Don't get fooled by my happy face.
This was for sure one of the most challenging hikes of my life.
I have been hiking since, at least, 8 years old.
(I am a scout).
For more than 10 years I have completed really different kind of hikes, some of them specially hard
For example, we once did 50 km in 12 hours when I was 14.
So I was quite surprised when, looking for routes to do in the Grand Canyon, even routes of 15 km were marked as: "Very Difficult".
15 km. Does not sound like much right? How can be so difficult?
Well, then I discovered the secret of the Grand Canyon:
The route is about going as down as you want.
And as one of the signs in there marked:
"Going down is optional, going up is mandatory".
We went 4.5 miles down, and everything was fine. Still could not understand where the difficulty was.
But when we decided to turn back... 500 meters and I was losing my breath.
Heat was terrible to go up. I remember feeling that my legs would not make it or that I even wanted to puke.
Fortunately, there was a lot of water in the way and places to rest. Also, halfway, big clouds came to cover the sun.
Reaching up was a challenge, but the feeling of accomplishment was tremendous.
I guess that something anybody can get from this story is that challenge is part of life.
We can always try to avoid it in keep ourselves comfortable.
But then we would miss that feeling of coming over the difficult parts.
Because in the end, what we get, it is a picture smiling.
Have a nice weekend,
Andres
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P.S: Needless to say, Grand Canyon is damn beautiful! (The story is a little tragic though). If you ever have the chance, you need to go. And if you dare, go down 😉.
P.S.S: Any other hikers in my network with similar experiences? I would love to hear!
#fridaypost #storytime #hiking
Logistics & Supply Chain Management Director | Driving Interoperability and Digital Transformation for Mission Success | Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) | Non-Profit Coordinator
2moI should be able to make it to Richmond, depending on my schedule.