by Linda Aksomitis

Lookout Point in Yellowstone's Grand Canyon.

The ledge was wide enough for two of us to walk side-by-side-to my right the lodgepole pines rose majestically out of what seemed to be solid rock. On the left, with a sheer drop of a thousand feet, lay the bottom of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon. I wondered, for the tenth time at least, what I, a hiker with a definite fear of heights, was doing on the trail!

Hiking the South Rim Trail took me past some of the most breathtaking views in the World's first National Park-Yellowstone, which was established in 1872. From Lookout Point I watched the 310 feet of the cascading Lower Falls from across the canyon. I took a deep breath and edged out further with my camera. An old log lay in front of me, like an anchor on the mountain, so I leaned into it, ready to snap my picture.

My bravery only went so far. When the log quivered under my touch I leapt back onto the path, finding safety in the trail that had seemed far too narrow a few minutes earlier. My companion, who'd done a lot of rock climbing in California, grinned, leaned out from the ledge and snapped a picture for me. I turned my attentions to a squirrel chattering at me in a nearby tree, while I waited for my heart to slow down.

I kept my eyes focused on the top of the opposite canyon wall for a while. It was almost flat, with a large growth of trees-the ice age that plowed through the area ripping up solid chunks of rock to create the canyon must have been a truly magnificent period. Around me the rock was almost in tiers, so I let my gaze follow them, dropping again to the bottom.

This time my stomach stayed where it belonged instead of catapulting into my throat like it had with my first glances. I said to Linda, my partner, "This was the focus of last night's Imax movie about Yellowstone, wasn't it?"

She nodded, and leaned out a little further. "It's awesome, isn't it?"

Indeed, the camera had flown us through the bottom of the canyon, looking up instead of down, then swooped like a bird to the heights. The dizzying effects were no more dazzling than actually standing where I was on the lookout. There was no denying that Yellowstone's Grand Canyon was incredible.

(CONTINUE...)