Now we try two burros. Firmly they brace
themselves, and refuse to be pushed into the tawny flood. Then they dodge
and run and tangle each other up with their neck ropes, patiently
strangling each other with desperate insistence. At length they are pushed
in, and off they go. After a good ducking, they come up with a snort and a
bounce, a look of martyr-like meekness in their eyes, as they settle down
to the inevitable. No animal on earth can teach man more than a burro in
this regard. He accepts what can't be helped, makes the best of it, and
gains happiness out of every patch of thistles and grass he can push his
nose into. So, as we look into the eyes of these burros, as they rapidly
"paw" the current, we can see a look of expectation and content which
plainly says "Cheer up, brother, this will soon be over, and on the north
side we'll get better feed than we've been having lately."
A mule's desperate plunges to escape generally aid us to get him into the
water, for he loses his balance and is easily pushed in. But his look of
dazed surprise is comical when, after such a plunge, in which he sinks
below his head, he arises, snorts, blows the water out of his nostrils, and
begins to look about him. The burro part of his nature, however, soon
settles him down, and he pulls out for the shore, glad to rejoin his
companions.
Once in a while an animal breaks loose, gets halfway across, becomes
confused, and not knowing which way to go, is carried down to the rapids
and dashed to death.
CHAPTER XXIX. Climate And Weather At The Grand Canyon
Difference between Rim and Canyon. The climate at the Grand Canyon refuses
to be defined in a paragraph. What is true of the country along the rim is
not true of the banks of the river itself. The midway region, half-way down
the trail, likewise has a climate all its own. For as you go down in
summer, the thermometer goes up; and as you come up, in winter, the
thermometer goes down. The difference of nearly a mile in altitude between
the surface of the Colorado River and the rim of the Canyon is equivalent
to going hundreds of miles north and south on the level. Hence it is that
when it is winter on the rim, it is like spring down in the depths; when it
is spring on the top of the world, the heat below is tropical.
Weather not Extreme. Bear in mind, though, that neither the cold of winter
nor the heat of summer, in northern Arizona, are as frigid or as torrid as
the readings of the thermometer may seem to indicate. The cold or heat is
not felt to such an extreme as in the East. A minimum of humidity is the
basic reason for this wide difference between, for example, the July or
January climate of New York, and the July or January climate of the Grand
Canyon. Extremes that in New York drive people to the cool seashore or
To California's winter warmth, here bring no discomfort. You don't feel
the weather changes so much, just because the air is so much dryer.
Mild in Summer and in Winter. Again, the altitude of the Grand Canyon
rim - in places nearly a mile and a half above sea-level - makes the summers
cooler than the latitude would indicate. It is ten degrees cooler, in July,
at Flagstaff, Arizona, than at Salt Lake City, three hundred miles north in
Utah. In turn, the southerly location of this titanic wonderland causes the
winters to be milder than in Colorado, Utah and Montana.
Average Condition. Visitors should bear in mind that the Grand Canyon is an
all-the-year-round resort. Unlike the Yellowstone and many other far west
scenic playgrounds, one may visit there with comfort any time of the year.
While certain periods are more favorable than others for outdoor life, each
season has its distinctive joys.
As a rule, this part of Arizona is a true land of sunshine. Sunny days are
largely in evidence.
As a rule, the air is dry. Even the rains don't soak it through.
As a rule, except on the edge of the rim, the wind velocity is under the
average.
As a rule, one may ride, walk or loaf outdoors, without fear of
overexertion. The air is like wine, it builds one anew.
Yet the weather is not perfect. You may strike a small sandstorm in
midsummer. You may hit a blizzard in midwinter. A torrential shower may
drench you. A fervent sun may unduly tan you. But these deviations from
Paradise come only occasionally; they are the bitter that makes the sweet
more sweet.
I can safely promise you, nine times out of ten, pleasanter weather than
you would find if at home. And that is the best test.
Rest-cure. Those who visit the Canyon oftenest and stay longest find the
least fault with its weather. For myself, I never complain; rather I always
look forward with great joy to an outing here. For besides being an
unparalleled scenic spectacle, the Grand Canyon is the greatest of
rest-cures. I know of nothing better for tired nerves and worn-out bodies
than to summer or winter along its rim, and down below where the river
runs.
Because the weather one year never is like the year before or after, I
cannot accurately forecast what you will find of heat or cold, wet or dry,
when you visit the Canyon. Even the "weather man" is not infallible in his
predictions. I only can outline a reasonable average, resting upon
observations made during a score of years.
