Rim to Rim

“I can’t go on. Just leave me here,” panted Branson. His legs felt as though they were no longer part of his body. He sat on the ground and stretched out his body.

“We can’t leave you here,” said Wendy. “Besides, we could all use a break right now.”

The group of youngsters all found a spot to rest on the side of the mountain. The group had begun planning their journey many months before. Branson, Wendy, Chris, and Megan had all discussed the exciting possibility of hiking from rim to rim of the Grand Canyon. They had convinced Megan’s dad to accompany them as their adult chaperone. Mr. Carter had hiked this very hike previously, and they were hoping to tap into his experience.

The group had taken many practice hikes to prepare themselves both physically and mentally. On the morning of the trip, Branson had awakened feeling sick. It was hard to tell whether it was fear or the flu. His body was not up to its typical strength, and he was suffering.

Wendy sat down by Branson and said, “Didn’t we want to do this hike because we knew it would be hard? If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

“Yeah,” said Chris. “Besides, aren’t we getting close to the halfway mark?”

“Okay, okay,” said Branson. “I’m ready to go again.”

The group rose to their feet, and Mr. Carter led the way. “Drink lots of water,” he called out. Branson smiled and took a sip.