Its really cool over there. I think that part of the strip has a lifetime of exploring and (shhhh) climbing. The Cathedral is the same layer as much of the Grand and there are literally millions of achors of vertical choss out there to be explored. Scattered out there somewhere are 20,000 amazing lines to get done. Its just getting the time to explore the vastness of that great empty space.

I think looking down on Vulcan's Throne and the way it dumps its load down onto the river, contributing to the drama of Lava falls is about as spectacular as it gets. I've heard that the uplift that made the Hurricane fault and the Grand Staircase lost its steam when that volcano went off. Cool to think of that as the big pressure valve that made the Kiabab Plateau slow down its rise, slowing the increase in depth of the Grand Canyon.

A lifetime of exploring for sure! : ) We'll be heading back there soon to explore some more, and soak it all in! We intentionally took a scenic route of about 130 miles of dirt road from Lime Kiln Canyon to get there,(a total of 180 miles of dirt road in two days, and one flat tire that trip)
In the backcountry we saw bobcats, tons of quail, deer, reptiles, and other critters in abundance. So beautiful! Thanks for the extra info.! Sounds like you love the desert too!

Nice place.