Stats for the day:
· 12669 steps (on pedometer)
· Hikes completed today in Zion: 1
o Riverside Walk (beginning of The Narrows Bottom-Up Hike)
· Virgin River Stream Flow Rate Peak: 152 cubic feet per second
· Loads of Laundry: 2
· Pounds of rocks to bring home: 2
· Sunburns: 1
The morning started with a hike from the Temple of Sinewava to the beginning of The Narrows Bottom-up Hike, also known as path called Riverside Walk. We’re still waiting for the Virgin River Stream Flow Rate to be at 140 cubic feet per second or below (for at least 24 hours) so The Narrows Hike will open. We figured we’d at least see the trailhead. Riverside Walk is a nice easy stroll, and on the return trip we found a nice big rock in the shade where we could put our feet in the water and rest for awhile and just enjoy the scenery.
When we got back to our campsite we decided to enjoy the river since it was right there. Now, the river temperature (where we were camped, a bit downstream) was 64°F. Once you were in for awhile, it wasn’t so bad. There were a lot of boulders in the area by our campsite, and I found one on which to sit. Matt wasn’t too far away, and he begin sifting through the rocks. And they were the prettiest rocks. There were so many varieties; it almost made you want to be a geologist. (Side note: There is a hilarious Calvin and Hobbes about being a geologist not being a real occupation. But I think it could be pretty cool.) So I joined in the fun, and soon I was filling Matt’s pockets with rocks, while he had moved on to adding to and reinforcing a natural dam in the water.
The evening was pretty uneventful as it was time to do laundry. And even with all of the pre-treating I now own a pair of shorts that will forever be proof of how much I had to sit down as we hiked back out of the Grand Canyon. That nice reddish clay combined with sweat makes for a nice dye.
Math thoughts for today:
· The stream flow rate has obviously been a big occupier of my time. It’s given in cubic feet per second, but we tend to think of liquids in terms of gallons (or liters). This would be a good opportunity to have my students do some conversions. And once they figure out how many gallons (or whatever capacity unit they choose) per second, we can work on some dimensional analysis (changing from gallons per second to gallons per minute).
· In junior high mathematics, understanding larger numbers, place value, scientific notation, and making comparisons with all of these things is still a big deal. I’m thinking that the dating of the various types of rocks I’ve seen is a cool way to deal with a lot of these larger numbers, while also giving them some relevance.
Shout-outs:
· Posy Hoffman: I spent a few hours this afternoon sitting in the Virgin River collecting rocks. Each one was cooler than the last, and you would have loved it! I have plans to do it again, even though I already have more than I need to bring home!
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