[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
(meteorobs) My Death March completed..G.Zay
Well, I got back last night from my predicted "Death March" thru the Grand
Canyon(Arizona). Actually we Hiked thru a small portion of it. We camped at
Havasupai Falls for 5 nights. It either snowed or rained on us for 4 of the
5. But on the 5th night, it was a perfectly dark...no clouds or skylight in
any direction. I had intended to do some meteor observing, but the snow/rain
put a kybosh on this plan. On that one clear night I was able to get a good
look at comet Hale/Bopp. It was quite visual with the very dark skies. I took
a series of unguided black and white exposures with the 50mm. I just
developed them and they looked quite good. A small group of Sierra Club
members were in camp and came across me out in the open trying to make my
photographs....they were from Las Vegas. Anyhow, after some talking...one
thing led to another. The next thing I knew, I was giving a lecture about
comets, meteors and astronomy in general. I pointed out all the
constellations that were visible and answered all questions asked. I enjoyed
the company as well of course.
I stayed at the falls...trying to keep intact a damaged knee from years ago.
The wife and her girl scout cadette troop were more adventurous. They later
continued the hike another 8 miles down towards the Colorado River...I
understand they were just short of reaching the river when they decided it
was safer to head back to camp before nightfall. The hike in was 10-12 miles.
The actual distance was disputed the entire time...I say it was closer to 15
miles. I guess the older you get, the longer things seem to be. Anyhow, on
our way out I made a concerted effort in trying to get a "feel" for the
distance we hiked...I concluded it was a hard 10 miles. While enduring the
heavy rain for hours at a time, we were able to make the most of it by
finding shelter under a large cliff overhang. This kept an area of about
30'X6' quite dry. We were able to do our thing without getting too wet. The
only problem was when we went to the tents...had some minor wet moments that
seeped in. The worse part was to get up for my 2 am whiz...a major operation
during a downpour. On our way out, we passed thru the local Havasupai indian
village. If you ever go there, I highly recommend trying some of their "Fry
Bread". It was absolutely delicious. Oh!...the Falls...both Havasupai and
Mooney Falls were a pleasant surprise. They both resembled Bridalveil falls
in Yosemite. I took some photos of Havasupai...saved my last 5 exposures for
the comet...so didn't get any of Mooney. Oh! one more very important piece of
advice....if you ever go to Havasupai falls...bring a whole roll of toilet
paper. I did and my wife laughed at me before we left...but when we got back
to the cars...I had very little left. My wife and the girls liberally used my
roll. Ever since my wife didn't pack my toilet paper on a 3 day trip in the
local desert last year, I splurg when it comes to carrying TP. The leaves out
in the desert are very small and have lots of thorns....I won't go into
detail how I resolved that disaster.
George Zay
La Mesa, Calif.
32 North
116 West