A few months ago, I thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be fun to do an easy canyon to celebrate my birthday and invite all my friends who have never done a canyon?" At first, everyone seemed enthusiastic.
And then people started dropping out.
And then the weather called for cold and rain. Me, Kristin, and Jason eagerly monitored the weather, crossing our fingers for good flow in the canyons.
And more people dropped out.
And so, the morning of, only one new friend remained: Amanda. Out of all my friends, she is NOT someone I'd expect to enjoy canyoneering. Let's be honest, canyoneers have a bit of a masochistic streak. I've seen someone wearing a shirt that says, "My dream vacation is your worst nightmare." That about sums it up. And I am fairly certain that Amanda does not have this sickness inside her.
Nevertheless, she showed up. And she didn't waver, even when plans changed from El Cap to Shake Tree to Parker. Even when we got out of the car and it was 45 degrees and raining.
Even *I* was a little nervous about Parker because I didn't know what to expect. I was worried the waterfalls would be too scary for Amanda (and maybe me, too). And then Jason said "waterslides," and I popped a Xanax.
But this canyon was practically perfect in every way. My favorite things about this canyon/day:
• The slides were at the beginning so I didn't have time to worry that much. The first one is ten feet, the second one is twenty. Kristin had to push me off the first one, but when I surfaced after the second one, I was screaming "F- yeah!"
• Watching Amanda on the 50 foot rappel. She was grinning from ear to ear on the way down. And when I mentioned that to her, she had no idea she was even doing it. It was just pure joy.
• Seeing the canyon in the clouds and rain. Looking at Jason's pictures from other trips, I think we got to see it at its best. The rain made all the colors in the rhyolite more vivid. There was water dripping everywhere down the sides of the canyon. And of course, the flow through the canyon was pretty great, too. It was so beautiful, I actually dreamed about it that night.
• Jason calling us "The Two Little Erins" and calling Amanda "Erin 2.0."
• Kristin slipping and sliding and falling. On several occasions. Sometimes it's nice to see your super athletic friend look a little less than graceful. (Of course, this was entirely because of her new shoes, and really wasn't funny at the time because she fell in a pool before her wetsuit was on.)
• Amanda's attitude throughout the whole experience. I told her that I think canyons reveal people's true colors, and Amanda asked what it revealed about her. It really showed how optimistic she is. Even in moments of unpleasantness, she was smiling and chatty and looking on the bright side and saying things to encourage all of us. From doing canyons with Kristin and Jason, I know I trust them with my life. After this day with Amanda, I know that if everything goes to hell in a hand basket, she's the one I'd want to be around.
• Wearing my Birthday Bitch hat, and running into another group of canyoneers on the last rappel who wished me a happy birthday.
• Kristin bringing me cupcakes and Diet Coke.
• Amanda making everyone go around and say their favorite thing about me. Here are the responses:
Kristin: "Your positive attitude. Our long distance relationship. The way you make plans and follow through."
Amanda: "The time I had food poisoning and you brought me saltines and Sprite from the store AND from McDonald's so it would be cold."
Jason: "We are SO different... And yet I always have so much fun hanging out with you."
I love these three friends so much. What a perfect way to start 32... It's going to be a great year!
And then people started dropping out.
And then the weather called for cold and rain. Me, Kristin, and Jason eagerly monitored the weather, crossing our fingers for good flow in the canyons.
And more people dropped out.
And so, the morning of, only one new friend remained: Amanda. Out of all my friends, she is NOT someone I'd expect to enjoy canyoneering. Let's be honest, canyoneers have a bit of a masochistic streak. I've seen someone wearing a shirt that says, "My dream vacation is your worst nightmare." That about sums it up. And I am fairly certain that Amanda does not have this sickness inside her.
Nevertheless, she showed up. And she didn't waver, even when plans changed from El Cap to Shake Tree to Parker. Even when we got out of the car and it was 45 degrees and raining.
Even *I* was a little nervous about Parker because I didn't know what to expect. I was worried the waterfalls would be too scary for Amanda (and maybe me, too). And then Jason said "waterslides," and I popped a Xanax.
But this canyon was practically perfect in every way. My favorite things about this canyon/day:
• The slides were at the beginning so I didn't have time to worry that much. The first one is ten feet, the second one is twenty. Kristin had to push me off the first one, but when I surfaced after the second one, I was screaming "F- yeah!"
• Watching Amanda on the 50 foot rappel. She was grinning from ear to ear on the way down. And when I mentioned that to her, she had no idea she was even doing it. It was just pure joy.
• Seeing the canyon in the clouds and rain. Looking at Jason's pictures from other trips, I think we got to see it at its best. The rain made all the colors in the rhyolite more vivid. There was water dripping everywhere down the sides of the canyon. And of course, the flow through the canyon was pretty great, too. It was so beautiful, I actually dreamed about it that night.
• Jason calling us "The Two Little Erins" and calling Amanda "Erin 2.0."
• Kristin slipping and sliding and falling. On several occasions. Sometimes it's nice to see your super athletic friend look a little less than graceful. (Of course, this was entirely because of her new shoes, and really wasn't funny at the time because she fell in a pool before her wetsuit was on.)
• Amanda's attitude throughout the whole experience. I told her that I think canyons reveal people's true colors, and Amanda asked what it revealed about her. It really showed how optimistic she is. Even in moments of unpleasantness, she was smiling and chatty and looking on the bright side and saying things to encourage all of us. From doing canyons with Kristin and Jason, I know I trust them with my life. After this day with Amanda, I know that if everything goes to hell in a hand basket, she's the one I'd want to be around.
• Wearing my Birthday Bitch hat, and running into another group of canyoneers on the last rappel who wished me a happy birthday.
• Kristin bringing me cupcakes and Diet Coke.
• Amanda making everyone go around and say their favorite thing about me. Here are the responses:
Kristin: "Your positive attitude. Our long distance relationship. The way you make plans and follow through."
Amanda: "The time I had food poisoning and you brought me saltines and Sprite from the store AND from McDonald's so it would be cold."
Jason: "We are SO different... And yet I always have so much fun hanging out with you."
I love these three friends so much. What a perfect way to start 32... It's going to be a great year!
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