Above is a very wide panorama of the Grand Canyon (5034 x 522 pixels; 1.4mb). It was made from a series of 14 overlapping photos, which were then stitched together to form this pano. In your windows viewer (perhaps others) you may have to click on the "actual size" button (bottom, left side) to get the whole image to appear, then scroll left-right (perhaps top to bottom) to see from buttress to buttress. The photos were taken from The Escalante Route, above Unkar Rapids.
     On the left is Vishnu Temple, then, continuing to the right, is the Colorado River, then the Palisades of the Desert - above the ceremonial or celestial ruin, to the buttresses of the South rim. Click the image above for the full-strength view.
     For those wanting a smaller file (320kb), yet a nearly full-size image, click here: Grand Canyon Panorama - Escalante Route - compressed
     Thanks to Steve Wolfe for stitching together the panorama.

Map - AZ: GC: Tanner to Beamer to LCR (Click the image to see the map)

The Group on Tanner (Click the image for a full-size view)	Scenic toilet - Tanner (Click the image for a full-size view)	Beamer Flower (Click the image for a full-size view)
Shield rock - Palisades (Click the image for a full-size view)	Lava Canyon View (Click the image for a full-size view)	Palisades mine waste (Click the image for a full-size view)
Palisades camp view (Click the image for a full-size view)	Z & C on The Beamer (Click the image for a full-size view)	Zig on The Beamer (Click the image for a full-size view)
Beamer View & Chuar (Click the image for a full-size view)	Carbon Cr. from Beamer (Click the image for a full-size view)	LCR enters The Colorado (Click the image for a full-size view)

     Day1: Tanner Turndown; 9.5 miles, 4700’ elevation loss (7350 to 2700’); 18 ERM. The knees complain, yet down we go on the rugged upper plunge of the Tanner Trail from Lipan Point. The 'we" are Zig, Craig, and me. We start out in an Arctic blast of piercing wind and warmed a few hundred feet down the sandstone. Pausing at the Stegosaurus rocks for a snack and foot break, we shed the last of the warm clothes, then we continue to where we stash and cache two quarts of water each and some lunch for the trip out – somewhere beyond Cardenas Butte. Cardenas Butte. Named for one of the first anglos reportedly to see the Grand of the canyon. Then, we begin the luxury cruise, contour around the buttes to the head of the fearsome Redwall. Descending through the tightly spiraling Redwall, Redwall of ball bearings scattered across the hard limestone, making for an interesting descent. Another descent through green shale, perhaps it’s the Bright Angel Shale, and two times through the Dox Sandstone. Craig talks of a ’trail mint’ (ibuprophen). Onward.
     We see the scenic toilet and know we have arrived. Yow. Temporarily forgetting the expansive vistas of Tanner, of views North along the Colorado, we plod the sand around the ancient, historic dunes looking for a campsite. I see a good one just across Tanner wash, amidst the din of Tanner Rapids, but C & Z have found a sand city camp the other way. A glow develops and quickly it’s local sunset. Moroccan Couscous with Sashi paneer masala spice, with sausage TVP, sprinkled with tamarind salted sunflower seeds. Yum. One-half cup couscous per person – uncooked. We cached one dinner near camp. Zig is the cache man on this adventure.

     Day 2: Pushing Palisades – Palisades of the Desert, 4 or 5 miles, 5 ERM. Camp near Lava Canyon Rapids. The subtle glow enhances the Palisades and the mammary shape of the down-river end of Temple Butte as we cook potatoes and veggies, accompanied by the roar of Lava Canyon Rapids. Melodic.
     This section of the canyon is broad and affords wide-ranging views. It was an easy stroll from Tanner. Deciding not to go to the camp near the mouth of the Little Colorado River (LCR) allowed us to wander and enjoy after a late start. We talked with Jim from Phoenix about routes and ways, and explored to the old mine and old cabin frame near where Palisades Creek wash (dry!) emerges from the cliffs. Zig went inside the mine, which was encrusted with salts and blue leaking minerals. Obnoxious terrorist cells (tour aircraft) cluttered the natural quiet. Despicable. Back by the tumbling rapids, the white noise blocks the heinous intrusion of the air turds.

     Day 3: LCR – Beamer to Beating, 7 miles, 9 ERM. 5 more by raft. I’m edging the green shale on the Tapeats boot-wide path and peering several hundred feet straight down into the jade depths of the icy Colorado River. Yikes. Get your eyes back on the trail, I urge. This is a difficult prospect given the wondrous up- and down-canyon vistas. Whew, it's like being suspended in space.
     We’re day-hiking to the LCR and the Beamer Cabin. Miles of knife-edge walking and still the views evolve, lovely, spectacular. Far below, a river group has river vespers before loading dories. There's no one else round – all day. We’ve heard tales of tricky moves, but while not really a place for backpacks – one bump against a wall and you’re in a deep swim – it is an OK route. It's not a place if exposure bothers you, however. Then, finally, the silky aquamarine of the LCR. An electric blue and all ours. We drop into the LCR basin and along to Beamer’s Cabin – apparently fashioned from a pueblo ruin. A cool wind rises. We wait for a transit boat while hunkering behind a river boulder, trying to elude the wind. Finally, just before Craig’s drop-dead time of 1 p.m. and a start hiking back, two figures appear downstream. Craig wades the LCR and negotiates a river shuttle back to camp. It's a two-person, one raft permit of Chris and Owen, one of the first winners of the first Colorado lottery. Zig and I wade the slithering blue and we all float and grunt into an up canyon wind. A wave curls over me and the front of the raft, hurray for anoraks. Cold feet.
     We are dropped off near camp and the rafters set-up across the river near the rapids. The clothes are all on as dark clouds cover the North rim and creep over us. (rice with broccoli and cheese sauce with ham TVP, 1 cup uncooked rice per person.)

     Day 4: Snow ahoy! Return to the foot of Tanner. I’m sleeping when a bit of rain on my face reminds me to get out for a tour de starlight, but, no stars. Later, I awake to pounding rain and wind rattling the fly. A dark morning eventually evolves into T-shirt weather as we return toward the foot of Tanner. Amazing enough, we have seen only Chris and Owen over the past two days. Lovely.
     We meet Ranger Scott Taylor when we are almost back to Tanner, and, after a permit inspection he ‘allows’ us to stay at Tanner. It will become busy at Tanner tonight. We set-up just West of Tanner Wash, enjoy a second lunch, then a nap in the tent as it attempts to rain. The raven was busy as we napped, clipping strings off food bags hanging in the low trees.
     The temperature drops and between curls of clouds, we again notice snow on the South rim. We imagine the North rim must be in a blizzard. Fluffy clouds float past visions of Temple Butte, Chuar Butte, Cardenas, all along Palisades of the Desert – stretching from Tanner to Cape Solitude. Now, I’m bundled with nearly all the clothes I have, watching the tumbling Colorado cruise over the Tanner rocks. Mesmerizing. (freeze-dried lasagna with pudding.)

     Day 5: Escalante Excellente’ Route (11 miles, 1500’, 14 ERM.) I’m up in the night to total stardom. Billions and billions served. Clear skies at morning. A raven has clipped the ties on two of Craig’s bags, then opened the bags on the ground to enjoy lunch. Off on a day-hike of the Escalante Route we go, West to Cardenas Creek, where we find a good camp, usually used by boaters. Then, the route climbs what may be Dox SS several hundred feet above the river. Near Unkar Rapids we hike a few hundred yards back East to a hilltop ruin, probably a ceremonial edifice.
     Continuing on, the views range all around, cactus and asters and assorted others bloom, and fluff white clouds provide panorama heaven. We hike to where the route – actually a decent trail – starts up and around a butte nose. Then back, past the ruin, the Unkar view and Cardenas camp to the moonscape of furnace flats, dotted with a host of black rocks. Wet T-shirts at the camp – yes. What a change in temperature since yesterday. It’s transcendental walking on this meditation route. Blissful. Now we are back near Tanner Rapids, which drown out the obnoxious din of air tours fowling the air, our ears, our future. Terrorists all.

     Day 6: Trudging Tanner. 9.5 miles, 4700’ elevation gain (2700 to 7350’); 18 ERM. Up with the hint of daylight, we are rolling up the lower slopes in the cool calmness. Quiet. Lovely. Then, as we approach the green shales, air turds, wasting your future and polluting the air and destroying the natural quiet. They are representative of the death of nature. Plodding on, soon the mammoth Redwall – up we spiral, to another snack. Then, off to the water and lunch cache, craftily left behind by Zig on the way down. Another snack. Doing OK. Then, pure fatigue washes over us on the upper jumble, the stretch above the Stegosaurus Rocks. Too soon overall the end of the trip creeps into sight, but not too soon today. We are out of the canyon and besieged by throngs of belching winnehogos with their hogo-looking passengers. Ahh, now here is an American classic.

The Aquamarine of the LCR (Click the image for a full-size view)	The Aquamarine of the LCR (Click the image for a full-size view)	Beamer Cabin (Click the image for a full-size view)
Craig in afterglow (Click the image for a full-size view)	Curious C Lizard (Click the image for a full-size view)	Inside ruin - Escalante Route (Click the image for a full-size view)
Tanner Rapids Sunset 1 (Click the image for a full-size view)	Tanner Rapids Sunset 2 (Click the image for a full-size view)	Tanner Rapids Sunset 3 (Click the image for a full-size view)
Unkar Rapids from Escalante Rt. (Click the image for a full-size view)	Out the Tanner (Click the image for a full-size view)	Tired Puppy (Click the image for a full-size view)

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     Bodacious*: Blatant, remarkable, audacious, impressive, or attractive.
     As you can tell from the wide-spectrum definition, this American word is one of those wide-ranging superlatives to which speakers turn when they want to say that some quality is present in large degree; that quality might be unreasonableness, impressiveness, insolence, or (most recently) female attraction, specifically big breasts. This last meaning seems to have become widely known in the middle 1980s after it was employed in the film An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982. Another film, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure of 1989, contributed to its growing nationwide popularity.
     As a result, many people would guess the word is modern, but the earliest record (actually of the adverb bodaciously, which appeared as body-aciously) is from as long ago as 1832. The adjective is known from the 1840s, often as bowdacious in the early years. This leads lexicographers to think that both it and the adverb are from a English West Country dialect form, written as boldacious or bowldacious, which was probably an amalgam of bold and audacious.

Map - AZ: GC: Tanner to Beamer to LCR (Click the image to see the map)

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