I’m behind on these again, partly because some of them aren’t speaking to me, and partly because I am too damned busy.
14: walk [LIVE]
Describe the path to a favorite place of yours to walk in 2012. What’s meaningful about the place or the journey?
We don’t take walks around here, um, ever. We should. The only walking/hiking of significance that I did this year was on our vacation, particularly in the Grand Canyon. Our crew had the days planned out so that we hit certain spots on certain days, letting us experience things like swimming the rapids on the Little Colorado River, or check out one of the many amazing waterfalls. I think the most meaningful hike for me, was on our last full day on the river: we hiked up one of the side canyons (Havasu Canyon), to spend several hours enjoying the gorgeous (warm) turquoise water: I just sat (fully clothed) in a pool sifting the pebbles on the river bed for an hour? two? Time lost it’s meaning.
The journey started with tying up the boats to a rocky ledge: no easy access via beach here. Staying on the boat was not really an option, and thankfully they hadn’t warned us too much about the hike before we started because I would have refused to do it if I’d known how hard it was going to be. It’s not that I am afraid of heights, so much, as that I think there are more than enough perfectly lovely things to do on the ground, that I have no need to climb and see what might be up above.
Also, I can be really clumsy, have terrible depth perception, and…OK, fine. I’m a little scared of heights.
I made it, though, with the help and encouragement of my family, our awesome crew, and any number of our new-found friends. The whole trip, and this hike in particular showed me that I can do anything, if I want it badly enough, even if it is really scary.
Also, sometimes it’s really awesome to sit in a warm pool of turquoise water, with all of your clothes, and play with pebbles and stones.
(The photo doesn’t do the water justice. It was much bluer.)