Photos: Enchanting Grand Canyon

I am showing more photos of the secret world at the bottom of the Grand Canyon because it is so enchanting and because it takes so much effort to get there.   Besides requiring 10 days without cell phone or internet to float through the Canyon, to reach scenes such as the waterfall above I had to wade through the cold water, sometimes holding my camera above my head.

As you contemplate the massive Canyon walls carved by the erosion of the river, here is a mystery for you to contemplate.   The Canyon rim is located on the Kaibab Plateau and is higher in elevation than all of the land around it.  Most water flows away from the rim.  So, how did the river get there to carve the Canyon, because water obviously would not flow up hill?  I will give the answer below.

From the rim, the Grand Canyon impresses because it is large beyond comprehension.  From the depths of the Canyon, it impresses because of the patterns and colors of its details.

We had nice weather for our trip in May, which is a good thing for a variety of reasons.  One of those reasons is that I and one other person were the only ones in our group of 12 who requested a tent, as the others did not want to be bothered with taking the time to put a tent up and down each day.  They slept under the stars.  If it rained, they said they would all crowd into the two small tents, each of which had enough room for 1 1/2 adults.

Here is the answer to the riddle of how the Colorado River carved the Canyon, even though the Canyon rim is higher in elevation than the surrounding land.  The land slowly uplifted to its current elevation as the river was flowing and carving the Canyon.  When you stand at the rim and look down on the river, the river was never where you are standing.  The river was always down at the bottom.

Think of it like you are holding a large knife and someone lifted a wedding cake up against the knife to cut the cake.  That is similar to the way in which the land lifted itself up as the river cut through the Canyon.