Exploring the Great Domain | Women
From the bright city of Las Vegas with all-night casinos, my American friend and I drove to the North of Arizona, about 215 miles to the Great River, where more than 4 million tourists visit each year. to be amazed to see a wild America.
Not going to the familiar South Rim but always full of tourists, my American friend invited me to follow a less popular route, called Tuweep or Toroweap. That is the way to Dai Vuc in the direction of the northwest bank, where it is less prone to human intervention to serve tourism needs.
We designed a camping program on the brink. Here, according to the guide, there will be the shortest path leading down to the Colorado River at the bottom of this huge canyon.
Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park attracts millions of visitors each year.
Dai Vuc is open year-round to welcome visitors, but the best time to visit is still spring and autumn, because if you go in the summer, it is difficult to withstand the heat of this desert.
This is also a remote land, separate from other US states due to the rugged terrain of the canyons.
Morning fog in the Grand Canyon, Arizona from the South Rim. Photo: Savored Journeys
Stopping in the town of Predonia, we filled up with gas and drove a few miles west when we came across a dirt road that led to a huge sign for the national park, which clearly stated that from this point From now on, there will not be any services provided to visitors, guests must be completely self-sufficient, as well as cautious about possible risks. However, the road is wide and flat, the two sides of the road are covered with dark green sagebrush, and sometimes desert antelopes jump out, following the dust behind the car.
After about 90 minutes, we came to a ranger station. The road started to get worse, but our Jeep “specialized in” handling rough terrain, passed without problems, although the occupants were quite bruised.
We finally got there before sunset, set up our tents on the rocks still warm in the sun, and got a good night’s sleep.
Dream of reaching the Colorado River
In the morning we awoke to the eerie cries of crows. The sunrise view here is quite different from that of the northern and southern shores, where you’ll be overwhelmed by the width of the cliff, with its numerous rocky outcrops that look like broken birthday cake blocks. out by ravines.
On the shores of Tuweep, the ravines seem narrower and deeper. The Great Domain is less than a mile wide, and does not look like a mountain range when viewed from above. But the sight so close before our eyes took us by surprise. Recall from the manual that this steep cliff of limestone, sandstone and schist was 2 billion years old!
On the Colorado River zigzagging through Grand Canyon National Park. Photo: Savored Journeys
In 1870, explorer John Wesley Powell climbed this cliff from the Colorado River below in search of three companions who had left his expedition and disappeared without a trace a year earlier.
He could not find them, but was stunned by the sight and recorded: “What a wonderful and glorious sight! Lava peaks flooded all around me. Thansa cliffs in the North with brilliant colors. The Northwest Pine Valley is tinged with a soft green in the mist. The unnamed mountains in the Southwest rise above the deep valleys like cracks leading to hell.”
Skywalk at Grand Canyon West. Photo: Savored Journeys
The Colorado River flows like a sparkling blue snake at the bottom of the valley. In the clear desert air, we could see in the distance, below, a group of about twelve tourists. Out of the millions of visitors who come to Dai Vu every year, only about 15,000 people follow this Tuweep gate.
A short distance from Lava Falls, we saw and heard rushing water. Here a geological fault has cut across the river. About 30,000 years ago, lava repeatedly erupted from this fissure and flowed into the valley. Sometimes, the river’s flow is blocked for many years, creating large lakes.
Finally, the river resumed flowing, but changed course, blocked by rubble, swirling and foaming. This Lava Falls is a formidable challenge for rafters.
Deep gorges, multicolored rocks, towering cliffs.
Tuweep is derived from “toroweap”, the Paiute Aboriginal word for “arid valley”. Indeed, the landscape around us was as dry as the one on the Moon.
This is a rather remote area of the national park. One sign said that the path down the 1.5-mile valley was half a mile steep. We carefully put our names on the register before sliding down a slope filled with black lava blocks, cacti as short as hooks.
The deeper the road, the steeper the slope, the temperature increased and gradually, there was a rock so hot that we did not dare to touch it. The cactus is also taller, more skinny. We had to pour water over our heads to cool off, but this hellish heat made us two “novel” adventurers like us lose all of our spirit and eventually, had to give up the idea of climbing down to soak in the water. the Colorado river below, still seems far away.
Take a walk and enjoy the beautiful scenery around the park. Photo: Savored Journeys
The climb back was equally terrifying, filled with stones of all sizes that slid under the heels of their shoes. But when we reached Lake Powell, through the valley of Glen Dam, we were all sober and jubilantly waded into the water like children. The next meal with curry rice was the best in the world.
The sun slowly sets. The sun fades over the cliffs of Dai Vu and the air cools down. So it’s been a day. We find a place to sleep to prepare for the next day.
Antelope Canyon, located near Lake Powell, is considered sacred by the Navajo people.
Meet Dai Vu’s pink rattlesnake
The sun had just risen, we were up and about to depart, hoping to shorten the journey in the cool morning air.
Climbing to the top of the first slope, I suddenly saw something humming before my eyes. Concentration stepped back, only to realize it was a pink rattlesnake, the most common of the six typical Great Domain species listed in the manual.
The snake was as pink as salmon flesh, its tongue protruding in and out continuously, its head raised as if preparing to attack. My friend behind me yelled, threatening that if I lay down there he wouldn’t be able to carry me home. In fact, I did not intend to tease the snake, even rushed to find a way to dodge and it seems that it is not as aggressive as I thought.
Our path is more crowded today. On the way, we met a French friend, probably a photographer because he carried more cameras than drinking water. We also passed a group of five who set out before sunrise. Looks like I’m also a “ranked” climber, just hope it’s not too sunny!
By 8 a.m. it was no longer cool, but we were done. The climb time was half an hour shorter than the climb down the valley yesterday.
An unforgettable experience in the Grand Canyon.
We returned to the edge and met the forester at the station. He happily told us stories of tourists and incidents that occurred, most of which were caused by the failure to estimate their strength, as well as the difficulties of climbing and descending steep slopes. There are times when he himself has to come to the rescue for exhausted tourists because of fatigue and thirst.
As for us, through challenging roads, we feel that we have shared and become closer to Dai Vuc. The view from the cliff to the valley is still as beautiful as it was yesterday, but now we know that the Colorado River looks so far away, not easy to reach.
Personally, I wish I could share the feeling of standing on this majestic cliff with the boys and girls who were curious about Dai Vuc when they learned the lesson in English textbooks, like me many years ago. .
at Blogtuan.info – Source: nld.com.vn – Read the original article here
