GRAND DESIGNS
“Like a rare and precious
metal
Beneath a ton of rock
It takes some time and
trouble
To separate from the stock
You sometimes have to
listen to
A lot of useless talk
Shapes and forms against the norm
Against the run of the
mill
Swimming against the
stream
Life in two dimensions
Is a mass production
scheme
So much poison in power
The principles get left
out
So much mind on the matter
The spirit gets forgotten
about
Like a righteous inspiration
Overlooked in haste
Like a teardrop in the ocean
A diamond in the waste
Some world views are
spacious
And some are merely
spaced”
From “Grand Designs”,
by Rush. Lyrics by Neil Peart.
Starting
in the late 19th century, developers saw the Grand Canyon as an
opportunity for profit. Timber, mining,
grazing, and development interests began exploring the canyon in search of
riches. Although Grand Canyon National
Park was established in 1919, this fever continued. Proposals to flood the canyon with
hydroelectric dams along the Colorado River persisted until the late 1960’s. Even today, the Grand Canyon is threatened by
proposals for mining just outside the park’s boundaries.
Pete
Berry ventured to the Grand Canyon in 1888.
Berry developed big plans not long after his arrival. He joined with Ralph Cameron and other
prospectors in filing mining claims throughout the canyon. They improved an old Native American Trail, which
would ultimately become the Bright Angel Trail.
Berry operated the trail as a toll road for tourists for 15 years.
The
numerous mining claims along the Bright Angel Trail didn’t amount to much. However, Berry had additional claims on
Horseshoe Mesa that were more successful.
Copper was discovered on the mesa, and Berry built the Grandview Trail
so that the ore could be hauled out by mule.
The mine operated for several years, but in 1907 the market price of
copper crashed. Since mining was no
longer profitable, Berry built a hotel on the canyon rim and began charging tourists
for mule rides down to the mesa.
Berry
sold the properties in 1913, and mining operations ceased in 1916. Grand Canyon National Park was established in
1919, but the Park Service didn’t purchase the remaining buildings until 1939. Interestingly, uranium was discovered in the
old copper mine in 1951.
Berry’s
trail to Horseshoe Mesa still exists. It
runs from Grandview Point on the south rim to the far end of the mesa. For my final day in the park, I decided to
check it out.
I
got a late start. We were out of food,
so we hit the Marketplace Café for breakfast when they opened at 6. By the time Christy dropped me off at the
Grandview Trailhead it was 7:15 and the sun was already well up. The hike would only be 7-8 miles round trip,
but it would be all uphill on the return.
By that time it would be getting hot.
Christy
dropped me off and then returned to the campground to pack up. Afterwards, she drove to the west side of
Grand Canyon Village and parked the car where the road to Hermit’s Rest is
gated. She did a short hike along the
Rim Trail, enjoying lots of fine views.
The trail runs roughly parallel to the road to Hermit’s Rest. Once she’d had enough hiking, she simply
returned to the road, where she caught a shuttle bus back to her car.
My
hike was a bit more grueling. I
descended 2,500’ in 3 miles to Horseshoe Mesa.
Berry’s Trail is still in pretty good shape. In fact, a lot of the original cobblestone is
still in place. However, it is a steep
descent with some awkward footing and lots of sheer drop-offs. I wouldn’t describe the trail as dangerous,
but it does require some caution. In
fact, a hiker fell to her death from the trail a few weeks after my hike.
I
ran into one group of hikers and another solo hiker on my way down. All of them were already on their way back
up. This re-enforced the notion that I’d
gotten a late start.
The
views were outrageous throughout the hike.
The vistas were ever-changing on the descent, but even more expansive on
the mesa. From there, the views extend
up and down the canyon. Buttes, mesas,
and canyons are visible on the far side of the river, and the view back up at
the south rim was dramatic. I continued
my hike all the way to the far end of the mesa, where the world suddenly
ends. Straight down from there is the
Tonto Plateau, which forms the lip of the inner canyon. The river was even visible in the distance,
though the sheer topography kept the stretch of river immediately below me out
of sight.
There
are actually three trails that descend from the plateau. One drops off the north end, passing through
breaks in the cliffs. The others descend
through Cottonwood and Hance Canyons. All three trails meet the Tonto Trail. As a result, a loop hike, or a longer
backpacking trip, can be made from Grandview.
Unfortunately, due to the heat and time constraints, I had to limit my
visit to the mesa.
A
had a light snack before starting back up.
On my return I visited some of the old mining relics on the
plateau. There is still a stone mining
cabin standing adjacent to the trail.
The path also passes close to one of the old mines, which is now closed off.
Copper was mined on the mesa in the 1890’s and 1900’s. It turns out that those mines also uncovered
uranium. Approaching the mines is not
recommended due to the danger of radiation.
It
was getting hot by the time I departed the mesa at 10:20. To be honest, I was a little concerned. I had plenty of water, but I was facing a
2,500’ climb in 90+ degree temperatures.
Clearly I should’ve started my hike earlier. I paced myself, resisting the urge to hurry
out. I also stopped at every shady spot
I encountered for a brief rest. It was
remarkable how much difference a little shade made.
I
ran into some interesting characters on my hike. I was about a mile from the rim when I
encountered 3 young German guys. I
believe their names were Casper, Klaus, and (also) Casper. They weren’t wearing shirts, and their fair
skin was blinding. I cringed. I could only hope that they were covered in
multiple layers of sunscreen. These
hikers weren’t carrying anything except for a single pint of water. One pint. When I met them, they asked me the last
question I wanted to hear:
“How
far is it to the bottom”?
I
cringed again. I told that that it was
very far, and the trail was really steep, and there was no water. This didn’t seem to dissuade them, so I
strongly suggested that they turn back.
They assured me that they would, but I had a bad feeling that they were
just telling me that. These are the
kinds of people that keep the Grand Canyon Rangers busy, with emergency rescues
and body recoveries.
I
actually missed the other interesting character. Another hiker I met on the trail told me
about a single guy she had passed on her way down. He was coming up, and he was wearing tattered
jeans and sneakers. He had a t-shirt
over his head, like a makeshift hat. His
lips were cracked and covered in sores, presumably due to dehydration. He wasn’t carrying anything – no water,
nothing. When they met, he told her that
he was on his way up from the river! I
have no idea if that was really true. He
may have been delirious. She gave him
some water before they parted ways.
Presumably he made it out, since I didn’t encounter any bodies during my
hike.
I
reached the rim just after 1pm. When I
started my hike that morning the overlook had been deserted. Now it was swarming with people. I eventually found Christy. She was waiting for me there with pizza and
an icy Coke Zero, which was a delightful way to finish my hike.
40 MILES TO VEGAS
“You work so hard just to get to a place
Wonderin’ if the catch is worth the chase
When I get to where I’m goin’
You know that I’ll be stayin’
40 miles to Vegas and we all started prayin’”
From “40 Miles To
Vegas” by Southern Culture on the Skids.
Lyrics by Rick Miller.
We left the Grand
Canyon and headed south. We picked up I-40 and headed west, through a desolate corner of
Arizona. We were bound for Vegas, which
I had mixed feelings about. Vegas isn’t really my style, but I knew that Christy would enjoy a
day of relaxation. We had a free night
at the Venetian on Saturday, but I wasn’t able to get a second night there on
short notice. Instead, I got us a free
room at a Holiday Inn Express on the northeast side of town. We’d spend Friday night there and then
relocate to The Strip on Saturday.
It was a long drive
to Vegas. While Christy was driving, I
researched hiking options in the area. I
had never hiked in Nevada, so I was tempted to take advantage of the
opportunity to knock another state off the to-do list. There are a surprising number of hiking
destinations close to Vegas. However,
most of them are in the desert. They
aren’t appealing destinations in the summer.
On the other hand, one area did catch my eye. Mount Charleston is a short distance outside
of town, and its high elevation promised pleasant temperatures. I planned a short hike there Saturday
morning. That afternoon we’d relocate to
the Venetian, where we planned to spend our time lounging by the pool.
The drive was pretty
boring. We did get some nice scenery at
Lake Mead, but the oppressive heat limited us to windshield tourism. We also drove by Hoover Dam, but it was only
a brief visit. Hoover Dam may be a
premier tourist destination in the Vegas area, but dams just don’t interest me
very much.
We made it into Vegas
Friday evening. We checked into the
hotel and had dinner at a Mexican Restaurant before retiring early. I was planning to get an early start so I’d
have time for my hike and for lounging at the pool on Saturday.
Back to Arizona
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