While rafting The Colorado River through The Grand Canyon, many evening rainfalls caused some side canyon tributaries to flash flood over night and then return to their normal course and flow by the next day. While I remained safe during these times, not all life does.

When I floated by a nearby side canyon I saw washed up dead on the sandy beach one of the biggest curled Big-Horn rams I've ever seen. No predation occurred here and no major physical damage existed from what I could see from my vantage point. Additionally while many Big-Horn Sheep die from falling off of cliffs, there were none that would allow this animal to directly fall into the water for miles in each direction. My best conclusion is that this ram was caught up in the nearby side canyon flood that most likely occurred the previous night.

As I pondered this tragedy in the normal course of life down here, I wondered if he was alone when the canyon flashed. Then just a mere 100 yards down-river, I saw what I can only believe was the rest of his herd -- still alive! A handful of eves and lambs, and one half-curl ram made up this surviving group, and while this ram pictured here would most certainly loose out in the rut for mating rites with the eves in a normal situation, the demise of the herd's largest ram most certainly now gives this younger ram new opportunity.