The Fogs Of Christmas

 

The Fogs of Christmas

diffuse the patterns of light

to fairy lanterns.

2025 Grand Canyon Thunder River (V): Esplanade, Surprise Valley

 Hiking in the Grand Canyon, at least in both of my experiences, generally means early rising - not just because of the fact that everyone just tends to get up earlier with the visible light, but that starting early means beating the potential heat.

This morning's breakfast:  A breakfast sandwich with egg and cheese and coffee.

The view as we ate was, of course, amazing.  And yet even looking at the beauty, I am conscious of the fact that the shadow that keeps us from the sun is going to get smaller and smaller rather quickly.

With a repacking of everything and a quick dish wash, we are away!

The first part of our hike was across the Esplanade, perhaps 2 miles.  This was a fairly level walk with slight rises and dips but no real elevation changes. It is also completely exposed to the sky:  once the sun cleared the Canyon Rim, it started to heat up and give a hint of how truly unpleasant this would be in Summer.

A view showing the nature of the Esplanade.  From this angle, it is hard to see that there is more down to go.

One of the few places of shade we passed.

More cryptosoil!

Getting closer to continuing our descent:

Our descent takes us down in Surprise Valley.  The descent is a fairly steep one.

Looking down the trail.  We are heading towards the formation that looks like a hill with the "smaller" rocks in front of it:

Looking back up towards the Esplanade:

"The Window": About halfway for the descent into Surprise Valley.  The shade and breeze were welcome.

Another shot looking back up towards the Esplanade:

Surprise Valley.   This is the start of our loop; we turn left at the Cairn in the road.

Another pretty steep descent - but wait, what are those?  Actual trees?

The Collapse CCXV: Intellectual Weather

 30 December 20XX+1

My Dear Lucilius:

The cold has returned with a vengeance.

It is hard for me to assess if this is colder than normal – yes, I could look at a temperature record and it would give me the numerical values, but it would not tell me the actual things, like the rationing of heating wood or how precisely long one can consider staying in before the outhouse becomes more than a nice idea.

One looks outside, sighs, and carries on measuring the cost/benefit ratio of the task at hand versus the cold.

I know I have written before about the weather and my perceptions of it – but I find myself thinking more and more about how those perceptions have changed as time has gone on.

It is fair to say that “civilization” – whatever that means – is likely not re-establishing itself this year (given that it is the end of the year!) and, if the complete lack of contact is any indication, is not on its way to making a bold breakthrough next year as well.

The cold should not feel “colder” because it becomes increasingly clear that we are on our own for whatever period of time that is allocated to us – but it does, a sort of intellectual thought that manifests itself as adding an edge to the wind that may not be there or a coldness in our bones that is imagined.

This inner sense impacting the outer sense makes little sense to me, but I know it to be true: The fact that the sun is warmer and the air clearer when we are love for example, or the fog that seems only deeper in our sadness. Our mind somehow adds to the outer world and intensifies the experience in a way I can explain, but not comprehend.

How odd, Lucilius, that the old saw “We make our own weather” is more deeply true than I imagined.

Your Obedient Servant, Seneca

2025 Grand Canyon Thunder River (IV): Esplanade Sunset

Sunsets in the Grand Canyon:  There is nothing like them:

Imagine our surprise when we saw an object and a trail rising up in the sky!  Was this the end?  No, just a SpaceX launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base.