What Works, So Far...

Some more images from the trail. A beautiful little sunflower that apparently was really tasty to some bug. The leaves had nice little lacy holes chewed in them!

And I omitted the second drawing from the previous post so I thought I'd add it here. This plant grew right next to my porch in Southern Indiana. Don't know what it was but it bloomed beautiful crimson flowers and had a gorgeous green/burgundy variegated leaf. It was really tall, too. Grew about 6+ feet high.

Okay, so when I started this post I promised I would let you know what is working and what isn't on the trail.

I probably lug way too many supplies with me.

For shorter hikes I carry a "High Sierra" hydration pack like this 'Splash' model--it's got 2 large zippered compartments (one of which holds my 2 liter water bladder) and a smaller squarish one on the front which forms an adjustable quick-clip compartment behind it. That's where I store my sketchbook. I take a 5X7 bristol paper sketchbook, spiral bound, which fits nicely into a large ziploc type freezer bag. This goes in the outside pocket of my pack. I also take a rather large plastic divided bin (ArtBin Solutions) filled to capacity with permanent markers, an ebony pencil, a sharpener, and a kneadable eraser. I like to take a small pair of field binoculars, and always some snacks! This makes my pack a little heavy, but since I'm a total klutz with watercolors, the markers are my next best tool. Eventually I'll be able to eliminate all the colors I never use, but for now I prefer the option of having a rainbow at my disposal!

For overnight hikes I have a Granite Gear Vapor Ki. It's a really light pack, so I have to be careful how much I pack since it's got about a 30# max capacity. I dump the plastic bin and shove my markers into a heavy duty ziploc baggie. Since space is a premium, I try to pack smart and put the least used items on the bottom and work my way up. At the top I try to keep my markers and I strap my sketchbook on the outside (still in the baggie, of course!). This has worked pretty well so far. I think the extra weight is worth it.

My winter project will be a home-made pochade box. I am hoping to be able to design and build one to fit into my backpack. My goal is to be able to paint anywhere. I still have to consider space and I may eventually have to purchase a bigger, more durable pack for the longer hikes. Remember that I have to carry everything with me at least to the campsite! So it's all got to fit into the pack along with water, clothing, food, shelter and sleeping bag!!

So that's the dilemma of the artist as backpacker.

Enjoy! -L

Botanical Sketches

I recently completed a volunteer term at Grand Canyon N.P. working for the science & resource management dept. I worked in the nursery/greenhouse, mostly watering and caring for the salvaged plants and helping with propagation. Whenever the park has a construction project, to their credit, they try to save as many plants as possible beforehand. The nursery is where the plants go to live while they're building whatever it is. Currently, the park is building new parking lots at the Visitor Center in hopes of eliminating all the roadside parking that occurs at the ever-popular Mather Point overlook. It will be so wonderful to be able to enter the park (eventually) and not have to contend with hundreds of cars and pedestrians along the side of the road there!

In the nursery/greenhouse I really learned a lot and it was wonderful being outside with the plants! I also worked with several of the seasonal employees there. Emily, Em, and Ash were so knowledgeable, bright and hard working. It is cool to see young people who are so smart and willing to work hard while also having fun! I miss them already and I've only been gone a couple of days. Thanks for a great summer, guys!

As a naturalist, I was hoping to do more sketches while I was there, and I still intend to take some of my time off to hoof it down to the bottom of the hill with my sketchbook, pens & pencils to capture some of those happy plants. So in honor of my "Reveg" stint, I'm posting these sketches I did in the past. The top two are plants you'll find right now in Grand Canyon - Cliff Rose and Scarlet Penstemon. The bottom one is a gorgeous something or other that used to grow right off my front porch in southern Indiana. I have no idea what it is, but it had gorgeous red flowers and a wonderful variegated leaf. It grew really tall...like 5 feet and the hummingbirds just loved it!

North Rim Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon is probably the most gorgeous place I've ever been but there's another side to it that a lot of people never get to see! While the South Rim gets nearly 5 million visitors a year, the NORTH RIM gets only about 500,000. It is also about 1,000 feet higher in elevation, so the climate is much more alpine than its southern cousin.

I spent about 3 weeks this past summer on the north rim, staffing the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project table. I just LOVE it over there. It's about a 5 hour drive north from Flagstaff, OR you can do a through-hike "rim to rim" from Bright Angel Trail, across the river and up North Kaibab.

This sketch was done from the porch of the North Rim Lodge. A grand old dame of a hotel with two huge stone terraces where you can sit and enjoy a flawless view of the canyon from the "other side", or you can sit inside the sun room on the comfy chairs and couches provided just for that! Don't forget to attend a condor talk in the auditorium, and you absolutely MUST have breakfast at the lodge! The views are incredible!

Because the North Rim is higher in elevation, it gets LOTS of snow this time of year. The road closes with the first big snow or on Dec. 1st, whichever comes first. The closest you can get is Jacob Lake right now, unless you want to ski in or hike thru! Either way, it's definitely worth the trip!

BackpackGearTest.org

I'm on my way to being a "gear tester" for BackpackGearTest.org. I discovered this site by accident while cruising the web and looking for gear reviews. Click on the link at the bottom of my blog page to see their site. It's a place for folks like us...outdoorspeople...to get honest reviews of all kinds of gear. I've posted one "owners review" on Cabela's 7 pocket hiker shorts. Click here to read my review. Anyone can join, although they have lots of rules. But I'm hoping to get my 2nd review posted soon, and then I'm eligible to get free gear to test! (I sure could use a good pair of hiking poles - hint, hint)

This is a sketch I did of O'Neill Butte from Cedar Ridge on South Kaibab Trail at the canyon.

My next hiking adventure is planned for New Years Day. I'll be hiking down to the bottom of the canyon. Got a 4 day hike planned, so I'm hoping to get lots of sketching done down there. I'll post them when I get back 'up top'. We've had lots of snow here lately, so I'll let you know how my "YakTrax" work on a snowy trail, and hopefully how the champagne tastes after a great day hiking in Grand Canyon.

Itinerary is as follows:
Jan 1 - South Kaibab trail to Bright Angel Campground
Dinner at Phantom Ranch
Jan 2 - Bright Angel Campground
Jan 3 - Breakfast at Phantom, then hike out Bright Angel Trail to Indian Garden
Camp at Indian Garden Campground
Jan 4 - Hike out Bright Angel Trail to the rim

This will be my first time all the way down to the bottom, so wish me luck! I'm not too worried as we're spreading it out pretty good, and I did the Indian Garden to the rim in a little over 4 hours last time.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. See you on the trail!

Pictographs and Petroglyphs

I learned the difference between a pictograph and a petroglyph at Canyon Tsegi. A pictograph is drawn or painted on top of the rock, a petroglyph is carved or etched into the rock. There is a great book called A Field Guide to Rock Art Symbols of the Greater Southwest by Alex Patterson. It has lots of photos and drawings of different symbols, grouped by type and tells what they represent.
My guide at Canyon Tsegi, a young Navajo guy named Rolando, was really knowlegeable about where to find some of the many drawings there, and even let me sketch them. We talked about his culture and he even coached me in my pronunciation of the few Navajo words I know. We rode around for a couple of hours and had a great time. He was friendly and had a great creative, quick sense of humor. He talked about his people and how hard it is there on the reservation to support himself and his young family. He also talked about the loss of the Navajo culture among the youth, especially the language. I encouraged him to teach his baby daughter his language despite her mother's objection. It was a real treat to be able to speak so openly and honestly with him!

So here is a sketch of a female figure from one of the sites at Canyon Tsegi.

Canyon Tsegi (de Chelly)

This is the place where I will post my sketches. I'm an avid outdoors person and an artist. My favorite thing to do is get outdoors and when I'm there, I love to draw! So I schlep my sketchbook and art supplies with me whenever I go 'walkabout'.

In this blog I plan to approach hiking and backpacking from an artist's point of view. I'll let you know what I bring with me, what works, what doesn't, and whether it's worth it to lug the extra weight around in the long run.

I'll also post my photos when I can, but mainly I'll feature my sketchbook.

I'm looking for feed back from other artists and hikers, and would love to generate fresh ideas for making it easier for us art buffs to 'get out there' and draw in nature!

So, with that I'll post some artwork I did and let you decide.

This picture came from a trip to Canyon de Chelly (Tsegi). It's a sketch of the "White House" ruin. This is the only unescorted trail you can hike in Canyon Tsegi. All other access has to be with a Navajo guide. The canyon is absolutely gorgeous and well worth the price of a horseback ride. It's a sacred place to the Navajo, and has been continuously inhabited by them for hundreds of years. Go there to see Spider Rock, and lots of other sacred places. It's worth the trip.

See you on the trail!

Liz