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Grand Canyon 2005
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Grand Canyon Backpack - Day 1
The New Hance Trail
New Hance Trailhead
We got up at a chilly 4am, and were finished breakfast and packed up in about 2 hours. The trail head for the New Hance trail is off the side of the road, with nowhere to really pull over and certainly not to park, so Andrew and I dropped of the group and the gear and went up another 2 km up the road to Moran Point where we could leave the van. It was then that I got my first look at the Canyon. There is really no way to describe it. It is bigger than anyone could imagine (even though I tried to put it into perspective as it is the same distance across the Canyon as it is across the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the mainland. My parent's house looks out over this body of water to the mountains above Gibson's on the mainland). The sun had just risen and it was spectacular! I got rather teary - I couldn't believe I was actually there! Andrew pointed out to the very bottom of the Canyon to a spot on the river where we would be camping that night....5000 ft. below where I was standing.

We then had a quick 2 km jog back to meet the rest of the group (not so easy when one is wearing hiking boots). I was well warmed up when we joined the others (who were goofing around on the road passing the time). We were greeted by Shannon giving us her impression of road kill.
courtesy CDoucet
Simulated Roadkill
New Hance Trailhead from afar
Mr. Connell is ready to roll
Group departure shot
Starting out on the New Hance Trail
Approaching the Rim
A few short minutes after hiking through the pine forest on the south rim, we came out of the trees and had the first views of the Canyon. Shannon almost immediately began belting out "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music", (which Caroline politely suggested it should be changed to "The Hole is Alive with the Sound of Music"). This would be the start of many days of Shannon spontaneously bursting into song!
First view of the Canyon
Three musketeerettes at dawn
Jenn at the Grand Canyon
oooh, lookee me!
Amazing Vista
Amazing Vista (annotated)
courtesy BConnell
Coronado Butte Panorama
Then began the descent through time. As we descended through each rock layer, it was like entering a totally different world. Plant life was different (from pine trees at the rim to cactus below,) and rock layers too (sandy soils , shales, sandstones, limestones, red rocks, yellow rocks, even purple rocks!). (The temperature varied dramatically, too, from rim to river...) It was like all my geology textbooks had come alive.
courtesy BConnell
Shannon records thoughts
Solution Pockets
Arbor Window
The trail was quite rocky, and at times you really had to pick your steps carefully. We found an abandoned water canteen, and then again shortly after some bottles of juice and more water. We decided to leave these be, just in case someone was stashing them there for later. We met some people coming up, and again a few people at the bottom, but the water and juice didn't belong to them, and in fact had been there since they had come down a few days before. A bit of a mystery.
Desert Varnish
Descending through the Coconino
Jenn on a ledge
courtesy CDoucet
Shannon against sandstone wall
Jointed sandstone
Gnarled silhouette
Video Clip: New Hance Trailhead
 
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