convection and continental drift. And I jump up until 5 million years ago. There, the Colorado begins eroding the plateau of the same name and digging the Grand Canyon in the south. The rocks are of different composition, alternating softer or harder layers, erosion (due to the river, but also to rain and frost cracking the rock) makes some parts steeper than others. And thus reveals layers of different colours. From top to bottom, we find limestone, red rock (strong presence of oxidized iron, rust after all!), green rock, sandstone, limestone, and finally, schist. It has a scale of time since the rocks at the bottom of the Canyon date back 1.7 billion years, while those at the top, 230 million years.

Returning to our oven. Yes, indeed it is hot in the Canyon. The temperature is 20°-25°C (70°-80°F) up with a fresh breeze, but it rises above 35°C/95°F when you go down. And all this of course when you have the chance to find shade! Given the environment, few people venture on a hike in the Canyon. I almost want to say "good!" But there are all kinds of wildlife. These range from lizards to squirrels, from mule-deer to California condors reintroduced recently.

The view is breathtaking up the last part (the schist if you followed). It is steep, 500 meters (1500 ft) above the Colorado. Too bad for those who have vertigo and can not enjoy this magnificent view. Personally I really enjoyed it! (videos available in the previous article)

At the bottom, it passes through a tunnel that leads to a bridge over the river. The trail leads quickly to Colorado that seems peaceful and attractive. But no! Impossible to swim. The currents are deadly, and the water freezing cold anyway. So I fall back on a tributary, where is my campground. I bathe in the middle of deer grazing in the open camp. Pending, squirrels were attacking my little bag fiercely, trying to reach the mixture of nuts that they had felt. Now I'll never forget to put all my food in iron containers provided for this purpose, as they are for bears in Yosemite.

While walking in the afternoon along the Colorado, I saw a big box, by the trail. I laugh so hard when I read the message probably left the close-to-burnout FedEx guy: "Enjoy this! As of June 1st we will NOT deliver mail anymore!". Obviously he has not thought about using a mule to go down into the Canyon.

What I like about camping is that I hold much more naturally to the rhythm of the sun. Up early, sleep early. It feels great and allows you to walk in the morning when it's cooler. Second day, I began the ascent. Not too complicated, I stopped halfway up to the second camp. There I met Alex, a French who makes a road trip across the United States. Nice guy, nice meeting. We watched the sunset over the cliffs of Plateau Point. I think this is the best place in the Canyon: the tumultuous river 500 meters below our feet, and the canyon rim 1000 meters above us. We are literally in the middle of the canyon. By late afternoon, the rocks are different colours. You must love the red! We have the whole palette.

The next day I went back to the top with Alex before he resumes his way to Las Vegas and the California coast. I stayed an additional 24 hours. I met Robb, a Park Ranger, inexhaustible on the history and geology of the Canyon. In the evening I attended a beautiful sunset to conclude in beauty those few magical days.