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Back2Basics Outdoor Adventure Therapy at the Grand Canyon North Rim

There is no better Outdoor Adventure Therapy than at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This last camping trip we hiked and camped at was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The…

Colin Lillis
Colin Lillis Adventure Guide
November 1, 2010 · 3 min read
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There is no better Outdoor Adventure Therapy than at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

This last camping trip we hiked and camped at was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The vibe among the B2B Community and the environment at the North Rim is different from that at the South Rim. The North Rim is calmer and more peaceful. Not as many tourists and it seems to be that people are really there for the beauty of it all. Plus, the North Rim is very green and full of vegetation. Beautiful!

It seems like everyone at Back 2 Basics Sober Living is getting closer and more comfortable with each other and the outdoor adventure therapy helps to nurture this process.

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I have been in several drug and alcohol treatment centers now for almost 6 months with only females, so it seems like I had forgotten how to socialize with the rest of the world on a sober, interactive level. It is getting easier and more natural everyday to be a confident young woman in recovery.

When we were hiking at the North Rim we did this intense trail called North Kaibab. At one point we were all thinking about turning around. Liz, Meaghan and I decided to go on further to reach this beautiful bridge that was about another 1,000 feet down. When we reached the bridge, we had a nice lunch there. So we started the hike back up and made it a goal to get to this tunnel where we could get water and shade and relax for a little bit.

By the time we made it to the tunnel and we were talking and relaxing, just taking our time with the hike. At that point we saw a man with his shirt sitting in the shade. He was white as a ghost and incoherent. He had a wet rag on his head and had people around him that looked concerned for him. It was obvious he was suffering from heat exhaustion. So our Back 2 Basics Outdoor Director, Liz Tyler approached the group and asked if everything was okay. She gave them a suggestion on how to help him out, like telling him to take his shoes off and not to cool him too quickly because that might throw him into shock. The people that he was with did not know how to deal with the heat exhaustion at all. So Liz stepped up to the plate and volunteered to carry his huge pack up the canyon for him. I carried some of Liz’ stuff and so did Meaghan so that she could carry the pack. We made it up to the top slowly but surely. This man ended up making it out alive and well.

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The cool part about it all was that if we hadn’t gone to the bridge we would have never been there to help him. Plus I saw that Liz so willing and able to help and random stranger just because she cared. Liz Tyler is an amazing sober woman in recovery and definitely someone that I look up to here at Back 2 Basics Sober Living.

Journal from Back 2 Basics Sober Living Client

Colin Lillis
Adventure Guide

Colin Lillis is the Adventure Guide at Back2Basics Recovery, leading outdoor excursions including hiking, backpacking, and camping in the Flagstaff area. Through wilderness experiences, he helps clients build resilience and self-confidence.

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