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Grand Canyon – North Rim Tranquillity

© Katie Anne Gustafsson

If you want extreme sports in a marvellous location, look no further than the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. From white water rafting down the Colorado River, to rock climbing, from a cinema giving informational tours to an awe-inspiring flight through the canyon, this is the place to come.

However if you prefer your holidays a little more sedate and want to take in the vast beauty of the Grand Canyon in more tranquil surroundings, make your reservations for the North Rim instead. Here you wont find the usual trappings of a tourist attraction, instead you will find a peaceful solitude that's protected with more care than Fort Knox.

Imagine, if you will, sitting on a doorstep, mug of coffee in one hand, and watching the sun rise over the top of a cliff. It's an awesome sight that can make even the most chaotic of minds take a step back in wonder for a moment. Now imagine that the doorstep belongs to a cabin, and the "cliff" is actually the Grand Canyon, and you are imagining one of the most magnificent natural sights in the world.

Now I'm not a morning person, not by any stretch of the imagination, but one of the most precious memories I have is doing exactly that. Even a few years later, when I think back to the time I spent at the Grand Canyon, the feeling of inner peace that came over me as the sun started its ascent into the sky, still returns to me. Words can't do justice to the colours and feeling of calmness that occurs when the sky becomes light, and the rock formations start to take on a red-orange hue. For those few seconds, it's easy to forget all the annoyances in your life as you bask in the beauty of nature at her best. There are no cars to shatter the silence, the peace is only punctuated by the morning call of birds as they shake their feathers and wander hopefully amongst the cabins looking for easy pickings. Deer too will come right up to the cabins, secure that they are protected in this particular environment.

For those who like planned activites, the Ranger service offers a selection of various tours from May to September, which vary from walking tours to lectures, and even hands on experience in helping to maintain the ecology in the North Rim. You can find a copy of the schedule for 2003 at http://www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/trip... Mule trips of either an hour or a day (including lunch) can be booked at the Grand Canyon Lodge. The North Rim is very keen on protecting the wildlife and so all activities are strictly monitored and numbers limited. Whatever you plan to do with your time, if you are going into the Canyon, make sure you take bottled water with you.

North Rim, Grand Canyon.

North Rim, Grand Canyon.

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