Wednesday, July 11, 2007:
We all slept in this morning. I was the last to rise at about 10:00 am. I was beat. After having breakfast we walked from our campsite along a trail that follows the canyon to the North Rim Lodge, which is a big Lodge made from huge timbers on the edge of the Grand Canyon. The path extends beyond the Lodge to a beautiful point that over looks the Grand Canyon; Bright Angel Point. While we were there, pair of Falcons was fighting above us. We climbed up on top of a rock and sat for a while taking in the view. We returned to our campsite via the same pathway. On our way home, we saw a Mule Deer. It looks like a deer with large ears like a donkey. Maslin was not feeling well, so she slept for a couple of hours, while we ate lunch, straightened up all our clothes and just tried to organize our stuff a bit. The boys and I played cards too.
After Maslin woke-up, we were hanging out eating ice cream at our campsite when a unique tassel-eared squirrel paid us a visit. It is a black squirrel with a white tail and tufts of hair growing out from each ear. These squirrels only exist on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and are intimately tied to the ponderosa pine tree. The seeds within the pine cone are a primarily food for this animal. These squirrels are named for the tufts of hair that grow on each ear tip, protecting the ears from cold. Around 5:00ish we headed out to two site-seeing points that we could drive to; Point Imperial is the highest point in the park and Cape Royal provides a breathtaking panorama up down and across the canyon. Along the way, we encountered some Mule Deer that the kids followed for a bit in the woods we stayed for the sunset and then drove back to our site. The sun set colors were beautiful against the reds and yellows of the canyon walls. ~Laura
Thursday, July 12, 2007:
This morning we got up early and were heading out on a canyon hike by 7:30am to try to beat the heat. As you descend in to the canyon on the temperature begins to climb, and your return trip, when you are most tried is straight up hill. We walked down the North Kaibab Trail to the Supai tunnel, which is about 2 miles from our campsite and a 1,450-foot descend down into the canyon. The trailhead is at an 8250 feet elevation and the Supai tunnel is at a 6800 feet elevation. It took us about 4 hours to complete the hike. There were many wonderful views down the canyon. Once we reached the tunnel, we sat for a while, watching groups of mule rides and hikers pass us by. It was tempting to go further, but once we began our return trip back up the canyon, I realized it would have been difficult to hike any further. Once back at the campground, we checked in with George from a pay phone, ate lunch, took showers, and did laundry. Maslin worked on her scrap booking and I got caught up on the journal. The boys hung out at the campsite having pinecone fights and who know what else, while Maslin and I hung out at some tables by the laundry mate, enjoyed a little rest-bit from the boys’ constant energy and bantering.
Friday, July 13, 2007:
Packed-up site at North rim of the Grand Canyon and head to Zion National Park.
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