Toward the end of my stay at Grand Canyon, it was decided to send me over to Toroweap Overlook to check out what campers at this isolated spot on the North Rim thought about aircraft. The actual overlook is very near where a lot of the traffic from Las Vegas would reasonably be expected to pass coming into the main section of the Canyon, so it was a logical place to gather information on aircraft impacts.
Toroweap is also the name of one of the upper rocky layers of the Canyon, reddish sandstone interspersed with limestone. Toroweap Overlook also features some spectacular views of the area where lava from ancient volcanic activity flowed into the Canyon, forming a cinder cone named Vulcan’s Throne, and that energetic rapid called Lava.
Because it was on the North Rim, one of the rangers who was responsible for the district flew me over in his personal aircraft, a small yet sturdy Cessna as I recall. I loaded up my camping gear and was looking forward to a bit of isolation. Even though I had surveys that I wanted to complete, some isolation and peace and quiet sounded like a good idea as I contemplated leaving this beautiful place.
We left the airport at Tusayan, headed northwest over the rim, still a breathtaking sight. In very little time we landed on a small runway over on the Arizona strip (as it is known), the small section of Arizona which is cut off from most of the state by the Canyon, and which is more closely tied to Utah than the rest of the state.
He took me over to his small house/ranger station, where he handed me the keys to his big burly pick-up and told me he would be back in three days. I hopped in and fired it up, prepared to test my driving skills which were a bit rusty since my divorce.
I started driving down the dirt road he had pointed out which led to Toroweap Overlook. There were really not too many ways to take a wrong turn. When I got there I was met by stunning beauty. It is one spot in the canyon’s length where the Colorado River is almost directly below the rim on both sides. While some areas of the Canyon are about ten miles from rim to rim, as crows and aircraft fly, this section was one of the narrowest.
A precipitous drop, very near the spot where Evel Knievel lobbied the Department of Interior (unsuccessfully) to permit his attempt to jump over the Canyon. While the other side is Indian reservation and the main reason he proposed to build a take-off ramp there, it did not look far. Having said that, it looked far enough to me, and the river looked a LONG way down. That man had some steel – nerves.
I remember that first evening preparing a small meal and nestling down in a notch between two massive red boulders, enjoying a gorgeous sunset with nobody in sight, no noise as the aircraft had eased off; Tranquility Base. It was a box seat to one gorgeous place.
I spent those two nights and most of three days in almost total isolation. I did see a group going down the river on rafts, but they were far below my lonely perch. I did take sound readings, but while I was out there, among the large red, almost square boulders that make up the overlook, I didn’t see a soul. I liked it that way. I explored the area and found the usual suspects; several lizards, an owl, and a coyote that came to check on my cooking skills. He left, disappointed that I was not dispensing free samples.
While I did record the sound of several aircraft flying overhead, going past Toroweap probably involved burning more jet fuel than the air tour operators wanted to, and most aircraft flew south of my fabulous roost.
As I was driving back in that big old burly pick-up, a scrubby juniper jumped out in the road and planted a gnarled branch in one of the side view mirrors. The Ranger was not pleased, but I did offer to pay for the repairs, an offer he did not accept. Perhaps he put it on the tab of our “Rich Uncle.”
Toroweap is a gorgeous spot, and very different from so many of the Grand Canyon overlooks that I have experienced before or since. Not easy to get to, but I would love to go back again. Next time I’ll bring my own company.
Mi Mayan Hamaca 