The Canyon

(Late-posting a brief memoir of the Grand Canyon hike from Aug 2013)

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone"

The quote on refrigerator magnet I got from Grand Canyon stares at me. I had always liked this quote by Neale Donald Walsch. My recent Labor day weekend vacation made me live it.

Looking back, I would not blame all the well-intentioned people who forbade us against hiking down and up the Grand Canyon in one day. It is not child's play and no, it is certainly NOT recommended. It is one of those things which have that ominous tagline: "Acts are performed by professionals. Do not try this at home".

But then, what would life be without the quintessential sense of adventure..!

For how else could we have seen the 360 degree view of the canyon bathed in sunrise colors that put photo filters to shame..

How else could we have listened to the childishly delightful echoes of our voices, bouncing off the ancient, silent walls..

How else could we have witnessed hot coexist with cold if it wasn't for the sun burning down at 90 degrees, with our feet in the freezing water of the Colorado river..

How else could we have discovered that potato bread with cheese slices and mayo could taste better than a seven course meal..

How else could we have realized the importance of a "dot" and the amount of hope it can give when it turns 3 miles into .3 miles..

How else could we have discovered that they have a jail (yes, a jail!) in the middle of the Grand Canyon, but no trash cans..

How else could we have been in awe for insects 10 times smaller than us, especially when those insects are large spiders and fire ants bustling around on the ground which we sought to sit on during breaks..

How else could we have known what countless means, as those many stars brightly twinkled down on us from a dressed-to-dazzle night sky.. I swear I could see the Milky Way that night as we hiked up the inner canyon in pitch dark.

How else could we have experienced the true essence of camaraderie as we unknowingly transitioned from nice-to-meet-you to i-know-you-can-do-it in just 30 hours..

At the end of it all, we weren't exactly dancing with joy. In fact we were barely able to walk, having gone down 5000ft and then come back up, 16.3 miles in 15 hours. And all I know is that we would not have had it any other way.

Whether it was driving through dense fog from Phoenix to the Canyon, or through three lightening-rich thunderstorms on the way to Page. The aerial fight sequences and deep dives on the shore of Lake Powell overshadowed the momentary disappointment of not being able to visit Antelope canyon. The past-midnight bites from McDonalds were as sumptuous as the delicious Pizza at the Wahweap Grill. The adrenaline pumping through our veins as we rushed to catch our flights as the gates were closing was so overpowering that it would have challenged a 12 year old scotch.

I am thinking that the next time I find myself snuggling in too deep in that "comfort" zone, I am going to call up this gang of guys and have them pull me out for another uber-ambitious expedition. BRING IT ON!!