Adventures on the Grand Staircase...

We recently experienced the grandeur of Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks--also known as the Grand Staircase due to their Geological interconnections. These parks were formed as the Colorado River sliced thru the uplifted Colorado Plateau--exposing 2 billion years of sedimentary rocks formed from ancient sea and sand dune deposits.



But before we start our journey--I feel compelled to insert an older photo of Paul fishing at the head of the Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National Park---not quite the river you might expect--still just a wee baby of a river--BUT it will soon receive water from many tributaries before grandly entering and carving into the Colorado Plateau.



Continuing--geologically speaking, Bryce Canyon is at the top of the Staircase and exposes the youngest of the geological formations. The lowest formation (step) in Bryce Canyon is the highest formation (step) in Zion. And the bottom formation in Zion is the top of the Grand Canyon--where the oldest layers are found. In addition to the Sedimentary Rock formations in the Grand Canyon--we will also explore Metamorphic and Igneous Rocks associated with the Grand Canyon's basement.


The unusual formations found in Bryce Canyon are called Hoodoos (Paul standing in front of them in the photo)--and are caused by millions of years of water erosion. Breaks called joints formed during the uplift of the Colorado Plateau. Joints allowed water to flow into and through the various rocktypes found in the canyon--e.g., sandstone and limestone--resulting in differential erosion. As water flowed through the joints, erosion widened them into rivulets and gullies. Over time, deep slot canyons formed in the sides of the plateau.

Paul took this video (below) while we hiked Peekaboo Loop--a 5 mile hike thru the canyon---and VERY hot ~105 degrees in the shade (what shade?)




Further down the Grand Staircase is Zion. Our first video is from our campsite. Who wouldn't want to wake up here every morning?



Zion has some of the most fabulous outcrops of the Navajo Sandstone--a late Triassic/early Jurassic-aged formation created by the deposition of ancient sand dunes. This picture of us shows the incredible detail of sand layers within the dunes which were created as grains of sand are blown up the windward side of the dune and then deposited on its leeward side. The next photo shows the beautiful cross beds that result when dunes migrate in relation to wind direction (the layers are inclined in the direction the wind was blowing). The depth of the Navajo Sandstone indicates that these ancient sands were ~3000 feet deep --compare this to the depth of the Sahara Desert with sands only a couple of hundred feet deep.






































One of the fun (?) things we did while in Zion was to hike Angels Landing--a very steep and "thrilling" 5-mile hike. One portion of the landing is called Walter's Wiggle--a series of numerous switchbacks. I asked Paul to hike up while I videotaped him--it's kind of a funny video...enjoy...





Ok--let's move on to the Grand Canyon. I have to admit--when we drove into this forested park and then all of a sudden--the Earth opens up into the immense, phenomenal canyon--it brought tears to my eyes!! I just new I had to get down into it and explore its depths in order to really appreciate its extraordinary geology...so I suggested to Paul that we hike down. I never saw Paul's eyes get so big--"are you crazy?" was his response--but--I knew it had to be done!!

So--this photo was taken in the naive moments before our 7-mile descent into the depths of the Earth on the South Kaibab Trail (the depth of the canyon is only ~1 mile).



The hike--although really hard--was full of some of the most incredible geology I have ever encountered!--nothing like touching prehistoric time!--fossils abound. You turn over a rock and realize--this hasn't seen the light of day in millions/billions of years!! What MUST the Earth have been like back in that day? HOW VERY COOL!!!




Moving thru the Kaibab Limestone Formation (~270 million years ago--m.y.a.) --representing an ancient shallow sea-- into the Coconino Sandstone Formation (275 m.y.a.)--representing the faces of ancient wind-blown sand dunes. The term Formation refers to any rock unit that is recognizable and traceable for a long distance.




In this video--note that the Coconino Sandstone Formation creates the white 'bath-tub ring' around the upper canyon. (Beneath it is the more red color associated with the Supai Group)





Next...we move from the Coconino Sandstone into the Supai Group (315-285 m.y.a.). A Group is a succession of two or more contiguous or associated formations. The Supai Group consists of layers of shale, siltstone, sandstone and limestone and represents both marine and non-marine enviroments. During this time, this area was experiencing a period of rapidly changing coastlines created by rising and falling sea levels.



Step down...down...down...down....for 7 miles or ~36,960 steps...oh my aching knees!!



We finally enter the famous Bright Angel Shale Formation--I heard a lot about this formation From Dr. Gary Zumwalt--my fabulous professor of Geology at Louisiana Tech (thanks Dr. Z). I've dreamed of 'communing' with it ever since! The Bright Angel Shale is an accumulation of muddy sediments associated with a quiet offshore marine environment. It is a source of wonderful fossils--including Bryozoa--animals that build their skeleton of calcium carbonate--somewhat similar to today's coral.




A photo of Bryozoa in the Bright Angel Shale (click on it for a better closeup).




The journey down continues..




We finally enter the Inner Gorge--the location of some of the oldest rocks in the Grand Canyon. Paul mis-spoke in this next video--the Vishnu Schist is part of the basement rocks--the metamorphic rocks that compose some of the oldest rocks in the canyon (~2 Billion years old!). Also present here are the Igneous Intrusive rocks called the Zorastor Granite.




Paul talks about 'the black streaks going up'--what he's seeing is the black-colored Vishnu Schist mixed with intrusive portions of the 'red' Zorastor Granite...



Fatigue from this long hike has certainly set in--BUT--we are almost--almost to the bottom!!!!!! In the video--I mention that we've been down 5280 steps (the approximate number of steps for 1 mile of hiking). BUT--actually, it's more like that times 7---since we've gone almost ~7 miles!!!!!! That's about 36,960 steps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



OH MY GOD------WE MADE IT-----WE ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF 2 BILLION YEARS OF EARTH'S HISTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



We're now at Phantom Ranch--THE place to stay if you make it to the bottom. This place is a MUST DO BEFORE YOU DIE kind of place. We stayed in his 'n her bunks for a couple of nights while we rested for the hike up the canyon. The people are fabulous--the food is great----the wine and beer is relaxing--and the camaraderie is more than memorable!!! Meals are served family style which gives you the time to really talk and get to know other people in the world--I truly believe that if we all did this--there would be NO MORE WARS!!!---it's simply that fabulous and effective of an experience!!!



Sadly--and I really mean this--it's time to leave this fabulously exclusive location---and HIKE UP 9.5 miles to the top of the Canyon!!!!! DO WE REALLY HAVE TO LEAVE????



Ok so--we've been hiking for a while and decide to take a break--only--we are stalked by a suspiciously hungry-looking squirrel!!! (hey Ben and Cate--note the squinty eye--see where you get it?)



And then--we are forced to forge a raging stream! (?) Ok so--not so raging but Paul had fun filming it...


And believe it or not--there were actually a lot of beautiful wildflowers in the Grand Canyon...



MULE TRAIN--the code of the trail is--if you encounter a mule train--hikers must stand on the inside of the trail (mountain side) until the mules pass. It was kind of fun at first. But after about the 5th mule train--ya' got kind of tired of it. ESPECIALLY since WE were HIKERS--the REAL kings/queens of the trail!!



YES--it was HOT at the bottom--REAL HOT!!! Paul took a video of two thermometers...(it's much cooler on the rim 'cause it's a mile higher in elevation).



Taking another look at the Geology of the Grand Canyon--Paul takes a final look and points out the Bright Angel Fault--it creates the great valley system that accommodates the trail.



CAN IT BE TRUE--ARE WE REALLY REALLY ALMOST THERE??? As you can hear in the background of this video--I can't decide whether to be happy or sad--should I laugh or should I cry? It's been such a phenomenal experience--but also such a phenomenally HARD hike!! All I know is--I was hiking, hiking, hiking and then all of a sudden I looked up and saw the Park Ranger's building on the top---I WAS STUNNED!!! AFTER 9.5 MILES OF HIKING UP UP UP-- THERE REALLY WAS AN END TO THIS TRAIL!!!



OK FOLKS--this is it--our last Grand Canyon video. And yes--I cried like a little girl when it was all said and done (not in the video). As I walked through crowd on the rim--I felt so bizarre. Kind of felt like saying 'Hey guys--I've just come back from the Moon--And this is the best you can do to greet me?' I can only say--this has been one of the best adventures of my life and I would highly recommend it to EVERYONE!!!



Next time--a Rim to Rim hike!!! (really!)
THANKS PLANET EARTH FOR SUCH A GREAT TIME!!!

Cheers from the top--Deb'n Paul

Our Great Yukon Adventure...

Here we are at the beginning of our great Yukon adventure. The trip would take us from Whitehorse to Carmacks. We started with a 30-mile paddle in upper Lake LaBerge

The lake was really beautiful but BIG. It took us 1 ½ days to finally reach the Yukon River.

At the first camping spot, Cate noticed that we had camped on a bed of wild strawberries. What a nice treat for our first (of many) breakfast of hot oatmeal.

We finally made it to the Yukon River!! (For those of you unfamiliar with kayaking—we are wearing our sprayskirts—it keeps a water tight seal between you and your kayak.)

This is the 30-mile trading post. The Yukon River has been designated as an historical and scenic river. It is sprinkled with old prospector’s cabins, etc. and the government has placed wonderful descriptive markers all along the way explaining the historical remains of the gold rush.

At our fist camping spot on the Yukon—Paul taught Cate how to flyfish. If Paul’s not looking too happy, it’s because Cate caught all the fish the first night and Paul caught-----NONE!! And yes, Cate is in her jammie pants. She’s already taken her bath in the VERRRY cold Yukon River. I always knew she was a little crazy!!

Here’s our little kayaker. Hard to believe Cate never complained—HONESTLY!! She seemed to really love the experience.

Lunch consisted of peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat pita bread---EVERYDAY!! OK so—by day 6 Cate was ready to sprint to the end for a meal at the Carmacks Burger Shack—so was mom.

Paul looks on (wearing his mosquito jacket) while Cate readies for another day of paddling. Everyday started with crawling out of the tent, pulling stuff out of the kayak for breakfast (it had to be securely stored to keep away from bears), packing-up camp, repacking the kayaks and moving on to the next campsite—and doing it all over again. It was a lot of daily work but SOOOOOO worth it!!!

On an average day we paddled ~40 miles. There were about 20 hours of daylight and 4 hours of twilight. It never got completely dark—which was good with me since I was always looking for bears.

This is our tent. Paul and Cate are busy making breakfast. We purposely chose a tent with a ‘screened porch’ since the mosquitoes operated on the ‘greet and eat’ approach. I learned real fast that the most mosquito-free areas were in the middle of the Yukon River on islands.

BUT--I also mistakenly believed that islands would provide a safe haven from bears—that is until we excitedly watched as a bear very easily swam across the wide and raging river and plopped his ‘squishy butt’ on an island that we were about to claim for the night!!! Yes—we moved

on…

A gold-stampeder’s cabin. A visit to it’s interior tells you that they knew how to entertain ;) That’s my kind of camping!! Too bad they were all empty ;-)

Home sweet home. Paul takes a break in his hammock in front of another stampeder’s cabin while I pan for gold…Yes—I’m gonna keep my day job—

Paul and I relax around the campfire while Cate makes friends with a worm—does this mean she’s tired of being with us???

Here we sit on our kayaks on the last day of our great Yukon adventure. We are tired but we’ve had such a spectacular time!!! We only wished Ben had come along….We missed you!!!