How often do you do something that frightens you? I’m not talking about finding yourself somewhat hesitant to complete a task because you’re a tad uneasy. No, I’m talking about a much more intense fear, one that includes genuine risk to body coupled with mental health threatening uncomfortably close canyon walls.
Yeah. Like that.
Well, yesterday was my day! As I sit sipping a frozen margarita and reflecting back on the day, I did so with a sense of genuine and joyous accomplishment. Monday, I did a couple of things that truly scared me. I pushed myself far from my comfort zone and, with conscious breathing, support from my travel bud and three very handsome WPGA caddies from Europe, was able to propel myself up and down a trail which felt, at times, very uncomfortable to me.
Yeah, me!
Our morning began early with an attempt to catch the elusive sunrise from the shore of the Salton Sea. After much driving, we glimpsed the sun cresting the mountains from a parking lot as we paused for coffee and churros. Not quite as spectacular as hoped, but we had little to complain about. It was vacation.
After much redirecting and miles of jaw dropping scenery, we made our way to Mecca and the parking lot for the Ladder Canyon Painted Canyon Trail. The “road” up is 5 miles of dirt driving that surprisingly was no challenge for our Chevy Spark. It was the parking lot with its excess of gravel and sand that nearly tripped us up, so be aware of that potential hazard if you should visit.
The hike was everything I want in a hike – breathtaking, almost otherworldly views, a little scrambling, and a pace that was comfortable. I was surprised by the depth and softness of the sandy terrain. At times it felt like hiking on a beach and my legs definitely got a workout that exceeded the miles we covered.
But, the ladders…
To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from “the ladders” having limited hiking experience. The first one came up quickly and surprised me. It was a basic aluminum ladder leaning against the rocks and to continue on the trail I needed to climb up it. No problem.
Up, I would learn, is much easier than down. This was a small ladder and it wasn’t difficult. This ladder didn’t scare me. But, there were others still to come…and the trip back down again, of course. Plenty of time for genuine fear to take hold of my body even more firmly than I would hold on to the next ladder’s rungs.
I learned there were four ladders on the trail and the one pictured below nearly broke me. This hazard was scary on the way up. One of the bottom rungs was missing making for a doozy of a step, but the really nerve racking part came at the top where the ladder and trail didn’t quite meet necessitating a reach and pull on the way up. On the way down, though? Well, that’s where things got really interesting.
As we made our way back down, I was feeling a little punchy. I had finished my 1.5 liters of water and was feeling hungry with thoughts of an In-N-Out burger for lunch propelling me on the trail. When I encountered this ladder for the second time, though, I froze harder than a November puddle in Nunavut Territory. I just couldn’t do it.
I started scouting around to see my options. No obvious alternate trails were available. I considered climbing back out on the trail to try to find a different way down, but three young men came up behind us and there really was only one available path – down that damn ladder.
My fearless friend descended first and kindly held the ladder in place eliminating one of my fears. One of the Spanish guys offered to bring my camera down removing an obstacle that caused me to hesitate about rolling onto my stomach to stretch my legs down to the top rung. Now, there was just my anxiety about relying upon my upper body strength as I stepped down to the ladder blindly…
The encouragement and literal hand holding I received from three strangers, along with my friend, propelled me into motion. I found a couple of solid handholds (not including the one lent by the guy from Barcelona) and rolled and shimmied my way from legs hanging in the air to landing on the ladder. I swallowed my fear and let go.
Next stop: lunch.
