Lungs of a Sparrow, Heart of a Lion

In 2001 I visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona with my friend Steve from Ireland. The Grand Canyon is one of those places you've heard so much about and seen so many pictures of beforehand, you can't help but wonder if it can possibly live up to expectations. The amazing thing is, it does. It's just so incredible.

We wanted to go as far down into the canyon as we could. I had heard of people riding mules down and was interested in trying that. It turns out, however, that it costs $500 (per person) to ride a mule to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Steve said at that price we might as well buy our own mules. So we decided to walk. It was February, so there was still a bit of snow at the top, but as we hiked down the temperature rose enough to take off our coats. The canyon is two miles deep. We hiked about halfway down, where there is large plateau, and stopped for our picnic lunch.

We saw deer which let us get so close we could have touched them. We also saw a coyote at very close range. He stood completely still and stared at us for over a minute. It was thrilling, and also just slightly frightening. We figured that perhaps since the canyon has been protected for so long, the animals there have never experienced hunters, so they don't have a fear of humans as predators.

At this level, unlike at the top, you can look down and see the Colorado River, the force of which has carved out the canyon over so many millenia.

We were having such a good time on the plateau, we didn't really consider the time. By the time we started the climb back up, it was already mid-afternoon. Let me just say, climbing up was very hard! The path was quite steep and rough. Going down had been pleasantly challenging, but getting up was murder. We began to worry we wouldn't make it up before dark. This was actually quite a frightening thought, because the path was pretty narrow and still had snow and ice on it at the upper levels. If you slipped, well, there was only one place to go really...So naturally, we tried to push ourselves up as hard as we could.

I say "we," but really I was the one having the most trouble. Steve was doing alright, but I could hardly catch my breath (as you can see)! I have mild asthma, nothing that bothers me much normally, but my poor little lungs weren't up to this. I kept having to stop and breathe, then make myself get up and try again. I really wasn't sure at times I would make it. I thought I might pass out or something. But I just made myself keep moving. Steve was very encouraging.

In the end, we made it to the top just as the sun was disappearing over the opposite edge of the canyon. A triumph of will-power for sure! "You have the lungs of a sparrow, but the heart of lion," said Steve.

1/19/08 Blog Topic for P1 Reading and Writing:
Tell us about a memorable trip you have taken, or a time when you managed to do something difficult which you didn't think you'd be able to do.
Note: Let's just make Tuesday the regular due date for your blog posts, since I don't seem to be able to get mine up before Saturday!