From 4000 feet to 7000 feet elevation in half an hour.
That is what happens when you go from Willcox, Arizona to Echo Canyon Trail on top of the mountain at Chiricahua National Monument.
From full of energy, happy outlook, beautiful day, eager to stretch my legs, ready to take on the world on an interconnected triple trail hike…….
To struggling to maintain an upright position, relentless sun beating down in a cloudless sky, tripping over the rockiest trail, willing myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other for just one more quarter mile uphill climb, while I cursed myself for not bringing more water……
And then, just like that, it was all over, forgotten, vanished like a wisp of smoke making its way up to the heavens……. my steps were light again, the air was fresh and sweet, little miracles of Nature bounced across my path…..again, and again and many more agains….
Coatimundis (Coati, for short) trooping down a hillside…..it is a most exhilarating feeling to experience something in Nature for the very first time.
A day to remember….
Cheers, annie
