Utah Serviceberry
Last week as I walked the Bright Angel Point trail I noticed a few plants beginning to bloom at Grand Canyon. This narrow trail is on a ridgeline running between Roaring Springs and Transept canyons.
Wax currant
Warm air rises from the depths and creates a transition zone between the upper Sonoran desert and the Ponderosa Pine forest giving these plants a head start.
Morning light over Bright Angel Canyon and the South Rim
One of my scheduled duties as a Park Ranger allows me to rove on trails, chat with visitors and answer questions. (Yes I get paid to do this.)
Bright Angel Point trail, the nearest to the visitor center, provides awesome canyon views walking along a .25 mile (.4 km) ridge with canyons on both sides. The last two days have been so windy with gusts up to 55mph that I’ve had to hang onto my hat going out to the point.
Look down to the north into Roaring Springs Canyon to the water fall called Roaring Springs that furnishes all water needs to both the North and South Rims.
Beyond, Bright Angel Canyon disappears into the distance.
To the south, Transept Canyon, where the wall of Widforss Point clearly displays the ancient rock deposits of limestone, sandstone and shale.
Eroded boulders of Kaibab limestone tower overhead.
The Curled-leaf Mahogany shows spring is on its way.
Yet this morning, this is what I woke up to. Will summer ever come to the North Rim?