Y'know, I have spent many days hiking where I barely talk. Maybe a dozen monosyllable hi's and hey's. In some remote areas like Arizona's Superstition wilderness, I might not even see another hiker. So it was a first for me to have four conversations today.
Hiking up above the 1.5 mile rest stop, I saw a 50ish guy sitting on a rock by the trail. He looked okay, just very beat. Shortly afterward I caught up to a woman, who asked if I had passed a man. When I said yes, she asked if he was still sitting on a rock. Then she said that she might as well continue hiking, as she was tired of waiting for her husband. This was his second rest in a fairly short stretch, and she was mad that he hadn't prepared better for this trip. Especially since she was the one recovering from a torn meniscus. "Continuing by myself wouldn't be bad, right?"
Since she asked, I said that I would never leave another hiker behind. I also asked if they lived at high altitude, and when she said no, I said that the canyon's 7000' elevation affects everyone differently. Some are fine, while others are out of breath and dizzy. By this time the husband had nearly caught up, so perhaps I saved this marriage.
Last conversation was with another volunteer ranger. He lives in Maryland, where for 29 years he worked as an EMT. Now he volunteers for a park in Maryland, and this is his second time volunteering at the Grand Canyon. Unlike the other trail rangers he rides (flies?) in the ambulance. At the 3 mile rest stop he talked with a dozen hikers, most of whom spoke little English. When he was done I told him how much I appreciate the volunteers, especially when the parks are so short staffed. He said yeah, that's why I'm doing ambulance duty.
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