Grand Canyon National Park; Rim Trail; Sunset at Hopi Point
Usually when at a national park, one encounters individuals wearing long dark green pants, a tan shirt, and a tan hat. These are usually Park Rangers. They are usually quite helpful and intelligent, dedicated and articulate. Consequently, they give Ranger Talks, which are usually quite informative and fascinating. Usually. This time, however, we lucked out. Our Condor Talk instilled in me a keen desire to hunt condors, out of revenge for the rambling, fluffy drivel we had listened to. Looks will only get you so far, Ranger James.
In an effort to recover from our trauma, we hiked part of the Rim Trail, from Bright Angel Lodge to Maricopa Point, breathless at the expanse of the canyon below and the high elevation.
Every now and then we stopped to gape at our surroundings. The land below rippled in rugged and colorful patterns, layered around various cliffs and mountains, and carved by the thin ribbon of the Colorado River.
We relished sunset that evening from Hopi Point, at an elevation of 7,071 feet, and we consequently quite cold. I chatted with a group from southern Florida, another from Tennessee, and the poor people were unprepared for the frigid air and were suffering here. I was very thankful for my hat and gloves that night.
We then discovered that the previous night has gotten down to 34 degrees Fahrenheit, and was to be even colder this night. Oh good.
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