A composite showing the Bright Angel Trail from Grand Canyon Village all the way out past Indian Garden and to the edge of the Plateau--after that, it drops another 1000 feet or more. Check out the switchbacks.

On Thursday, Day 6, we crawled from our toasty sleeping bags into freezing air. It hailed a bit at breakfast. A 40% chance of thundershowers was predicted. After a futile foray to try to find another battery for my camera, we strolled to the shuttle stop in the hail/snow and started our tour of the rim. Delightfully, the sun came out and we strolled the rim trail in pleasant weather. But by lunchtime, freezing winds and hail/snow had driven everyone back into the shuttle buses. With white-out conditions in the canyon, we bought a hot lunch indoors and then went to Tusayan to watch the IMAX Grand Canyon film.

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elf1 > Linda hangs at the shuttle bus stop.

elf1 > A different fiew of the shuttle bus stop. In case you needed one.

elf1 > After a transfer, we got to our first shuttle stop along the rim, and the blowing snow obscured parts of the canyon. But the rock formations were gorgeous.

elf1 > Do they look better--or deeper-- in portrait mode? I enjoy how the whites of the upper layers (Kaibab Limestone, Toroweap, and Coconino Sandstone) contrast with the reds of the deeper layers.

elf1 > Then the sun came out, and we could see all the way back to Grand Canyon Village further back along the rim.

elf1 > The rim has many viewpoints, like this one, right along the edge. You can look wayyyy out and wayyyy down. They all have railings. Sometimes that doesn't help much.

elf1 > Here's a first glimpse of the most-traveled trail in the park, the Bright Angel Trail, starting at Grand Canyon Village and going across the canyon face to the right, then sashaying left and right again.

elf1 > Then snow flurries would blow through and limit our views briefly. But every change made the canyon look like a different place!

A composite showing the Bright Angel Trail from Grand Canyon Village all the way out past Indian Garden and to the edge of the Plateau--after that, it drops another 1000 feet or more. Check out the switchbacks.