Gopher snake North Kaibab trail Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaGopher snake
We left the beautiful Ribbon Falls behind and returned to the canyon’s Sonoran desert headed to The Box. This, the only snake seen along the trail. I would have liked to see the pink rattler found only in the Grand Canyon, from a distance.
Boardwalk North Kaibab trail Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaAmy on boardwalk over swamp
Where a side stream feeds into Bright Angel Creek a swamp has formed, complete with cattails. Yet another contradiction to the dry desert in the canyon.
Looking up North Kaibab trail Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaUnknown canyon butte
The 7 mile (11.3 km) stretch of the North Kaibab trail between Cottonwood Camp and Phantom Ranch is the longest leg without drinking water. So we all carried about 4 liters each, but could have filtered the creek water if necessary.
North end The Box North Kaibab trail Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaNorthern end of The Box
This narrow canyon with towering walls is one of my favorite sections of the North Kaibab trail. It can also be one of the hottest, during summer’s mid-day sun.
North Kaibab trail Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaBright Angel Creek and Bass Formation
The contact between the sedimentary limestone of the Bass Formation (where stromatolites are found) deposited 1.25 billion years ago and the 1.7 billion-year-old Precambrian metamorphic schist directly below leaves a gap of more than 50 million years in the canyon’s geologic time line called the Great Unconformity. An unconformity can mean mass erosion or no deposit at all.
Vishnu schist and Zoroaster granite North Kaibab trail The Box Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaVishnu schist and Zoroaster granite
When the North American continent was smaller and far below the equator, a chain of volcanic islands formed along a subduction line off the coast. Because of plate tectonics, the island then collided with the land increasing the size of the continent and forming what would someday be the Southwest. In addition, subducted crustal slabs of ocean deposits mixed with volcanic ash and lava flows melted and squeezed into the overlying rock to form pink veins of igneous Zoroaster granite.
The Box North Kaibab trail Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaCanyon walls in The Box
The Vishnu basement rocks (grey) with igneous rock (pink, white and black) mixed in forms the vertical walls that surrounded us. It’s like walking in an ancient geologic museum.
Bright Angel Creek The Box North Kaibab trail Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaAmy and Jan cooling off in Bright Angel Creek
The creek offers a narrow strip of lush riparian growth with box elder, grasses and sedges yet only a few steps away lays the aridity of the desert.
Bright Angel Creek The Box North Kaibab trail Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaBright Angel Creek in The Box
I took so many pictures of this canyon, and the rock intrusions that look like geologic art to me.
Bright Angel Creek North Kaibab trail Grand Canyon National Park ArizonaApproaching Phantom Ranch
This was the last of the easy downhill part of our rim to rim hike. The canyon widens towards the mouth of Bright Angel Creek forming a delta where the first tourist camp was built in 1906. We were motivated to get to the Canteen at Phantom Ranch for a cold beer and chocolate.