18 - Why did I do this?

In 2013, I went on a family vacation. As we usually always do, we visited national parks in the Midwestern United States (like Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and Texas, mainly). While driving through Arizona, heading North toward the Grand Canyon, we noticed a lot of signs talking about  major highway closure along Highway 89. We never saw the scene in person, but this is what showed up on the news.

Yeah... out plans to visit the South end of the Grand Canyon pretty much crumbled from there. We didn't give up though! We decided that for the first time in our lives, we would go to the North end of the Grand canyon.

What an experience that turned out to be. The North rim of the Grand Canyon is so high in elevation (8300 ft versus 7000 ft) compared to the South, and it is far less visited by the public! The place is covered in quaking aspens, and is just as beautiful, if not more so, than the south end. One day while there, we as a family decided we should hike a good ways down the canyon. My mom and sister went a little ways down together, and my brother and I went a long ways down. I don't know the elevation details, but I do know I was not in shape. 

Unlike hiking up a mountain where it's pretty safe because once you turn around because it's all downhill, hiking down a canyon is just the opposite. As it turned out, we hiked down for about 1 and a half hours, which was fine, then hiked up for about 4 and a half hours, which was one of the worst physical experiences of my life. Thankfully, my brother and I brought a lot of water bottles and fruit granola bars, I probably would have needed a rescue team otherwise. 

So after hiking down for an hour and a half, we reached a nice spot with a river and picnic tables and a disgusting bathroom full of hundreds of flies. I found a rock down there with the name "Ben" scribbled into it, so I took a picture with that. What a funny coincidence.

But at the bottom, I began to feel tired. I knew I was in trouble, because looking up, it was hard to even see the height from which we began. A long and tough journey awaited me. I honestly think that I must have had divine help to make it. At several parts going up, there were shear drop offs without guard rails, and for some reason I looked down over one of them. Of my, I clung to the opposite wall from then on. I was crazy dizzy and could have fallen without expectation. I hit a wall as far as my energy went. The fruit granola bars were good, but what I really needed was fat and meat, not more carbs. My body was depleted of energy. For whatever reason though, I decided I did not want to take it slow and walk up, so I literally would run and collapse at the top of each switchback going up. 

To make matters worse, I somehow thought that I could claim some sort of pride from making it up, so I refused to let my brother take my backpack full of water bottles when he offered. Honestly, I must have been going insane. Well eventually, we reached our van, and I collapsed into the shotgun seat up front, and could not move. My muscles were torn as much as they physically could have been from that work out, leaving me with little to no strength. But I made it. Somehow. I've retold this story several times, emphasizing different parts for different people. It was an adventure, one which I don't want to repeat. If I do anything like that again, I'll definitely be bringing better food, like beef jerky or something. I love beef jerky.