The past Saturday I went hiking to Iron Mountain at 4am.
Was the last one among 17 hikers
could not keep up with the group because I was feeling really tired (had nothing to do with being up so early)
so I was hiking by myself in the dark and then I got lost on a dead end trail (no cell phone, no GPS, could not see any headlight from my fellow hikers)
At first I panicked so I turned back immediately
However, in the twilight it was hard to spot the return trail so I got further lost
and got tangled among the thick and thorny bramble and yucca plants
Had to calm myself down, took a break, before back tracking again
Finally I found the trail and tried to get back to the parking lot
Guess what, I could not spot the turning point
I just kept on going until I reached a make-shift heli-pad
It was close to 10am and I had to take a break to eat and drink
That was when I heard people talking from a distance
Can't describe how relieved I felt at that moment!
It was 3 guys in the group that just came back down from the summit
I yelled and got a response that they were coming my way
Thank goodness I went with them back to the trail head otherwise I would have never found the way down....
So I did not summit, covered about 5 miles out of the 7 miles from trail head to the summit (a 10-mile day vs. a 14-mile day)
But I was safe
Summit will be there for me to reach next time
This Saturday I will be doing the 7th toughest day hike in the USA according to Backpacker's Magazine: Grand Canyon's Rim to Rim (south to north, 5000' drop to Colorado River and then 6000' climbing back up)
It'd be a 24-mile dayhike
I am taking this week off from doing any hiking so that I can conserve my legs (not conversing my legs was the reason why I was dead tired hiking Iron Mountain)
There's no backing out; once I start, I have to haul my own arse back up to the North Rim
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