Grand Canyon Cliffs from Indian Garden, Spring Evening, Grand Canyon National Park
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In Grand Canyon National Park on an excellent May day, I was beginning the last leg of a major day hike.
I had hiked down from the South Rim via the South Kaibab Trail, dropping about 4,000 feet in elevation, more or less. I had started to descend into the frighteningly awesome Inner Gorge, but turned back because I feared that all my time spent photographing and filming was causing me to run out of time if I wanted to make it back up to the South Rim by dark. I was right.
So I hiked west on the Tonto Trail to Indian Garden rather than back up the South Kaibab. Why? Because the South Kaibab, though shorter, also has almost no shade, and no water. Indian Garden had both. The trail over to it added 4.5 miles to my hike out, but to me it's more about how much shade and water is available, not just about the route with the least miles. Not here in the desert, not with such a steep trail left to climb at the end of a long, long hike.
With my body rehydrated, water bottles refilled, feet washed, head and upper body rinsed several times, and food in my belly, I began my hike back to the top. I was racing the sunset through a glorious evening. Racing slowly, tired and more plodding than hiking.
With all the great photos and video footage of the day in my pockets and in my camera, and little time to spare, I was in no mood to pause for many more shots. This photo, though, is one of the ones I did stop to capture. It was one that I felt portrayed the upper Bright Angel Trail view of the upper canyon walls that glorious spring evening. The advancing shadows from the opposite canyon wall, the fleeting greenery of the spring desert shrubs on the slopes, the sun on the red and buff canyon rock layers, the deep blue sky. Grand Canyon at its finest.
Photo location: Upper Bright Angel Trail above Indian Garden, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
