Getting to know the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
Taking a shot: Mark Yarboro of Alexandria, Va. snaps a picture from the Desert View Watchtower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon overlooking the Colorado River on Tuesday. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Mike Sakal
Mike Sakal’s column runs on Fridays. Contact him at (480) 898-6533 or msakal@evtrib.com, or write to Mike Sakal, East Valley Tribune, 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282
Grand Canyon
A far-away look: A peak of Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is seen from a window at Desert View Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Sunset: A sunset on Monday at Grand Canyon National Park, swiftly cooling off temperatures. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Slowly making it: East Valley Tribune reporter Mike Sakal (right) walks with his brother-in-law Tom Corwin of Yarmouth, Maine along a portion of the steep Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon on Monday. Sakal and six others hiked a 3-mile round trip down into the canyon and back up. [Photo courtesy of Kate Corwin]
Grand Canyon
Another mission accomplished: Marjorie ÒSlimÓ Woodruff, a former Chandler resident and former teacher in the Kyrene Unified School District, who now lives at the Grand Canyon smiles on Tuesday after completing two days of hiking and instructing a group of seven people with the Grand Canyon Lodging and Learning Experience at Grand Canyon National Park. Woodruff, a Phoenix native, has been hiking the Grand Canyon for 45 years, has hikes the Grand Canyon from rim to rim about 50 times and is believed to be the first woman to have ever hiked the canyon from rim to rim when she was an 18-year-old student at Northern Arizona University. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
atching their breath: Christine Epps and Mark Yarboro, both of Alexandria, Va., rest after making their way back up Bright Angel Trail on Monday following a 3-mile round trip hike into the Grand Canyon. For the couple, it was each their first time in seeing the Grand Canyon. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Licking their chops: Two Roosevelt Elk in Grand Canyon National Park rest on Monday evening as people stroll by. Park visitors are not encouraged to feed or try ot walk up close to the elk, which can weigh more than 1,000 pounds. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Indian paintings and murals cover the walls and ceiling of the Desert View Watchtower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Making it back up the trail: Tribune reporter Mike Sakal coming back up Bright Angel Trail after hiking a 3-mile, 1,000-foot round trip into the Grand Canyon Ñ 1.5 miles down and 1.5 miles back up. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
The lines of Bright Angel Trail running deep into the Grand Canyon. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Most active earthquake fault line in the U.S.: Grand Canyon Field Institute instructor and guide Marjorie ÒSlimÓ Woodruff (right) looks over the Bright Angel Fault Line on a satellite picture of the Grand Canyon. The Bright Angel Fault is the most active euarthquake fault in the United States, according to Woodruff. Pictured on the left is Grand Canyon visitor Christine Epps of Alexandria, Va. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Room with a view: One of the best views of the Colorado River is from the Desert View Watchtower along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The design and construction of the watchtower was closely overseen by architect Mary Colter, an employee for the Fred Harvey Co., who designed many structures throughout the Southwest including six at Grand Canyon National Park and was completed in 1932. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Remnants of the cold: Some lingering snow along a point of the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Telling stories and legends: One of the many Indian paintings on the wall inside the Desert View Watchtower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Looking up: Paintings on the ceiling inside the Desert View Watchtower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Contemplating on continuing: East Valley Tribune reporter Mike Sakal carefully walks along a portion of the steep Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon on Monday. Sakal was part of a group that participated in the Grand Canyon Field InstituteÕs Lodging and Learning Experience at the national park led by Marjorie ÒSlimÓ Woodruff earlier this week . ([Photo courtesy of Kate Corwin]
Grand Canyon
Barking up a tree: A Roosevelt Elk gnaws on a tree inside Grand Canyon National Park on Monday. The elk was among a group of seven of the large animal resting inside a green and tree-filled area of the park as people strolled by. It is recommended that park visitors do not feed the animals or try to approach them. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Prominent structure: One of the most prominent structures at Grand Canyon National Park is Desert View Watchtower along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The buildingÕs design and construction was overseen by renowned architect Mary Colter, an employee of the Fred Harvey Co. who designed numerous structures throughout the Southwest including six in Grand Canyon National Park. Colter hand-picked all of the stones for the building and closely watched construction of it to make sure they were put in place just right. The tower, which was completed in 1932, was built to resemble and ancient Pueblo peoples watchtower and provides the widest view of the Grand Canyon, which is 277 miles long. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Marjorie ÒSlimÓ Woodruff, and instructor and hiking guide for the Grand Canyon Field Institute, who is a former Chandler resident and former teacher in the Kyrene Unified School District instructs a group along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on Tuesday. Pictured in the forefront is Kate Corwin, 15, of Yarmouth, Maine.[Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Hitting the trail: Marjorie ÒSlimÓ Woodruff, points out a Prairie Falcon in a tree to a group of hikers along the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. Woodruff, a former Chandler resident and former teacher in the Kyrene Unified School District, works as an indpendent contractor for the Grand Canyon Field Institute, teaching classes and leading hikes into the Grand Canyon. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Going deeper: A point along Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon overlooking Battleship Point. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Maintaining the trail: A group of three workers for the American Conservation Experience dig a path. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Different colors: Slightly different colors separate a point overlooking Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. The top lighter layer is Coconino Sandstone and the bottom layer is Hermit Shale. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Looking for food: A rock squirrel sneaks up on a group of hikers along the Bright Angel Trail during the Grand Canyon Field InstituteÕs Lodging and Learning Experience on Monday. Park rangers and hiking guides are quick to warn hikers not to feed the squirrels as they are known to bite. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Falcon spotting: Mike Schuda of Bloomington, Minn., spots a Prairie Falcon in a tree along Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon.[Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Ready for take-off: Marjorie ÒSlimÓ Woodruff, a former Chandler resident and former teacher in the Kyrene Unified School District, prepares to lead a group of people on a 3-mile hike along Bright Angel in the Grand Canyon. For the last six years, Woodruff has lived at the Grand Canyon with her husband and for the last 11 years, she has worked for the Grand Canyon Field Institute. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Christine Epps (front) and Mark Yarboro hiking through a tunnel opening on Monday along the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Shoring up the trail: Workers for the American Conservation Experience putting rocks and dirt in place along the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon on Monday. Pictured left to right: Elizabeth Audrey Moyser (kneeling) from Soest, Netherlands, Samuel Newel of Leeds, England and Jasmyn Van Dijk of Leeds, England. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Edible plant or not?: Marjorie ÒSlimÓ Woodruff (second from left) shows a group one of the numerous plants along the Bright Angel Trail inside the Grand Canyon on Monday. Pictured left to right: Kate Corwin, 15, of Yarmouth, Maine, Tom Corwin, Christine Epps and Mark Yarboro, both of Alexandria, Va., Mike and Diane Schuda of Bloomington, Minn. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
Ben Corwin, 9, of Yarmouth, Maine, looks through a telescope inside the Desert View Watchtower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on Monday. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
Grand Canyon
A closer look: A view of Battleship Point from Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. [Mike Sakal/Tribune]
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