Cold, rain, overcast skies. All expected behavior for the end of March.
Snow storm?
Not so much.
Before the Storm
We arrived at the Grand Canyon National Park two days ago and are staying in the park campground until we hike down into the canyon tomorrow for the 1st day of our 2 day stay at the famous Phantom Ranch.
This morning we awoke to find the van covered with several inches of snow with more falling today throughout the day. If it warms up enough the snow is supposed to turn to rain, but it hasn’t yet.
We had a lovely (but cold) day yesterday walking the Rim trail punctuated with warmups on the free shuttle bus which runs parallel to the trail. It is a cliché to say that views of the canyon are ‘breathtaking’ but that is probably the best word for it.
Assuming the trail is passable tomorrow, we are looking forward to warmer weather below. They say the temperature rises 5 degrees F for each 1,000 of descent. This means the canyon floor should be 20 degrees warmer than the rim putting it in the 50s F. There is nearly a mile descent over the 10-mile hike to the bottom.
We have a full day to hang out at the bottom (assuming we make it down) not to mention an actual room, so the warmer temps and a proper bed to sleep in will be a nice luxury.
Today it is too wet to be hiking around and too cold to sit in the van, so we are holed up in a hotel lobby trying to get some work and some writing down. Even in this weather, we are grateful to be in such a beautiful place. Also grateful for hotel lobbies with coffee shops and snacks.
National Parks are the true treasures of the United States however rugged your adventures.
Elk are a common sight in camp.