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The area is located on private property, posted and extremely dangerous. Do not attempt to enter the canyon or cross any fences, you can meet all logging requirements from the safety of your vehicle.
Let me introduce you to Burlingame Canyon near Walla Walla, Washington, a small-scale analogy to Grand Canyon, which was observed to form in less than six days. It measures 450 m (1,500 ft) long, up to 35 m (120 ft) deep, and again as wide, winding through a hillside. In 1904, the Gardena Farming District constructed a series of irrigation canals to provide water to this normally rather arid high desert area. In March 1926, winds collected tumbleweeds at a concrete constriction along one of the canals situated on an elevated mesa, choking the flow of water, which at 2 m3 (80 cubic ft) per second was unusually high due to spring rains. To clean out the obstruction, engineers diverted the flow into a diversion ditch leading to nearby Pine Creek. Before this, the ditch was rather small, at no location greater than 3 m (10 ft) deep and 1.8 m (6 ft) wide, and often with no water in it at all. The abnormally high flow crowded into the ditch and careened along until it cascaded down the mesa in an impressive waterfall. Suddenly, under this extreme pressure and velocity, the underlying stratum gave way and headward erosion began in earnest. What once was an insignificant ditch became a gully. The gully became a gulch. The gulch became a miniature Grand Canyon. The eroded strata consisted of rather soft sand and clay which was saturated by the recent rains. The dewatering of the saturated sediments into the now-open ditch enhanced the erosion. The rapidly moving water could dislodge the particles and carry them downstream, leaving underlying sediments vulnerable to further erosion. In total, these six days of runaway ditch erosion removed around 150,000 m3 (five million cubic ft) of silt, sand and rock. Yes, canyons can form rapidly. A good maxim to remember is, “It either takes a little water and a long time, or a lot of water and a short time.” But then, we’ve never seen a canyon form slowly with just a little water. Whenever scientific observations are made, it’s a lot of water. -"Dr. John Morris" So, on to the logging requirements. Please email your answers after logging. N 46° 00.970 W 118° 36.001 At waypoint 1, you will find yourself parked on Lowden-Gardena. From here, you can see lower end of the canyon. You can clearly see the evidence of loess and water erosion forming an almost layered look to the canyon walls. Question 1: From waypoint 1, looking North, estimate the width of the canyons opening, at the top. N 46° 01.418 W 118° 35.492 At waypoint 2, you will find yourself on the top of the hill, still on Lowden-Gardena Rd, near Burlingame Ditch and the opening to the Little Grand Canyon. Do not cross the fence, as it is clearly posted, but you can look into the top edge of the canyon and get a different perspective of its size. Question 2: To prevent arm chair logging and as proof you visited the sight, count the number of sediment layers visible on the Northern most wall until the bottom of the canyon drops out of sight. As a bonus, include a picture of youself in front of the warning signs. It's not required for logging, but it's fun to take selfies.
Additional Hints
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