advances for that night. Because apparently we were meeting at the canyon rim at six in the morning. Which meant I had to be up at four and out of my house before five.
The drive to the canyon was peaceful at that time, though. Nobody was on the road. I sipped my coffee from my travel mug and tried not to think about the huge feat awaiting me.
I felt a little guilty about going on the hike. Today was December 22, and I wouldn’t be back until tomorrow night. These two days leading up to Christmas were usually pretty busy at the mall. Sandy and two other volunteers were handling the gift-wrapping today and tomorrow. If I was there we could open another table in another store. Even though we had already raised more money this season than I ever could have hoped for, there was always the nagging feeling that I could be doing more.
“I deserve some time for myself,” I said out loud. I couldn’t remember the last time I took a day off around the holidays. This wasn’t a typical day off since I was attempting one of the most difficult things I would ever do, but it was still a mental break from the day-to-day.
The park entrance was unmanned but the gates were open. I drove past the visitor’s center and followed signs to the Bright Angel Trailhead. I parked my truck and stepped outside. The air felt even colder than when I had left the house an hour ago. I wanted to hop back in my warm truck.
“Ready to do this?” Harper asked. He and the other two guys were walking towards me from their parked truck.
“She’s ready,” Logan said.
“I think so.”
Riley clapped me on the shoulder. “That’s barely enough confidence! You got everything?”
I checked my backpack one last time for my supplies. Water, trail mix, a zip-lock bag of toiletries, some disinfectant wipes, a change of clothes, and two extra pairs of socks. Then I hefted it onto my shoulders and clipped the straps together in front of my chest.
“Let’s do it.”
We had to walk another couple hundred feet to the trailhead. There was a big sign showing the trail route on a map. Next to it was a color-coded chart showing the danger levels of hiking down to each area. The Colorado River was coded in red, with a label that said, “DEATH ZONE.”
“Oh, just ignore that,” Harper said. “That’s mostly for the summer months, when it’s hottest.”
“That’s also for tourists who intend to climb back up,” Riley added.
I raised an eyebrow. “We’re not climbing back up?”
“I mean, yeah, we are,” Riley grinned. “But not in one trip.”
“You look cold.” Harper walked up and started rubbing my arms up and down, creating warmth from the friction. “How’s that?”
“Mmm, just keep doing that,” I said. “Another hour of this and I’ll be ready to start.”
I looked around at the darkness. The canyon was pitch black beneath us. The only way to distinguish it from the night sky was the line on the horizon where the stars abruptly ended.
“I feel dumb for saying this, but I didn’t realize we would be starting in the dark.”
“Got you a headlamp.” Logan shoved something in my hands. “Wrap it around your forehead. It’ll light the way.”
I did as I was told and turned the headlamp on. A cone of light appeared in front of me. Somehow that made me feel even more afraid. It reminded me of the tiny piece of ground that I could see.
Riley must have sensed that I was having second thoughts, because he wrapped me in a big hug. “You’ve got this. All you have to do is follow me.”
“I thought I’m leading,” Logan said.
“We decided Riley’s going to lead the way,” Harper said.
Logan snorted. “Because he’s slower, right? Makes sense.”
“I’m slower because I’m carrying a huge pack of supplies!”
“I’ve got thirty pounds on my back, too.” Logan gestured. “Lead the way.”
“Wait,” I said. “None of you are using your hiking poles?”
“They’re not as useful for going downhill. Stuff them in your pack and save them for tomorrow.”
There was a flurry of beeps as the guys turned on their GPS watches. I felt like an amateur for not having one. Riley walked forward onto the trail, and I quickly followed because it was the only way to keep his legs in the view of my headlamp.
The Bright Angel Trail was about four feet wide, cut into the side of the canyon wall. The first