Canyon Crazy (Day 3)
It’s Wednesday,
Halfway through.
The longest day lies ahead,
with twenty-two kilometres to cover.
The snoring monster was quiet,
and no sound came from him during the night.
I was so grateful for that.
Everything is running smoothly.
I had coffee, oats, and an adrenaline shot.
I feel good,
So, we start the day.
The sun is still behind the mountain,
it’s cool and refreshing,
but not for long.
The sun starts burning bright
as sand, rocks, boulders, and heat surround us.
As we walk through the mountains,
hot streams cross our path,
and then it’s cold again.
What an enjoyable experience.
It’s a long, long day
as we walk through the desert life.
Just as thirty years ago when
I was going through the same canyon,
heart rocks keep popping up.
Back then, it was a strange new thing to me,
but at this stage, I am used to it.
I picked up a “few” heart rocks and
took pictures of the ones I couldn’t pick up.
We keep moving forward.
We come across a water pool,
and everyone is busy refreshing themselves.
I see one couple making their way
to the shadow of a rock, I follow them.
We start sharing stories,
the rest of the group catches up.
Then we started walking again.
I say to the couple,
“I can’t speak to you now.
I need the energy to move forward.”
We walk on sinking sand again,
It’s an energy-draining walk.
It’s hot, and my energy drops.
So, I say to myself,
“Just one step at a time.
Take your time.”
I keep moving forward.
That’s all that matters.
Eventually, we reach a beautiful place
with rocks and boulders to climb over.
You feel like you can’t get over the rocks,
but somehow, you just keep going,
and then you reach the beautiful green ice water.
I go and sit down on a cold rock,
drop my backpack,
take some breaths,
and try to find my feet.
They’re burning like hell,
I wonder if I can take another step.
Then I hear someone calls my name:
“Bring your bottles,
we must fill them up.”
I feel discouraged,
but I get up again
I make my way down to the water.
Everyone takes off their shoes,
So, I do the same.
The water is so cold
it burns my toes,
but it’s so refreshing.
I look up at the mountain next to us,
there, in the rock, is a heart.
I look over, and I see a cross.
It gives me new energy to go on.
We go over the big boulders
and eventually reach our camp.
But there is no water.
I can’t take another step.
I take a breath.
Must we go on for another five kilometres?
Oh wait, someone read the post.
There is water five hundred meters away.
Oh, what a relief.
We put up our camp,
purify some water,
make some food,
and soon after,
get into bed.
Oh, how wonderful it is
to lie down again.
CPTSD Crash 