Flash flooding at the bottom of Grand Canyon in the area of Phantom Ranch has claimed lives over the past couple days. These stories pain me, because I have an intimate knowledge, and personal experiences tied to the specific area where this is happening. I’ve attached 10 of my personal photographs from this area.
Before I went to the bottom of Grand Canyon, I did a ton of reading and research about potential dangers so that I could be prepared, avoid dangers, and even know how to react in the face of certain dangers. The one that fascinated me the most was the potential for flash floods. Many have died in the canyon over the decades due to these flash floods.
I remember this was on my mind constantly on my way down, and on my way out. I was constantly evaluating each area, imagining the path a flash flood would take, and looking for the best routes of escape. The very nature of the geological formations down there means that most of the time you are traveling between tight walls, which are basically the perfect chute for water to travel between.
At least 15 hikers missing as flash flood sweeps through Grand Canyon
Dozens evacuated as flash floods suddenly strike the Grand Canyon with wall of water wiping out trails
Braving the Ol’ Shawnee Appalachy - Pt 1: The Easy Part
"Her sides are made of iron!" a sailor shouted as British cannonballs bounced off the USS Constitution in 1812. They weren't. They were made of Georgia live oak, and getting that wood nearly killed the men who cut it.
When Congress ordered six new frigates built in 1794, designer Joshua Humphreys wanted them bigger and tougher than any frigate in the world. That meant one tree: the southern live oak.
Live oak is a strange tree. It doesn't grow tall and straight. It grows low and wide, with massive limbs that twist out sideways. That's exactly what shipbuilders wanted. A warship's skeleton is full of curves, the ribs and the braces that hold the decks to the hull. Cut those curves from straight lumber and you slice across the grain and weaken the wood. With live oak, you could find a limb that had already grown into the shape you needed, grain and all. It's also one of the densest, hardest, most rot-resistant woods in North America.
The best stands were on the Georgia coast. So starting in 1794, ...
