Grand Canyon has ethereal beauty

Grand Canyon has ethereal beauty
"We were hoping to see the sunrise," said Abraham of San Jose. He kicked the snow piling up around his sneakers. Ambley,[url=http://billigmonclerjackenkaufen.olimx.com/][b]http://billigmonclerjackenkaufen.olimx.com/[/b][/url], who had never seen snow before, made a snowball and threw it off the edge into the emptiness below.
But that the Grand Canyon in winter.
After six years of drought and winters with clear vistas almost every day, this year the Arizona landmark had three big snowstorms before Thanksgiving. The National Weather Service is predicting above-average precipitation between now and April. That means snow. Lots of snow.
Yet winter can be a grand time to visit the canyon. When the sun is shining, the views are spectacularly clear. The rim can be snowy, while down in the canyon it in the 50s or 60s, so hiking is more comfortable. Traffic is light. Last-minute waiting lists for attractions are short.
The trick to visiting the canyon in winter? Be flexible with your dates, so you can stay a little longer if the weather spoils a day. Most storms tend to clear out after a day or so, says forecaster Mark Stubblefield of the National Weather Service Flagstaff office. The other trick? Bring hats,[url=http://discountnikesoccershoes.webmium.com/][b]Discount Soccer Shoes online[/b][/url], gloves and snow boots.
"Everyone thinks, OK, this is Arizona, and it hot,[url=http://woolrichparkaschweiz.albirank.net/][b]Woolrich Parka Schweiz Online[/b][/url], and desert, and it doesn snow," said Park Service employee Jessie Malone. "People are without coats or gloves, or they looking for boots or umbrellas or crampons." (Crampons are pointed metal teeth hikers strap onto their boots to help navigate ice or snow.)
Yet even in bad weather,[url=http://duveticapiumini.olimx.com/][b]Duvetica piumini italy online[/b][/url], the park bustles. Although rafting trips stop in winter, the mule rides keep going. Rangers still give talks about geology and nature. Hotels operate. So do camping sites, gift shops,[url=http://giuseppezanottisneakerssale.olimx.com/][b]discount giuseppe zanotti sneakers[/b][/url], the post office, grocery and visitors center. Restaurants are open. So are the narrow, steep trails that lead to the canyon floor. Just beyond the park entrance,[url=http://duveticadoudoune.halod.com/][b]Femmes Manteaux Duvetica[/b][/url], the IMAX theater always runs.
The staff can always get to work because they live at the park, which is 60 miles from the nearest interstate. Snowstorms don bother them. But don tell that to the visitors. I crept to the mule corral. Mules blinked as snow gathered on the blankets on their backs. A guide sternly lectured 11 yellow-slickered tourists who were determined to ride to the bottom of the canyon, snow or no snow, about six hours down.
How can the mules stay on the trail without slipping?
A mule handler in a red kerchief and chaps lifted the left front hoof of one of the animals,[url=http://discountnikesoccershoes.webmium.com/][b]Discount Nike Soccer Shoes[/b][/url]. Glinting silver points stuck out of its shoe. Mule crampons.
"Got shoes for ice," he said. "Couldn go without the lodges during the storm, cold campers and hearty hotel guests huddle around fireplaces with drinks of cider and brandy. Outside,[url=http://woolrichparkaschweiz.albirank.net/][b]http://woolrichparkaschweiz.albirank.net/[/b][/url], children make lopsided snowmen and bug their parents. This afternoon, suddenly there was a break in the weather. A patch of blue shone through and the sun illuminated a sliver of the Grand Canyon all the way down to the Colorado River. Distant peaks glittered. Murmurs passed like wildfire among visitors in the lodges ("You can see! You can see!"),[url=http://duveticaukoutlet.halod.com/][b]Duvetica Jackets[/b][/url], and suddenly everyone rushed out to look. Look! Look!
Then more snow clouds drifted in,[url=http://duveticamen.blogspot.com/][b]http://duveticamen.blogspot.com/[/b][/url]. Show over.
Park ranger Stewart Fritts, who has worked at the Grand Canyon 25 years, loves the peek-a-boo days. "It more interesting for being covered," he says. "Winter is the best time."
Even in a snowstorm, even when there are only two people to listen, Fritts gives his talk about the geology of the canyon. He describes it: 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, one mile deep. Every step you go down into the canyon takes you to a layer 20,000 years older than the last step. The beginning of modern human existence is about 10 steps down.
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