This doesn't even look like me, but it is- that is what camping can do to you!
Your great adventure
Of all the trips you've been on, what was your Great American Adventure? Where did you go? What did you do?
I lived in Southern California about 15 years ago. It was a 3 day weekend in November so my then husband and I decided to go to the Grand Canyon. Camping....
The drive itself wasn't too terrible. We had a Jeep Wrangler at the time and it was packed with our equipment. A Jeep is a fun car to have, but not the best for long car rides. It makes for a very loud and bumpy ride.
It's perfectly warm in Arizona in November during the day. But when the sun goes down, it's a totally different story. I was totally unprepared for the cold. The sun goes down early in November and once that happened we were forced to hang out in the Park Lodge. I can't stand to be cold. It was a long night trying to sleep and stay warm...
The next morning we were ready to hit the trail. Going down into the canyon was great. The day was gorgeous. I'm afraid of heights so it was slightly frightening to sit on the edge of a cliff to see the river. You don't hike all the way down to the river in one day. We didn't want to carry our gear down so we knew we'd only go half way.
I'm shedding one of the 50 layers of clothes I had on that day.
I was in good physical shape. I still am... and I was 15 years younger then. But the hike back up was pure hell. I couldn't believe how much harder going up was than coming down. I don't know how I managed to overlook that truth! I was hoping that I would fall down and break my ankle so I could be airlifted out. That's how bad it was. Somehow I made it all the way back. My legs were on fire and I was exhausted. Don't forget, we were camping. No cozy restaurant for me to kick back and be served. It was an adventure, but nothing I care to repeat...
