Scott Thybony Commentaries

Hundreds of years ago, indigenous Puebloan women sculpted clay pots and used them to collect water. When commentator Scott Thybony found a potsherd near Wupatki National Monument, it transported him back in time and inspired this month's Canyon Commentary.

Commentator Scott Thybony is no stranger to grueling desert hikes. He's trudged up and down many canyons and mountains in the Southwest, including one that "wasn't really there". In his latest Canyon Commentary, Thybony explains his journey to Spirit Mountain in the Mojave Desert.

Writer Scott Thybony has come across many unusual and mysterious things on his treks in the remote regions of the Grand Canyon. In this month's commentary, his discovery of a name etched into a rock leads him to the story of a doomed, grim expedition in the Arctic more than 100 years ago.

Hull Cabin is the oldest remaining cabin in the Grand Canyon region of the Kaibab National Forest. It was built 125 years ago by brothers William and Philip Hull - early ranchers, prospectors and guiding entrepreneurs. It's near the remnants of another cabin which belonged to John Hance, the first resident of the South Rim. And as commentator Scott Thybony says, between the sublime views and the deep solitude, it's not hard to see why these early pioneers set up shop where they did.

When astronauts began preparing for the first moon walk in 1969, NASA created a special place for them to train in Flagstaff. The "Sea of Tranquility", near Sunset Crater, was similar to the lunar landscape - with meteorite impact craters, lava flows and canyons. In his latest Canyon Commentary, Scotty Thybony takes us on a moonlight trip to northern Arizona's Sea of Tranquility.