Holy Mule Ride, Batman!

Holy mule ride, batman!

Though we tried to have a positive outlook to the next day's mule ride 5,000 feet up a canyon with endless cliff drop offs and harrowing switch backs, our thoughts and dreams were of falling off our mules.

The morning bell brought a pancake and egg breakfast with our mule riding mates. We mounted knowing it would be another 6 hours of heart throbbing and rushing adrenaline, but hoped it would be easier than the day before because at least we didn't have to lean back and press our feet forward? Right?

Alas, the Kaibab trail was not as friendly as the Bright Angel. The trails were more narrow, steeper and filled with uneven cobblestone for our miles to slip and stumble on, which they did. I passed the first hours in petrified silence as we rode paths with nothing between us and the Colorado river hundreds of feet below. 

At our first break there seemed to be a break in the terror. Look at the picture to see the flatness of the top of the inner gorge.

Unfortunately, this lasted but a few moments until wooden stairs and even steeper up hills came our way. I couldn't control my heart rate or irrational fears and for about an hour all I wanted to say was "can I get off a hike up?" But I was literally too scared to speak, I was too busy gripping the saddle for dear life.

Finally, courage came and I spoke my words and off that mule I went. Mark too. There were only 2.5 miles to the top of the canyon and we both  felt enormous relief to not be riding on the mule on this treacherous trail at its highest point.

Though it was the mule walk of shame, I felt no shame. Now we can say we muled and hiked! The hike was definitely difficult as it was completely up hill, but it was easier to avoid looking over the ledge. Mark felt that he wasn't even afraid of the heights after he left the mule. I never having a fear of heights, will probably forever have one now. I could not look down the entire hike up.

We used the rest of our day to decompress and it did take the rest of the day. Lunch on the rim, grocery shopping for our next two weeks of camping, setting up our new beauty of a tent and campfire time.

I keep noticing that people make themselves do crazy things on vacations and in some ways hope that we will never do something this crazy ever again. I guess we can say we are proud to have made it down to the bottom and 3/4ths the way up to truly embrace this spectacular and miraculous work of God.