Grand Canyon Update: December 2011 - January 2012
Sunrise at Plateau Point (Photo: Brian Lane)
The winter is here at the canyon and it is quiet and calm. The throngs of visitors are home for the holidays, and save for Christmas vacations, kids are in school. It is the time of year when you can navigate the park with little or no traffic, no waiting in lines to eat, and no jockeying for position on the shuttle buses. Although you wouldn't know we are in winter from the weather as a high pressure system has settled in over the southwest and brought temperatures up almost twenty degrees above average (after the rainy autumn we experienced). This makes it an ideal time to hike into the canyon as there is only a slight chance of rain or snow for the near future, and with a La Nina weather pattern in place there is evidence that this pattern will remain in control for a while. Excellent! So, Happy Holidays...Hope you all have a wondrous New Year 2012!!!
On to what little news there is...
Cleats or crampons are recommended for the upper reaches of the canyon as snow melts during the day and re-freezes at night. This makes trails initially slick, and later in the day quite sloppy. Traction devices are available in the General Store at Marketplace Plaza.
Entrance fees will be waived in celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The fee free weekend is from January 14-16, 2012.
The plan to ban plastic water bottle sales inside the park is back on. After Coca-cola said it would pull donations to the National Park Service over the planned water bottle ban, officials at Grand Canyon NP have stated they will again be working to implement the ban during 2012. Media coverage caused Coca-cola to back down a bit and the ban will likely be approved.
The body found below Navajo Bridge on November 17th, 2011 has now been identified as that of 52-year-old James Waibel of Glendale, AZ. He had been reported as missing since late October. This incident is still under investigation.
Hike Safe and Have Fun!
Brian Lane
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