I was walking out of Havasu Falls for the second time in 2009 and was utterly exhausted. The hike into the Supai Indian Reservation and ultimately the waterfalls is an alien landscape and I am sure the only differences between the landscape of Mars and Havasu is the temperature and the lack of Nitrogen/Oxygen atmosphere.
I felt pretty ridiculous as I was supposed to be the leader of a 13 person adventure experience. I was last. There was even another hiker on the trail who was clearly not conditioned and was wearing low-top non-hiking canvas shoes. He passed me along the 10 mile trail. I had spent months physically preparing for this adventure which would be my second time at this location. Candidly, I was disappointed. I understand that adventure is not necessarily a competition. It’s about the experience.
Walking up the switchbacks and rounding a corner, Leeman Leclair (cameraman) sat on an outcropping at about 150 yards out. His elevation was at about 60 degrees. He had a couple of hikers sitting with him and while he filmed me they made light of my lack of progress. “Come on Coach B!” “Run Forrest Run.” I found myself exhausted, mad, and laughing at the same time. When I got to the top, I asked Leeman why the hike was so difficult for me when it appeared to be so easy for him. We were good friends and he told me bluntly, “That’s what you expected to happen, you have been saying how hard this was going to be from the very beginning, you came looking for something and you found it.”
That's what I love about adventure travel. You always end up learning something about yourself--at the core of who you are--good or bad. My second trip to Havasu Falls taught me something that I apply to my everyday life: Your attitude about the situation is what can make or break it. So approach challenges with a positive attitude and you'll get the best out of them. DREAM BIG, TRAIN HARD, NEVER SETTLE
I felt pretty ridiculous as I was supposed to be the leader of a 13 person adventure experience. I was last. There was even another hiker on the trail who was clearly not conditioned and was wearing low-top non-hiking canvas shoes. He passed me along the 10 mile trail. I had spent months physically preparing for this adventure which would be my second time at this location. Candidly, I was disappointed. I understand that adventure is not necessarily a competition. It’s about the experience.
Walking up the switchbacks and rounding a corner, Leeman Leclair (cameraman) sat on an outcropping at about 150 yards out. His elevation was at about 60 degrees. He had a couple of hikers sitting with him and while he filmed me they made light of my lack of progress. “Come on Coach B!” “Run Forrest Run.” I found myself exhausted, mad, and laughing at the same time. When I got to the top, I asked Leeman why the hike was so difficult for me when it appeared to be so easy for him. We were good friends and he told me bluntly, “That’s what you expected to happen, you have been saying how hard this was going to be from the very beginning, you came looking for something and you found it.”
That's what I love about adventure travel. You always end up learning something about yourself--at the core of who you are--good or bad. My second trip to Havasu Falls taught me something that I apply to my everyday life: Your attitude about the situation is what can make or break it. So approach challenges with a positive attitude and you'll get the best out of them. DREAM BIG, TRAIN HARD, NEVER SETTLE
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