GRAND CANYON 2000
Thursday,
August 24th -
Tanya is in the most beautiful place on earth - in bed - (plastic ground
cover, blow up pad, sleeping bag on soft sandy warm beach) savoring a
second cup of rich coffee and heady scenery. This is the life. 
This
morning's treat is a short, very short, maybe 300 yards, wet hike to a
fresh waterfall. A very pleasant splash through a babbling clear water
stream to a pretty waterfall. Up until now all the water has been muddy
brown. Lots of the girls rush to wash their hair (in the river) so they
may get a 'clean rinse' under the waterfall. Tricia is especially looking
forward to clean, shiny hair. Not Tanya. That water may be clear, but
it is still only 50°! Still, pretty and nice to stand under - for about
30 seconds. We run rapids, Deubendorff (7-9), Tapeats (5-8), 134 Mile
(3-6) before lunch at the narrowest point of the canyon (76'). Back to
the big bouncy yellow rubber boats and on to Deer Creek. Mass confusion,
sorting out this afternoon's hiking options. Three different hikes led
by two guides each, three levels of difficulty (or challenge as Lava Larry
put it) and all ending up at the same place, the 'jacuzzi', supposedly
tropical setting waterfall. Tanya and Lorenzo will be following Robbie
on the modified 'up and over'. Up and over? OK, whatever. I'm doing this.
The
hike begins with Rob in the lead, a few people behind him, a gap of distance,
then Tanya and Lorenzo with another group. The hike is a bit steeper and
higher than anticipated. Focus. Slowly we progress up the sandy, then
rocky trail. Thinking we are near the top of the 'up', I spy Robbie way
ahead - and still climbing. Uh, ok, the trail is narrower than the Bright
Angel Trail (the only other hike I've ever done), but I keep going. Lorenzo,
used to hiking, picks up his pace and passes me. Now at the top, Tanya
turns a corner and is stunned. She stands on the edge of a cliff leading
into a narrow canyon. Thousands of layers of rock pressed flat on top
of one another create ledges, stepped up and down, jutting in and out
over what sounds like water WAY down below. Even more frightening is seeing
Robbie hundreds of yards further into the canyon - and still going. Tanya
is horrified. Tanya is afraid of heights. Tanya doesn't care what the
spiritual Native American books teach, she's going to fall. Get hold of
yourself. Put one foot in front of the other. Focus. I touch the rocks
on the cliffside for comfort telling myself that 15 inches is a plenty
wide enough trail to continue on, that this is not so high. RIGHT! It
is way too high, the path way too narrow and I want my mommy! Another
50 steps and Tanya stops dead. The 'trail' is maybe 8 inches of rock ledge
and is curved out to the point where you cannot see the rest of the path!
I am definitely going to cry now. How can I go forward, there is nothing
there! I stand facing the cliff, holding on with both hands, almost too
scared to breathe when I hear a calm, firm female voice, "Just look at
the cliff, don't look down, hold on with both hands, take 10 sideways
steps to the right, there is plenty of room". The strength of these words
propel me as if I were on autopilot. My feet move, my eyes do not. Another
10 steps The path returns to a more comfortable width and I am able to
face the voice that saved me, Peggy, also suffering from acrophobia. I
thank her sincerely, though my still trembling hands spoke louder. Peggy
confides that she was also about to have a breakdown, but I got there
first. We bond. The next day Peggy tells me she has never even been camping
before. Hmm, Tanya is not the only one jumping into the 'deep end of the
pool'. Tanya's next few steps are hesitant, but gain confidence as the
trail continues to widen and (thank goodnss) start to descend. Soon we
are at a little garden of eden tucked into Deer Creek. A small jewel of
a waterfall, surrounded by lush greenery, has created a pool of clear
water. To the right of the waterfall, another source of water pours down
a curved slope with such force it had to be named the jacuzzi! Soon the
others from the longer (and more difficult??) hikes arrive and everyone
takes a turn sitting under the natural water jets. Refreshing. Robbie
learns of Tanya's height trauma and makes a point of sticking close to
her for the return hike back along the same route offering physical as
well as psychological support. Robbie's support and encouragement make
the return hike hardly scary at all and Tanya is puffed with pride at
her accomplishment. Guess it all has to do with attitude.
Campsite tonight features a huge rock ledge running along the backside
of our beach, a natural canopy in case of rain. The day has been warm
and the rocks hold that heat. Good for drying river soaked clothing, too
hot to sleep under. Tanya and Lorenzo put their sleeping gear on a slightly
slopey spot. In the middle of the night, a grumpy Tanya and Lorenzo, tired
of slipping down the beach towards the river, pull their bedding closer
to the now cooler rock ledge.