Trees I Met at the Grand Canyon

According to the National Park Service, there are approximately 200 species of trees and shrubs in the Grand Canyon National Park. 

 Some of the tree species include white fir, Engleman spruce, blue spruce, Douglas fir, corkbark fir, ponderosa pine, Utah juniper, alligator juniper, Colorado pinyon, quaking aspen, Fremont cottonwood, Gambel oak, and Arizona walnut.

All pictures can be enlarged by clicking

 While the magnificent canyon itself awoke thoughts about eternity and the power of nature, its trees made me think about strength, resistence and the will to live.

 Some of the trees are hundreds of years old and could tell a lot about their visitors. Most of all, I would love to see the faces of those people who came here long ago and knew nothing about the canyon's existence. We, modern people, are at least to some extent prepared for meeting this phenomen thanks to the media. Books, movies, photographs... But what about those travelers who just stumbled upon this humongous crack in the earth's body?

 By the way, do you know that the Grand Canyon is not the deepest canyon in the world? The deepest one is the Colca Canyon in southern Peru (Wikipedia). It is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, although its walls are not as vertical as those of the Grand Canyon. The Colca Canyon is suitable for living and developing agriculture.

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 Isn't this trunk awesome? Could it be a juniper?

 Most of the canyon's trees grow on the upper altitude, sharing space with drought-resistent shrubs, perennials and grasses.

Blue, blue sky...

The El Tovar Lodge, opened in 1905, is rustic and elegant: 

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 I love the Grand Canyon's railroad station. In 1995, we took a train from Williams to here, and it was powered by a steam engine. Now, the steam engine is retired and replaced by a more modern one.

 What do I know about balance? The tree in the next picture  made me ask this question. How strong the tree's roots should be!

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The canyon's shrubs include cliffrose, serviceberry and fernbush. Banana yucca and claretcup cactus grow in warm, sunny areas.

Sun is abundant here, on the south rim, but the plants have to cope with extremes of temperature and long periods of drought. It was weird to see patches of snow on a bright sunny day. In summer, torrential downpours are possible here.

It was April, and many trees didn't have green leaves yet. Some of them might be already dead. The rocks can hold them for a long time before they fall. Before that, they  strike us with their poignant beauty.

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The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet / 1,800 metres.

Delphinium, poppy, scarlet bugle, white thistle grow in the Grand Canyon, but to see them, my friends, you need to be down there and find the dry areas. How to get there? Take a mule trip! Or, take an 8-days raft trip down the Colorado River!

 Some people who took the mule trip say that sometimes it's so scary, you just close your eyes and pray. Maybe you can just concentrate on the sculpted mule's tale to avoid seeing the edge of the trail:

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Ponderosa pine is the main tree at elevations above 7,000 feet (2,134 meters). Below this level, Utah juniper and pinyon pine are the dominant types.

 Do you see a bird in the picture below? I caught myself several times thinking that I'd like to be a bird and fly above the canyon. Well, helicopter tours are available, but it's not the same, is it? Birds are free and fly where they want...

This bird might be a raven. We enjoyed watching this big, wise-looking creature.

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It's fascinating to watch trees grow on the thinnest of soils covering bedrock.

 The next image is one of my favorites:

The Colorado River, whose name means 'red', has a blue-green color. They say it used to be reddish-brown. The slit and sediments which gave the river that color are now trapped behind the Glen Canyon Dam on the bottom of Lake Powell.

The East side of the south rim was our favorite.

 Near the Watch Tower at the east end of the south rim:

 Curious how the beginning of the canyon looks? This is where it's not so wide yet:

I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

***Copyright 2011 TatyanaS