The first thing that strikes you is the size.Its really big. I mean MASSIVE. Bigger than Big Brother. Bigger than Carol Voderman’s pay cheque. Bigger than Vanessa Feltz’ Buttocks. After that the sheer beauty of what you are beholding will leave you breathless. The Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is truly awesome. A product of 2 billion years of erosion through the Arizona landscape by the Colorado River, it is a gift from Mother Nature unsurpassed in magnitude and beauty.

Visitors have a number of options available to view the canyon. Depending upon your budget you can entertain yourself by taking a stress-free stroll around the rim, ride a mule a couple of miles into the canyon or go for a bird’s eye view in a helicopter. The only real way to appreciate the magnificence of the canyon is to hike down it yourself.My gilfriend and I opted for the latter option and decided to reach a point called Angel’s landing.

Angel’s landing is a 6.5 mile descent into the canyon, about halfway down the full trail, and it provides a great view of both where you’ve just come from and where you could go if you’re superhuman. The Colorado River, looking like nothing more than a piece of thread from the Canyon’s rim, is far more impressive from this point.

If you do find yourself in this part of the world and decide to take up the hiking challenge then please be prepared and be aware of the following:

1)It’s hot! The heat at the rim can be 30c+ and it gets hotter as you descend further into the Canyon (it reached 50c at Angel’s Landing when we were there) so make sure you take at least 4 litres of water and plenty of salty food to replenish fluids and nutrients lost through sweat.

2)Depending on your fitness level you need to allow 12 hours to hike to Angel’s Landing.The important thing to remember is that you’re hiking DOWN on the journey into the canyon usually in the morning when teh temperature is deceptively cool. You are then faced with a 6.5 mile fairly steep hike back to the Canyon’s Rim in almost unbearable temperatures. Know your limits people!!

I’ve now been to more than 20 states in the USA and I’ve still never encountered anything quite as magical as the Grand Canyon. And guess what?? It’s still growing!!!!

The first thing that strikes you is the size.Its really big. I mean MASSIVE. Bigger than Big Brother. Bigger than Carol Voderman’s pay cheque. Bigger than Vanessa Feltz’ Buttocks. After that the sheer beauty of what you are beholding will leave you breathless. The Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is truly awesome. A product of 2 billion years of erosion through the Arizona landscape by the Colorado River, it is a gift from Mother Nature unsurpassed in magnitude and beauty.

Visitors have a number of options available to view the canyon. Depending upon your budget you can entertain yourself by taking a stress-free stroll around the rim, ride a mule a couple of miles into the canyon or go for a bird’s eye view in a helicopter. The only real way to appreciate the magnificence of the canyon is to hike down it yourself.My gilfriend and I opted for the latter option and decided to reach a point called Angel’s landing.

Angel’s landing is a 6.5 mile descent into the canyon, about halfway down the full trail, and it provides a great view of both where you’ve just come from and where you could go if you’re superhuman. The Colorado River, looking like nothing more than a piece of thread from the Canyon’s rim, is far more impressive from this point.

If you do find yourself in this part of the world and decide to take up the hiking challenge then please be prepared and be aware of the following:

1)It’s hot! The heat at the rim can be 30c+ and it gets hotter as you descend further into the Canyon (it reached 50c at Angel’s Landing when we were there) so make sure you take at least 4 litres of water and plenty of salty food to replenish fluids and nutrients lost through sweat.

2)Depending on your fitness level you need to allow 12 hours to hike to Angel’s Landing.The important thing to remember is that you’re hiking DOWN on the journey into the canyon usually in the morning when teh temperature is deceptively cool. You are then faced with a 6.5 mile fairly steep hike back to the Canyon’s Rim in almost unbearable temperatures. Know your limits people!!

I’ve now been to more than 20 states in the USA and I’ve still never encountered anything quite as magical as the Grand Canyon. And guess what?? It’s still growing!!!!