Although it is still a few days until the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, the combination of exceptionally clear skies and a waxing moon illuminating the interior of the Grand Canyon was too good to ignore. So we headed up to the South Rim arriving shortly after dark. Most folks had already left so we had the spot mostly to ourselves for the evening.
The wind was blowing a gentle breeze which kept bugs away. The evening temperature was comfortable—if not exactly warm. So we lay back on the rocks at the very edge of the canyon staring up at the stars and watched as a few meteors arced across the sky. This many days before the peak of the shower results in only a few Perseids per hour (compared to the maximum rate of up to a hundred per hour) but there were also “sporadics” (i.e., a meteor which is not associated with one of the regularly recurring meteor showers) to light up the sky.
Meteors above the Grand Canyon.
This is a composite of two images taken a few minutes apart. There are two meteors visible: a Perseid in the constellation Cassiopeia and a very bright sporadic closer to the horizon.
The hourly rate should increase over the next few nights but the nearly full moon will make it difficult to see any but the brightest.
We woke up to a foggy morning in Flagstaff and a quick check of satellite data clearly showed widespread fog across northeastern Arizona but not across the remainder of the state. We quickly broke out of the fog and into sunny skies as we drove south of the Mogollon Rim for a trail run with our running group.
Visible satellite image showing widespread areas of fog across the west.
Intrigued by the fog, I traveled to the Grand Canyon in the late afternoon in hopes of getting some interesting photographs. At Yavapai Point on the South Rim there were few visitors. After all, who wants to see a canyon filled with fog! Visibility was on the order of a hundred meters or less and driving was an interesting challenge.
Fog at Yavapai Point, South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park.
Leaving Yavapai Point, I drove east on the Rim Drive to the first pullout. Moments later, the fog briefly cleared and I could see the North Rim above the top of the fog. Then, just as quickly, it filled back in. A short while later, this clearing repeated itself. This time I captured an image that shows a vast expanse of fog filling the canyon and the North Rim just barely peeking above the fog.
A break in the fog along the South Rim, Grand Canyon.
A sea of fog fills the Grand Canyon and the North Rim peeks above the fog.
Then it was time for some fun. I set the camera to take long exposures and shot a photo every time a car drove by. The red streaks of the vehicle tail lights and the fog being illuminated by the lights created interesting images.
Vehicle tail lights illuminate the fog on the South Rim, Grand Canyon.
The North American Monsoon was going strong in late August and I decided to take a day trip up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. My goal was to photograph lightning — both during the daytime and in the twilight hours — over and in the canyon.
I wasn’t disappointed. There were only a few thunderstorms around and that makes for better chances since there are fewer intervening storms and there is a better chance of catching some of the sky.
The first two images are of fairly weak thunderstorms producing only a few flashes as they traversed the canyon from south to north.
Early afternoon lightning over the Grand Canyon.Afternoon lightning over the Grand Canyon from Grandview Point.
Later in the evening there was thunderstorm activity over the Kaibab Plateau and the north rim. This image captures the small thunderstorm as well as the stars overhead and the lights of the North Rim buildings.
Evening lightning over the Grand Canyon from Grandview Point.
The last image was taken as the storms ended leaving only a thin layer of clouds with the stars shining brightly and the inner canyon illuminated by the light of the full moon.
Full moon light shining down into Grand Canyon.
A few notes of interest. While taking lightning photos using my lightning trigger, a group of four photographers showed up at the same viewpoint — all with the same lightning trigger. And later, during the twilight hours, another group of lightning photographers arrived at the same viewpoint. Turns out these were folks from News9.com (an Oklahoma City television station). It’s not clear to me how lightning over the Grand Canyon is part of the news team coverage for Oklahoma City.
We recently took a “day” hike in the Grand Canyon — except that much of the hike was in the dark. We left Flagstaff around midnight and arrived at the South Kaibab Trailhead at 1:30 a.m. and began our descent in the dark.
The moon was already past 3rd quarter and had not yet risen. But the skies were exceptionally clear and the stars were brilliant. There was almost enough light from the stars to hike down. Almost, but not quite.
So we did the safe thing and used our headlamps to light the trail.
Normally, the South Kaibab Trail is quite busy with hikers. The constant low hum of people talking to each other mixes with the normal daytime sounds of birds and of aircraft flying high overhead (or, sometimes, not so high overhead).
But there was none of that. Just the gentle sighing of the wind and even that began to diminish as we descended from the rim.
The Orionids meteor shower was nearing its peak (still a day away) but we saw plenty of meteor action during the pre-dawn hours. There would be extended lulls followed by a brief flurry of streaks across the sky. We spent so much time looking up that we made only slow progress going down.
At Tip Off Point, we turned onto the Tonto Trail and slowly made our way westward as the first hints of twilight began to appear in the eastern sky. With first light, I began to shoot some photographs of the cliffs of both the South and North Rims and of the side canyons.
Early morning light on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
As we reached the Bright Angel Trail near Indian Garden, the sun had risen and people were out and about on the trail heading both up from Phantom Ranch and down from the Rim. The low hum of many conversations permeated the air and the heavenly silence we had experienced over the past few hours came to an end.
Pipe Spring Canyon – a side canyon of Grand Canyon.
After a short jaunt out to Tonto Point — where we once again had silence — we finished our “day” hike by ascending the Bright Angel Trail.
The Inner Gorge of Grand Canyon as seen from Tonto Point.
I have always wanted to hike the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim traverse of the Grand Canyon. That is, start at one Rim, hike down to the Colorado River, hike up to the opposite Rim, then reverse back to the beginning.
From the South Kaibab Trail the North Rim is a long ways away…
I’ve done a single traverse before from the North Rim to the South Rim but never the R2R2R as it’s called. On the other hand, my significant other has done it a couple of times and keeps asking me to join her. So last week we set out to walk (WALK, not RUN!) the R2R2R of the Grand Canyon. We started mid morning on the South Rim and descended the South Kaibab Trail. Being in no hurry, we took a comfortable pace so that we could actually enjoy the hike and scenery. The weather was pleasant: clear skies, breezy, a bit cool at the top and a bit warm at the bottom.
There were many flowers in bloom along the trail. This is “Prince’s Plume.”
After a refreshing stop at Phantom Ranch where we had lunch and drank plenty of fluids we began the hike up the North Kaibab Trail to the North Rim. The last of the spring snowmelt was rushing down Bright Angel Creek and the roar of the water was loud enough to make conversation difficult. Crossing the stream would have been foolish but there is no need: all crossings have well- built bridges.
Still a long way to go to reach the Colorado River.
By the time we reached Cottonwood campground it was time to eat again and we had dinner as the sun slipped below the high walls of Bright Angel Canyon. The wind, which normally diminishes in the evening, became stronger. First it was annoying, then it became strong enough to blow dirt. Finally, as we were a mile or so above Roaring Springs, the wind nearly blew me off my feet. The sun had already set and it was quite dark as we climbed this part of the trail. It’s narrow with substantial cliffs on the side. The thought of being blown off my feet and… well, you know… was unnerving. So, with only about 3 1/2 miles to go, we decided to err on the side of safety and we turned back.
Rock art in Bright Angel Canyon. Hikers had placed these small stones in the canyon wall.
We walked in the dark until about midnight and then took a nap on a queen-sized flat rock. Never thought I could fall asleep on a rock but it was easy. I awoke to stare at the stars and listen to the thundering of the water in Bright Angel Creek. What a magnificent place to be! Just the two of us — and whatever wild creatures may have been watching us.
We walked back to Phantom Ranch and the Colorado River and then began the difficult climb back up South Kaibab Trail. About halfway up we had a magnificent sunrise. Not too much later we saw some long-distance runners heading downhill towards us. We chatted for a minute and gave them some information on trail conditions. And then they were off.
If we had done this a day earlier, we would have seen two women running R2R2R in an attempt to beat the “Fastest Known Time” for women on this trail. And they succeeded!
And just a few days later the record was broken again!
I’m happy to walk the R2R2R. Running not required.
