Conquering Fear

Yesterday was one grand adventure. David, Matt, and myself went to the Kannarra falls last summer and have been wanting to go back for a while. It took us a week to get there once we decided, but it was worth it.

Eric Armijo and Katie Lee joined us on this adventure. I was excited to have both of them along, especially Eric. He kind of went away from us so I didn't get to talk to him very much. Last week I took him home from a fireside and I realized how much I missed him.

We embarked on this journey very early in the morning. Okay, eleven isn't that early. David, Matt, and Eric drove to my house where Katie and I were waiting for them. You know it's going to be a good day when you face lights up when the rest of the crew comes along.

So we hopped in the van and Eric pressed the gas and got us to our destination. Now, just for the record, it wasn't that easy. There is another trail that has some falls and we wanted to try it. As we were looking for the road to get there, we passed it. Then we turned around and thought we spotted it. Eric decided to drive in reverse to that spot. That brought lots of laughs. The path was not the right one. We did find the right one not long after that.

No one had been on this new trail. That itself was an adventure. To our disappointment, there was not much water. Then again, we didn't go very far, but we wanted water, right then and right there. So we turned around and went to the place we normally go to.

My legs were already not wanting to move. I have been walking just about every morning since summer break started, but this was a lot more than just a walk in the morning on a flat surface. But of course I ignored it and kept walking.

The first part of the familiar hike is getting to the beginning of the trail. They put a gate up so cars can't go through anymore. You climb up a beastly hill that makes you want to turn back and stay in the car. But it is totally worth it. The view at the top of the hill is amazing. You then go up and down a series of hills, splash in some water, and get to the place where the trail really starts. You have already gone a long ways.

After that, you can try to stay on land or walk all in water. We usually do a combination of both options. You get your shoes soaked and then go out of the water to warm up a little bit, just to get wet again.

Eventually you get into the slot canyon, as seen below.

It is much cooler in temperature and in awesomeness once you reach this point. It is beautiful. The pictures really don't do it much justice.

Then you reach this area. Yes, on the left is a ladder that you climb up to get to the rest of the beauty. It used to be worse than this. I was a little nervous and shaky. I got up the first few with ease, listening to David, Eric, and Matt encouraging me. Matt and Eric were at the top to help me up and David was at the bottom to catch me if I fell. When I reached the top rung thing, it was wobbly and I froze. My guts were trying to find the will to keep going. David came up behind me, just to be there. Once my brain figured out how to do it, it was easy. Matt pulled me up and stayed close for support.

After walking through more water and climbing up more rocks, you reach this site. On the left is basically a natural waterslide. The right also has a waterslide, but it is more dangerous. We all went down the dangerous one. What were we thinking? Really?

Once we were relaxed a bit, we kept going on the trail. There is a second ladder, but it is a lot worse. The whole thing is a waterfall, unlike the other where the water and the ladder are separate. This one has a ladder with three steps, then you grab a rope and find footholds in this skinny log next to you. It was hard. The water was really strong, beating on my thighs, making really hard to move. David and Eric were at the top coaching, while Matt was at the bottom catching. Eric stepped in a place that made the water separate so it wasn't beating on my weak thighs. I finally got my right leg to a more stable spot. This made it so David and Eric could pull me up the rest of the way.

So then we kept going more. We were all getting a little hungry, so Eric--being the daredevil he is-- found an opening in the cliff that we could climb up and eat food. When it was my turn to get up, I had to use my leg muscles again. Anyone who is around me for a long time knows that my legs shake just when I am sitting down. It is natural. You get your foot in a certain spot and it shakes. This happened then, but it was more weird. You could see the muscles in my calf pop in and out. It was freakish.

Now that everyone was filled up, it was time to press forward. Matt carried me. Then I decided that I couldn't go any further and that it would be stupid to keep going. We turned around and went the same way we came. Down the water beating ladder. Yes, it took time to get down. David stayed at the top and told me what to do. I only listened to him at that point. We reached the natural slides and warmed up.

Then it was back to the first ladder, and this was the view.

Amazing, right?

The rest of the hike went smoothly. Now you may be wondering about the title to this post, Conquering Fear. The ladders are horrible, especially the second one. It takes a lot for me to do it. Is the fear conquered? Maybe. We'll see when I go again in the near future.

Just a special thanks to everyone who helped me during the hike. Katie, for being my best friend and helping my leg find the second ladder. Eric, for pulling me up when I was down and letting me know you again. Matt, for carrying me and making me laugh so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants. And David, for being patient, pushing and pulling me, and being the one to help me see what I can really accomplish.