Hiking on the North Rim

It was a long drive that most people don't take. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is not really close to anything. Back in the winter I booked a cabin about 18 miles from the Canyon. A couple months ago we got a check in mail and a letter saying that last winter was so bad on the 8000 ft high North Rim plateau that all of the cabins were closed until August of 2019 so that repairs could be completed. We were refunded our money. So, I booked the next closest thing I could find. An AirBnB in the nearest town, Fredonia, 73 miles away.

National Forest and wilderness surround the North Side of the Grand Canyon, allowing for a huge diversity to animals including twenty two species of bats, big horned sheep, elk, bison, mountain lion, ringtail and javelina (a small, pig-like, mammal). The forests of the North Rim are just as diverse. On our hike we saw dozens of wildflowers throughout the hike that attracted hummingbirds, sometimes seeming to swarm our heads. The trees on the north facing slopes included Douglas Fir and the beautiful Quaking Aspen. These trees need more moisture and slightly cooler temperatures than the Ponderosa Pine and Junipers found on the rockier and hotter south facing hills.

I honestly have never hiked a more rewarding or beautiful hike. All five of us made it five miles through the woods to the Wildforss view of the Grand Canyon. Throughout the hike we were given views of the Transept, "an abysmal tributary of Bright Angel Creek." At Widforss point we all took 20 minutes alone to be with the canyon and attend to our thoughts on feelings. Lyle and I hung out together, but still did a pretty good job of praying and just resting in the presence of such amazing beauty.

Throughout the hike the temperature hovered around 60 to 65 degrees, quite refreshing after experiencing 107 degrees in Las Vegas just a few days ago. It rained a little, but mostly the weather was perfect. Our family's view of the Grand Canyon came only after a five miile hike through the forest with glimpses of the side canyon. I'd planned it like this so that we would all appreciate it that much more. On the hike we also saw one of the park's largest living trees, a 300 - 500 year old Ponderosa Pine.