Like the ProjectThis panorama was photographed on February 13, 2010. The following is a transcript of the narration for this panorama. To listen to the narration, enter the project at this location and press the play button.
We have now followed the South Kaibab Trail further down into the Supai Formation, having curved around the east face of O’Neill Butte just far enough to have a fine view of Skeleton Point. We can see the trail descending down to and then out to the end of Skeleton Point, and the descent through the Redwall Limestone beyond. The switchbacks that the trail follows through the Redwall are now clearly visible.
We are steadily drawing closer to the features on the far side of the Colorado River and below the North Rim. The Matterhorn-like top of Zoroaster Temple has begun to peek above the horizon, but, with Brahma Temple still looming behind it, it still doesn’t stand out as dramatically as it will later further on down the trail.
Further west, Shiva Temple is beginning to stand apart from the rest of the North Rim. Like Wotan’s Throne further east, and Powell Plateau further west, it has a large flat area on top level with the top of the North Rim, but has been detached from the North Rim for tens of thousands of years. In 1937 Shiva Temple briefly became a national sensation. Up until then there was no record of anyone getting to the top of it. Harold E. Anthony of the American Museum of Natural History organized, and publicized, an expedition to discover whatever strange creatures might be found on top of this ‘lost island in the sky’. The press went crazy – who knew- Anthony might find dinosaurs! Emery Kolb, a famous early photographer and explorer of the canyon, and prankster, decided to beat Anthony to the top. And he did so, leaving behind some strategically placed cans of tomatoes so that Anthony would know that he wasn’t first. Anthony found the tomatoes, but didn’t find any creatures any different at all from those of the North Rim.
To the left of Shiva Temple and in front of Point Sublime, the Tower of Set, Horus Temple, and Mencius Temple are also beginning to poke above the horizon.
Back to the south, Yaqui Point and Cedar Ridge are beginning to disappear, but the next major viewpoint to the east, Shoshone Point, has come into view. You have to walk a mile from the East Rim Drive to reach Shoshone Point, but it is an easy, level stroll through a lovely Ponderosa forest, with the reward of another spectacular view at the end.
Heading up the trail from here, we curve around the east face of O’Neill Butte to another panorama point higher up in the Supai formation, but still well below Cedar Ridge. Heading down the trail, we steadily descend down to the start of the long neck of Skeleton Point, and reach a nice panorama point there on top of a small rise.
