How many traffic lights had to coordinate, how many sales people had to schedule to be switched, how many buyers had to estimate the needs for a local Tucson store, how many store clerks that have hiked the grand canyon had to be working......all this on the day I was just going to the store after a day of lectures at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.
My story starts with the 2 year fellowship I finished on the week of 12/12/12. This was with the AZCIM (famed postgraduate school started by international author Andrew Weil) I was accepted to the 2011 class. Before starting, mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I tried to continue studies but had to withdraw. I was convinced to just postpone starting and join the following years' class. (miracle 1) I just happen to fit in nicely with the group of healers, residents, nurses and physicians from the 2012 class. I also gave my mother one of the last moments of a parent being proud of a child's accomplishments....I feel this helped her pass into heaven. Jump forward 2 years, I finished my didactic studies and flew to Tucson for graduation week. I had planned to graduate on Friday and drive straight to the Grand Canyon to see the Colorado River. Before flying out, weather was clear and not to cold so I packed hiking/camping equipment for hot days (water storage and shade) and cold nights (thermals and sleeping bag/tent). Only took one rain gear as an outer shell and left everything else at home in Chicago The City of Cold Windy Snowy Hikes. As I camped out at Catalina State Park, I was using a Jetboil outdoor canister gas heater and was running low on fuel. Decided to take a trip to REI but just as I turned the corner to the building, remembered my credit voucher wasn't good till next day so aborted and made a U turn (miracle 2). Cutting through a parking lot to head home, I saw this small strip mall and a tiny store that caught my eye (miracle 3). Went in for peek and started talking to one of the sales guys....as I was leaving, he mentioned to another associate I was hiking the Canyon. Guy said, "theres a snow storm coming" (miracle 4). I mentioned when I last checked the Weather Channel, there were clear sky and no moisture. He brought it up on store internet and to my bewilderment, 3-5 inches of snow to arrive the night I arrive and the day I hike down. Not only did I pack inappropriate gear, I had no snow shoes, no crampons (snow spikes) and non waterproof boots. After confirming the arrival of the first snow for the Canyon this month/season, I called around for crampons as I figured these were most important and useful tool if I ran into danger on he incline going back up. Out of all the stores in Tucson, one store had one pair left in my size (miracle 5).
Graduated from AZCIM, headed out to the Bright Angel Lodge. Yes... ran into the snow storm but was able to unload and bed down before the chill and ice set in. The next morning, 4 inches of snow and low cumulus clouds obscured any chance of me seeing trail or vista. Was able to wrap my boots in Target Store plastic bags to prevent soaking my socks and used my walking sticks and headlamp to find my way down for the first 2 hours. It was painfully slow but as the day progressed, snow stopped and softened. Had a great time in the base of the canyon. Hiking back up toward evening started to freeze all the wet snow. The slippery footing and 10 hours of aching calves made for a very slow climb and with 2 hours of hiking left, I was wondering how am I going to get back up with no rangers around to help, phone drained, and temperature dropping fast with what felt like a Lake Michigan fridgid wind blast. BLAM!!!! I broke out the crampons and like getting a new lease on life, every step was now locked in, and legs didn't have to "work" to maintain balance since spikes pierced the top layer of snow, the middle ice sheet and the bottom mud pie. It was like I had magnetic shoes and was walking up a steel wall. If not for the last set of crampons, from the last store in Tucson, warned by a passing salesman, at a small store I had no intention of buying from, and a hiker that just happened to be listening to the local weather forecast, and my last minute memory about store credit that didnt kick in until the next day....I would have had a dangerous hike out of an icy Canyon that has taken lives.
My trip was already planned to happen the way it happened long before I bought my plane ticket.
