Hermit Road near Pima Point, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ, 12/15/2009
On my final afternoon photographing the Grand Canyon after a snowstorm, I drove along the recently reopened Hermit Road to visit the points along the south rim west of Grand Canyon Village. As the sun started to set, the canyon itself took on a drab pallor, but the sky to the west became painted in shades of rose leading to a brilliant golden glow around the sun. I parked and then walked along the road until I found this view through the pinyon pine forest and snow. Pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) trees produce edible seeds or pine nuts. These are extensively collected throughout the tree's range. In many areas, the seed harvest rights are owned by Native American tribes for whom the species is culturally and economically important. An early legend asserts that the “tree of life” is a pinyon pine.
