The document is a collection of diary entries from a trip to the Grand Canyon. It describes experiences hiking trails, attending talks about the canyon's geology, wildlife like condors and owls, and other activities. Key points covered include the canyon's colorful rock layers dating back billions of years, the role of the Colorado River in carving the canyon, and conservation efforts that helped increase the condor population from just 22 birds.
2. Standing on
the Rim
Wow, I can’t believe that
we are at the Grand
Canyon. It is magnificent,
but so far down, its too
much to take in. So many
people hike down into the
bottom, but it would be so
cold at night I couldn’t
stand it.
I can’t believe that it used
to be a flat piece of land
with sea water over it.
We went on a bike ride in
the afternoon along the rim
of the Grand Canyon and
on the way back I saw
some Mule Deer in the wild.
I was very excited because
I love animals.
3. Geology
Geology is studying rocks
to tell as about the
history of the earth. There
are more then twenty
layers of rock at the
Grand Canyon. If you’re
a kid you can think of it
like a stack of pancakes.
The oldest rocks are at
the bottom of the canyon
and the canyons oldest
rock is 1.7 billion years old.
The youngest rock is the
Kaibab formation it is 270
million years old.
Because the canyon is 1
mile deep we can see all
of its layers.
4. Colorado
River
At the very bottom of the
Grand Canyon is the
Colorado River. It may not
look like it from the top but
the river is 90 metres wide.
It is amazing to think that
the Colorado River carved
through the land to make
this enormous canyon. The
ranger told me that the
river is still carving the
Grand Canyon. Each year
it gets deeper but very
slowly. It is like peeling a
piece of paper off every
year.
The Colorado river flows for
277 miles and it drops more
than 12,000 feet. I think the
Colorado River is
magnificent.
5. Californian
Condors
Today I went to an interesting
talk about Californian Condors
by one of the rangers.
The Californian Condor were
extremely close to extinction
because there were only 22 in
the world.
Most of the birds were around
the Grand Canyon area so they
captured them all in a cage to
do a breeding program. Now
there are 410 Californian
Condors. It was a huge effort.
After the talk I can now tell the
difference between a raven and
a Condor. You can tell them
apart because the condor has a
white triangle under its wing. The
condor has a nine and a half
foot wingspan.
I also learned that these condors
only eat dead animals. They
don’t have fur on their head
because they stick their heads in
dead animals! YUK!
6. South
Kaibab Trail
Today I went on a hike under
the rim. We went on a path
that did switchbacks.
From down below it was an
incredible view. We saw lots
of animals on the way. We
got to see the Colorado River.
When we sat down for lunch
a little squirrel kept trying to
eat my food. I went to take a
picture but the squirrel was
gone. It was behind me and
about to eat my lunch.
We saw some mules coming
up. I wanted to ride on one.
On the way up it was
amazingly hard work. When
we got to the top I was glad
to sit down.
At the start of the hike I was
not that confident about
coming back up. When I did
come back up it was not as
bad as I thought and I got
used to it.
7. Bike Ride on
the rim
Today we went on a ride to
Hermit’s Rest. I went with
Mummy and Daddy.
On the way we stopped at
all the points, they were all
amazing views.
When we got to Hermit’s
Rest I got a hot chocolate
and sat in front of the fire.
This was really good
because it was freezing
when we were riding.
When we had finished
daddy rode home. Mummy
and I caught the shuttle.
Daddy said we should have
a race and we won!
8. Junior
Ranger
Today I got my Junior
Ranger badge for Grand
Canyon. You can get a
Junior Ranger Badge for
every National Park.
You have to complete a
booklet with lots of activities
to become a Junior
Ranger. An example of an
activity is going to a talk by
the rangers. Another
activity is writing a poem.
When you have completed
your activity book you take
it to the visitors centre and
you see the ranger and you
have to say a pledge. Then
you get your Junior Ranger
Badge and a certificate.
9. Nocturnal
Animal Talk
Last night my family and I
went to a talk about
nocturnal animals. It was cold.
The ranger told us all about
lots of animals. My favourite
one was the owl. Owls are my
favourite animals that’s why I
liked it the best.
Some of the things I learned
were that owl’s ears are not
at the same level. This helps
them hear their prey better.
Owl’s eyes are huge, 50% of
their skull size, this helps them
see well at night. Their eyes
have no muscles and can’t
move but they can turn their
head a long way.
Their feathers are different
lengths so they can fly quietly
and sneak up on their prey.
I had a great night even
though it was freezing. I hope
to see an owl.
10. Animals at
Grand
Canyon
Many animals live at the
Grand Canyon. When we
visited it was cold so we didn’t
see a lot of animals.
One animal I did see was the
Mule deer. They were the
ones that made most of the
trails at the Grand Canyon
that we use. They are the
most common animal to see.
Another animal I did see was
the Abert squirrel which likes
to live in the Ponderosa Pines.
You mostly see them when
you are eating food. When
we hiked below the rim a
squirrel almost ate my lunch.
One animal I didn’t see,
which I was glad about, was
the Gopher Snake. This snake
kills it’s prey by squeezing
them until they suffocate.
I would have liked to see
more of the animals at the
Grand Canyon but I am glad I
saw the ones I did.
