This is a photo appropriate for the day before a Delta flight to Italy. A look at one of the natural wonders of the United States. Centered in the photo taken on the south rim is a small green patch at the bottom of the canyon. Orndorff thinks this green patch is where he and three others from his Westerville Class of 1960 hiked to, Phantom Ranch, which became a life altering event.
This graduation trip was the first automobile trip orndorff ever took without parents or other family in tow. Recently graduated George Mu., George Mi., and Gary Jackson (like many others, now gone but well-remembered) accompanied Richard in his father’s early ‘50’s green, brush-painted, steel-topped Willy’s (Jeep) Wagon. [Image near conclusion from Google]
The first morning atop Bright Angel Trail the boys had a good breakfast and started down the trail casually dressed in shorts and T-shirts or something similar, and tennis shoes. They walked down to the plateau above the Colorado River where the mules took the tourists. The signs warned to take the trail no further down towards the river, but these boys choose to ignore the sign as their primary goal was to reach Phantom Ranch.
Richard collapsed with heat exhaustion and lack of water on the trail. George Mi. lead the others down to the Colorado where they got water in a canteen and took it back to orndorff. Eventually the three trained him down to the river where he more or less revived. They started out for the top at Bright Angel Lodge before dusk, took turns watching for rattlesnakes, and otherwise slept on the dusty laden four foot ledge (the mules were not presently taking) about a hundred feet up from the river.
In the morning they continued crawling and walking slowly back to the plateau where the mules and their adventurous customers stopped for a picnic before heading back up the trail. About three or so they met people who generously gave up a small part of their lunch to the four grubby and worn appearing boys who had reached their misbegotten goal with not much preparation other than purpose.
After eleven that night the four had climbed the trail and again were rescued by those in the lodge who saw that they had hot showers and a healthy bite to eat before they headed to their camp to retire for the night before they headed on to points west in the morning.
Physically, I never fully recovered from the heat stroke, as I believe I mentioned in an earlier blog. It was the first ‘on our own’ adventure of my life. A wake up call to my world. We drove on to see the Pacific Ocean, a first for me. Who would have ever thought. Before conjuring up that trip in the spring of our senior year I would have bet my life I would have seen the Atlantic Ocean first. That was the real lesson of the trip.
Living in the world is not necessarily heading into the territory of the reasonable and the expected. Many turns of my life have come about out of complete surprise. I have tried to learn from each of those events. I am sure this sort of thing happens to everyone. Rarely, I think, does anyone find herorhimself leading the life sheorhe thought sheorhe was going to lead in high school.
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