This is the kind of guy my husband is.
Today I had the bright idea to scale the side of a crystal mountain at peak temp time to dig for crystals. The hike, at many points, feels completely vertical and the path is made up of steep, rocky terrain. It’s exactly 100 degrees outside today and there is a 105-110 heat advisory for the majority of Arkansas.
I know. I’m a dumbass.
I am hauling our water backpack and he’s hauling our digging tools and bucket. We can only go about 20 yards each pass before the need to stop is evident. At stopping we’d use cooling towels, ice and water to try to keep us cool and would sit on rocks to settle our heart rates down. We made it halfway up the mile path before we decided to stop to dig.
Before stopping we had passed a lady who had to stop on the side of the path just below us. She was alone with her tools and was also digging. She couldn’t go any further.
After about 20 minutes of digging and sweating we think we want to try to make it the rest of the way up the mountain. We get back on the trail and start the trek. The mountain’s peak is where the big, clear crystals are.
I get super dizzy and real nauseas about 50 more yards in so we abort mission. We stay in a shaded area until I feel like I can go back down. The trip down is not easy with a 30lb backpack on because again, it’s such a steep mountain side.
Josh is really concerned about me. Never mind his own sweat, bright red face and stumbling. He refuses to let me hold the water backpack anymore. At this point he’s now probably holding about 60lbs of gear.
On the way back down we repeat the stop and hydrate process. On one of the stops we notice the lady we passed earlier in obvious heat distress. She’s trying to carry her gear and buckets of crystals she’s mined. She is really struggling with the downhill descent. We briefly talk to her, she says she’s going to sit for a bit until she can go again and that’s she’s fine. We carry on.
My husband finishes the rest of the hike to our car, puts ice water on me, turns the AC on, makes sure I’m ok and then says “I’m going back up for that lady.” Never mind the fact he is really struggling himself. I told him to sit in the air and cool off first before going but he didn’t listen.
About 20 minutes later here he comes with the lady’s bucket of crystals and digging tools while she trails behind with a cooling towel.
There’s a lot of bullshit nice people out there; the people that do things for the accolades, the pats on the back, the praise, the reward and the show.
Then there’s Josh - the guy who wouldn’t have slept a wink all night worrying about whether or not she made it off that mountain ok if he hadn’t went back and helped.
Actually, scratch that. He would have never left that woman on that mountain without going back to help. His big ol heart wouldn’t have let him.
No comments :
Post a Comment