Today was pretty much a do nothing day. I did have a favor to take care of for some friends and I wanted to take the shuttle back out to Hermits Rest just to look back down the Canyon and see what I could see of the route that I had just covered. I also had an extra can of Camping Gaz that I never used and wanted to take that back to Babbitt's and return it. There were also the compulsory gifts and souvenirs that I needed to pick up for friends and family. I headed over to Babbitt's first to take care of that stuff and then over to the Bright Angel Trailhead to catch the shuttle for Hermits Rest.

The favor that I needed to take care of consisted of my taking some pictures of something called the Peace Drum, a little project that some friends of mine are working on. I learned about this the week before heading out to the Canyon and thought that using the Canyon as a backdrop for some photos might be a good way to promote it. I had originally planned to take the drum with me on the hike but when I started to pack things up there was just no way to fit it in with all of the other gear and I did not want to damage it. I knew I could get some great photos from the rim so I was not that concerned. So today I would take the shuttle out along the Hermit Road, stop at a few of the overlooks, walk some of the rim trail, and see what I could do.

The Peace Drum is a fund raising project being done by the Cooperative Artists Institute in Boston, MA. The Cooperative Artists Institute is the only Think Tank created by artists that specializes in developing arts-based solutions to solve societal and institutional problems. The organization was founded in 1970 by African-American performing and visual artists who understood the power of the arts to help people create community. To learn more about the Cooperative Artists Institute or for information on ordering your own Peace Drum you may contact them through their own web site at www.tribal-rhythms.org.