Don’t Panic, Get Moving
Several years ago I visited the Grand Canyon with some friends. We were having a great time until we weren’t. At some point our friend Skylar noted that he was ready to turn back, but the other three of us wanted to go on a little further - “we’ll be right back,” we said.
We booked it down to the midway point of the canyon to a place where we could look down and see the river at the bottom. It was high noon and hot like an oven - the exact time the park recommends against hiking. We enjoyed the view for a few moments then decided we better head back, but before we got to the trail a park ranger stopped us and asked us how much water we were carrying. We all shrugged, “Maybe a couple liters each.”
The ranger said that he didn’t think we had enough water to make it back up the trail safely since there were no water stations on this trail at all. He also noted that someone had died on this trial just several days before. He wanted to send us 5 miles through the middle of the canyon to connect with another trail that had water stations all the way back up. I looked into the heart of the canyon where he wanted us to go and went weak in the knees. There was nothing out there. It was like he was sending us on a mission across Mars. I started to panic. My other friends were confident that we would make it back to Skylar just fine, but my anxiety got fixated on the need for water. So, I requested that we make the trek through the canyon and connect to the other trail to be safe. They begrudgingly agreed.
I was freaked out to say the least. Both of my other friends had experience with endurance sports and they had earned some confidence in knowing how to bear down and push through hard situations. I, on the other hand, was a bit soft. My nervous system went bananas. As I kept pushing into the unknown, hoping that this random park ranger wasn’t sending us to our deaths, I felt like I would pass out at any moment. It was baking hot and we were totally exposed, with few opportunities for cover. On top of that, we had no cell service, so the longer we delayed, the longer Skylar was waiting on the side of the canyon, having no idea what happened to us.
It all kind of sucked.
The good news is that we all survived.
I was so exhausted as we climbed the last mile out of the canyon that I could only walk a few hundred feet, collapse on a rock, and then weep uncontrollably - over and over and over again. My buddy Sean was a trooper and stayed by my side while our other friend Drew did his best to push forward and reconnect with Skylar. Many people were just beginning their own casual descent into the canyon, wearing flip-flops, and carrying small Nalgene bottles. They cast uneasy glances my way. I must have been a sight to see. Covered with dirt, tears streaming down my face, my body language telling a story to each passerby - Don’t go into that canyon! There is death in that canyon, I tell you, DEATH!
I could see several groups exchange hesitant looks with each other as if saying, Are we sure we’re on the right trail? I didn’t sign up for whatever happened to that guy.
The next morning Drew and I grabbed coffee and processed the whole event. I admitted that I felt afraid, weak and ashamed of how I responded. He confessed that he felt like a bad friend for pressing on ahead, leaving me and Sean behind while he tried to connect with Skylar. It was actually an incredibly sweet moment that deepened our friendship. Drew told a story about how when he was a kid his family would go on adventures into the wilderness. One time when he was fairly young, he was caught out in the middle of a lake during a storm with his family while canoeing (or maybe kayaking). As the storm picked up he started to feel nervous, and one of his parents said something to the effect of, “We can panic or we can push through and be out of this mess as soon as possible, just keep paddling.”
Drew learned a valuable lesson, which helped him cope in the canyon better than I did. It’s a lesson I have now learned myself - It’s OK to feel afraid, but when you’re in a tough situation you just have to get moving. You will eventually get through.
Here’s to growing our ability to respond to adversity.
Happy to be in your corner,
Tom Page, LCPC
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