Grand Canyon National Park Read online

  “With you two guarding me, I should be fine!” Dad said.

  Morgan walked over to the shaded picnic table and sat down.

  James got his backpack down from the pole. He loosened his small pillow from the straps and pulled it out. Then James got out the binoculars and walked back to the picnic table. He lay down on the bench and rested his head on the pillow.

  James looked up at the blue sky in between the trees. He searched the horizon and saw the canyon rim far above. He noticed a few small, puffy clouds in the sky. But otherwise, the sun was blaring down.

  Morgan looked at James. She went to her backpack and got out her pillow. She found her book, Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry. “I can’t think of a better time to start reading this,” she said to James.

  Morgan walked back to the other bench and also lay down. She opened the book to page one.

  A shaggy, young burro lay asleep in the gray dust of the canyon trail. Except for the slow heaving of his side and an occasional flick of an ear, he seemed part of the dust and ageless limestone that rose in great towering battlements behind him.

  Morgan flicked a bug away and continued reading.

  Several hours later, James was still lying on the picnic table bench. He was looking at the map of their hike for the next day. “We might have been able to climb out today,” he thought to himself. Then he sat up. But the heat zapped his energy. James felt a bit dizzy. He guzzled down water, poured some on his head, then looked around. Morgan was on the other bench. She appeared to be asleep. James saw Dad’s feet sticking out of the doorway of the tent. James scanned the sky again but didn’t see anything. He got up and walked to the trail. James looked toward Phantom Ranch and saw shimmers of heat coming up from the bottom of the canyon. He walked back to the campsite.

  “How hot do you think it is?” Morgan asked.

  “I thought you were asleep,” James said.

  “I thought you were asleep,” Morgan said.

  “I bet it’s almost 110 degrees,” James answered. He went over to his pack, pulled out his journal, and wrote.

  Thursday, August 4

  This is James Parker reporting again. Here I am during the hottest part of the day in one of the hottest places in the world. We are at Cottonwood Campground, which, luckily, has some trees and shade. We are all resting. Dad is sleeping in the tent. And Morgan is reading. I don’t see anything moving out here, and I can understand why.

  I wonder what Mom’s doing on the rim. Hopefully she’s cooler than we are. Maybe she’s up there reading a book or looking at the view. I wonder if she’s looking out over the canyon to see if she can find us.

  Anyway, yesterday we made it safely into the canyon and to Phantom Ranch. I wonder how we’re going to do hiking out tomorrow. So far, the hike hasn’t been too difficult. But it’s all uphill from here. Will we be able to make it? I guess we’ll find out.

  Reporting from the Grand Canyon,

  James Parker

  James saw a bird flying in the air. It was so far up that it seemed like it was close to the rim. James grabbed the binoculars and moved them around until he spotted the bird. Then he followed it for a while.

  The bird drifted around in circles. James noticed that the end of its wings splayed out like fingers. “I wonder if it’s the same bird,” James whispered. Then the bird disappeared over a cliff.

  James lay back on the bench and closed his eyes.

  Morgan placed the marker in her book and closed it. She had just finished another chapter of Brighty of the Grand Canyon. Brighty had fallen asleep in a cave and a mountain lion snuck up and attacked him. But Brighty fought off the lion and drowned him in a pool of water. Because of the fight, Brighty was hurt and couldn’t walk.

  She got up from the bench and walked out from under the trees. “I sure wouldn’t want to run into a mountain lion down here,” she said while looking around. Morgan walked back to camp. James was lying on the other bench and Dad was still in the tent. James’s diary lay on the table. Morgan got up and went over to her pack and pulled out her own diary.

  Dad heard her rustling about. “Is someone alive out there?”

  Morgan laughed. “Yes. It’s just me and a few scorpions!”

  “Can you do me a favor, Morgan?” Dad asked. “Can you fill up my water bottles?”

  “Sure,” Morgan replied. She walked over to the tent. Dad sat up and handed her two empty water bottles.

  “Thanks,” Dad said.

  Morgan noticed Dad’s book on the tent floor. It was Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey.

  “What a perfect book to read on this hike,” Morgan said.

  “Yes, it does fit,” Dad said.

  Morgan walked over to the water spigot. She filled up Dad’s water bottles and her own. She took a long drink and then filled her bottle again. Morgan trudged back to camp.

  “Here you go, Dad,” Morgan said.

  Dad immediately guzzled down water. “You two doing okay out there?”

  “We’re doing what you’re doing,” Morgan replied.

  “It’s really too hot to do anything else, isn’t it?” Dad asked.

  “Yes,” Morgan agreed. She walked back to the picnic table and opened her diary.

  Thursday, August 4

  Dear Diary,

  I’m in a very unusual place: the bottom of the Grand Canyon. But it feels like we are at the bottom of the world. And it’s too hot to do anything, so we’re all just resting in the shade and waiting for the sun to go down.

  Last night we camped at Phantom Ranch. It was like no place I’ve been to before. It’s a small little lodge for tourists in the middle of nowhere. But it has a restaurant and cabins, and I even heard it used to have a swimming pool. We camped a short ways away in the campground next to a creek.

  But the spooky thing about it was the scorpions. We went to a night walk with a ranger and saw a bunch of them! Dad freaked out thinking there were scorpions in the tent. He even said he thought about sleeping on top of the picnic table! James and I were worried too. To be honest, I didn’t get up to go to the bathroom because I was afraid of being stung. I wonder what would happen if I was? Would I be able to hike out?

  I love the Grand Canyon though! I’ve taken dozens of pictures of the scenery. Now that I’m hiking in it, I’ve found that it’s much bigger than I imagined.

  Anyway, I think I’ll try and take a nap. Dad says we’ll need all the rest we can get for the big climb out tomorrow.

  Sincerely,

  Morgan

  A few hours later, the sun dropped behind a canyon wall. Cottonwood Campground was covered in shade. It quickly felt much cooler.

  James sat up. He looked around and then took a long drink of water. “Morgan?” he whispered.

  “I’m awake,” Morgan said. “What’s up?”

  “Do you want to walk around?” James asked.

  “Okay,” Morgan replied.

  Morgan and James walked over to the tent. Dad was rolled over sideways and his eyes were closed. “You can go,” he muttered. “Just don’t go too far or for too long. I’m going to get up in a bit and start getting dinner ready.”

  Morgan and James walked back to the main trail. They headed downhill.

  James stopped by a small rock. He rolled the rock away with his foot and looked.

  “No scorpions there,” Morgan said.

  They wandered off the trail.

  Morgan grabbed James’s arm. “Look!” she called out.

  A large black-and-white striped snake raced into the bushes and disappeared.

  “That was cool!” James said.

  RATTLER!

  There are many different types of snakes at the Grand Canyon, including several types of rattlesnakes. The Grand Canyon pink rattlesnake lives only at the Grand Canyon. The whip snake has black and white stripes. Other common snakes are the king snake and gopher snake.

  James and Morgan continued exploring. Using their boots, they moved a few small rocks.

/>   “Anything?” James asked.

  “Not yet,” Morgan answered. “I wonder if we’ll see any pottery or arrowheads. Joanna did say Native Americans lived down here.”

  Morgan and James heard voices. They looked up. A couple of hikers were walking up the trail.

  “Hello down there!” James called out.

  “Hello up there!” one of the hikers called back.

  When the two hikers got closer, James and Morgan recognized them. They ran back to the trail so they could be at camp to meet them. Dad was busy preparing dinner. “Perfect timing,” he said.

  “Guess who’s coming up the trail?” James asked.

  “Who?” Dad replied.

  “Steve and Joanna!” Morgan answered.

  “Really?” Dad said. “That’s great, they’re hiking again in the canyon. It will be nice to see them.”

  10

  After saying hello, Steve and Joanna found an empty site and set up their camp.

  Morgan, James, and Dad sat down for dinner.

  “My specialty,” Dad announced, “vegetarian chili with textured vegetable protein.”

  Morgan ate a spoonful. “It’s spicy.”

  “I like it,” James said.

  Thunder rumbled in the canyon. Morgan, James, and Dad looked up.

  “I hadn’t even noticed the storm,” Dad said.

  James walked out from under the trees. He held out his hand and waited a few seconds. “It’s starting to rain,” he announced.

  Morgan and Dad joined James.

  Far above them, lightning flashed. Several seconds later, thunder rumbled.

  James pointed up to the dark clouds. “I bet it’s pouring at the top of the canyon.”

  “Right where Mom is camped,” Morgan said.

  “And this is right where we shouldn’t be during a thunderstorm,” Dad added. “Let’s not stand out in the open like this.”

  They moved back to their campsite under the trees and watched the storm from there. “I hope this is safe enough,” Dad said.

  A few scattered drops of rain plopped down. The wind picked up and it cooled down a few degrees.

  “I wonder why it’s not pouring down here,” James said.

  Morgan, James, and Dad looked up at the clouds. Veils of rain fell below the clouds.

  “The rain’s not making it all the way to the ground,” Dad answered. “The desert air is sucking the moisture out of the storm.”

  DESERT RAIN

  Much of the Inner Grand Canyon is desert. Deserts receive less than ten inches of rain a year. Sometimes when it rains on the rim above, the rain evaporates on the way to the ground. This is called virga. On average, the North Rim gets thirty inches of precipitation a year. The South Rim averages fifteen inches. The Inner Canyon averages about eight inches.

  “I think we’ll sleep a lot better tonight,” Morgan said, “now that it’s cooled off.”

  “And hopefully there won’t be any critters around,” Dad added.

  They cleaned up after dinner. Dad set a lantern on the table.

  Just before dark, Steve and Joanna walked down from their campsite.

  “How about some dessert?” Steve offered.

  “Chocolate chip cookies!” Joanna added.

  “Sounds good to me,” Dad said.

  Steve and Joanna sat down. They placed a plate of crumbled cookies in the middle of the table. “I guess two days in a backpack messed up our dessert,” Steve said.

  Joanna saw Morgan’s book Brighty of the Grand Canyon. “You’re reading a novel I read to my fifth grade class every year.”

  “You were a fifth grade teacher?” Morgan asked. “That’s the grade James and I will be in next year.”

  “I thought you were about that age,” Joanna said. “I retired from teaching a few years ago.”

  “Now instead of telling kids what do to, she’s telling me what to do,” Steve joked.

  Joanna laughed.

  Dad lit the lantern. He took part of a cookie and passed the plate around.

  “You know, Brighty was named after the creek we’ve been hiking by,” Morgan said. “And the book says Brighty actually made the trail we’re climbing to the North Rim.”

  “Brighty climbed here?” James asked. “He was lucky, then, to see such a beautiful place.”

  “Brighty of the Grand Canyon is one of my favorite stories,” Joanna said. “But I bet it was Native Americans who actually helped create this trail. Speaking of great stories, we heard an interesting one at a campfire talk. Do you want to hear it?”

  Morgan, James, Dad, and Steve turned toward Joanna at the picnic table. The lantern on the table lit their faces. Insects fluttered around the light.

  “It was in the 1970s, I think,” Joanna started.

  “1977 to be exact,” Steve said.

  “Okay, it was 1977,” Joanna repeated, looking at her husband. “A man wanted to walk across the whole canyon in less than twenty-four hours. He hiked down, camped, and then got up to get to the river by two in the morning.” Joanna paused for a second. “That already sounds like too much hiking to me.”

  “Now he had fourteen miles and 6,000 feet of climbing left that day,” Steve said.

  “Anyway,” Joanna went on, “the first part of the climb was gradual and fairly easy—just like the part we’ve been on today. But the last five miles above Roaring Springs became very steep.”

  “I can’t imagine doing this trek in one day. It is hard enough in three days!” Steve said. “Besides, taking your time is a good thing. Otherwise you miss the scenery and all the interesting parts of the canyon, like the geology.”

  Joanna continued, “About four miles from the summit, the man was getting extremely tired. He turned a corner on the trail and saw a big boulder. On top of the boulder were three little green men.”

  Morgan, James, and Dad looked intently at Joanna.

  “They were calling the man’s name, saying, ‘Bob, come here, come here,’” Joanna went on.

  “Were there really green creatures in the canyon?” James asked.

  “Not really,” Joanna answered. “But Bob did see them. Apparently, when you have severe heat exhaustion and you’re getting close to death, you can start hallucinating. The man knew this was happening to him. He was very scared, thinking he was about to die. So he kept his head down and counted his steps on the trail to keep his mind focused. And more than 7,000 steps later, he made it to the top of the canyon.”

  “Wow, what a story,” Dad said.

  “And it’s a true one,” Steve added. “The person who experienced it was Ranger Bob. That was many years ago, and now he gives campfire talks at the Grand Canyon.”

  “Am I telling the story, or are you?” Joanna asked Steve.

  Morgan and James laughed.

  “Our parents do that all the time!” Morgan said. “They finish each other’s sentences.”

  “Do we, now?” Dad asked.

  Joanna smiled. “Well, Ranger Bob also said that years later he hiked into the canyon for eight grueling days. But when he hiked out on the last day, he started crying. He felt like he was leaving a good friend behind.”

  “It is so much different in the canyon than at the rim,” Morgan said. “You would have no idea from up there what it is like down here.”

  “Thanks for taking us on this trail, Dad,” James said.

  “I knew you would like it,” Dad said. “And you are right, the Inner Canyon has to be seen up close.”

  Everyone sat quietly for a moment. Crickets chirped in the distance.

  “I wonder how we’re going to feel tomorrow when we finish our hike,” James said. “Will we miss it here just like Ranger Bob?”

  By the time Steve and Joanna went back to their campsite, it was late. Morgan, James, and Dad crawled into their tent. They left the rain fly off. They lay on top of their sleeping bags and looked up. A few stars appeared between the clouds and the leaves of the trees.

  “I can sure get used to this,” Dad
said. “Not having to work and just backpacking with you guys.”

  “Where do you want to go next summer?” Morgan asked.

  “Another national park?” James suggested.

  “There are so many great ones,” Dad said. “We’ll have to pull out a map and figure that out when we get back. But I really want to take you to Yellowstone—the world’s first national park. And Mom’s been mentioning Yosemite and how beautiful it is.”

  Morgan, James, and Dad listened to the noise of the crickets. They stared up at the stars. A gentle breeze wafted through the tent and …

  Morgan sat up. She heard voices and the sound of clanging pots. It was already light out. She looked at Dad and James. They were still asleep. Morgan slowly crawled out of the tent. Her book was sitting on the table.

  Morgan opened Brighty of the Grand Canyon to the next chapter. She remembered that Brighty had just fought off a mountain lion.

  All the next day, Brighty lay in misery. He kept biting at his cuts, trying to quiet the throbbing, but the gashes only widened and the burning pain ran up his legs. He moaned tiredly, and from time to time sank into a half sleep. He was too weak to eat, and he would not go near the tainted pool to drink.

  “You sure went through a lot,” Morgan said, as if Brighty were standing beside her. Then she heard James and Dad moving about in the tent.

  Morgan, James, and Dad ate some instant oatmeal with dried fruit. They stuffed energy bars and trail mix in the outside pouches of their backpacks. Then they packed up camp, filled their water bottles, and clambered back to the trail.

  “Here we go!” Dad said.

  “Seven miles until we meet Mom,” Morgan added.

  11

  Dad, Morgan, and James walked briskly uphill. Morgan put on the earplugs to her MP3 player.

  “What are you listening to?” asked James.

  “The ‘On the Trail’ part of the Grand Canyon Suite,” Morgan answered.

  “Sounds about right,” Dad said.

  The higher up they went, the more pine trees there were.