Grand Canyon Journal, Page 24

We went through the most active rapids the last day, which only makes me wonder what the rest of the Canyon holds beyond Phantom Ranch.  

At our last and final camp site, about 10:00 pm in the evening, I realized that I was starting to react to the bark scorpion bite I had received the evening before.  I spent most of the night sitting in the the cold river, cooling the rash, and hives  were breaking out all over my body.  As I swelled, like a typical female, I feared that in the morning my fellow artist's would think that I had been body- snatched and replaced by the Michelin Tire doughboy

But the as the sun rose, I grabbed my pack and braced myself for the climb out of the canyon.  6 miles and 3000 feet in elevation.  I had hiked all year to be sure that I could make it without injury.  So with my arms and legs swollen and as hard as two-by-fours, I headed for the rim.  I cannot say enough about my  fellow hikers as they stuck with me , slowed me down, encouraged me, and buoyed my spirits all the way to the top.

As any typical female can sympathize, I drank lots of water on my trek, and of course I retained it all!  I could not have quenched the thirst of a juniper tree if I had too!  

As I reached the top with Katrina, Fran, Tom Daly, and a news reporter from the Independent News, ( just my luck when I am looking my best), we were sprinkled and cooled by a light rain.  As we rounded the last bend, which I was sure I would never see, I was rewarded for my efforts by a display of double rainbows out over the Canyon trail I had just doggedly climbed.

What a way to ring in being 50 years old.