Why do they issue such challenges?

So there I was, 7,000 feet above sea level, trying to decide whether I really wanted to see the cliff dwellings. The atmospheric pressure at that altitude is 23% lower than that at sea level, adversely affecting cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic systems. My cardiologist had expressed concern that my “reserve” is diminished and declined to “sanction” the trip. I’m confident that he would have chained me to a tree rather than allow me to embark on a sightseeing excursion that involved a climb out of a canyon equivalent to a 15-story building.

I was vacillating on the decision . . . until I saw the sign:


CAUTION

Visiting the cliff dwellings will involve …..
strenuous hiking and climbing.

If you have any health problems
do not attempt.





The proverbial gauntlet had been thrown at my feet, and I certainly was not going to allow the National Park Service to dictate what I can or cannot do. And I’m not even sure that a golfball-sized tumor in my heart, multiple metastases in my lungs, and numerous other tumors scattered through my body actually qualify as “health problems”. They're shrinking, right? So off I went.

I was traveling with a friend and colleague who is aware of my “situation”. At the outset of the journey he dutifully (and frequently) inquired as to how I was feeling. Each time my reply was the same: “Fine”. Finally, after the third time he asked the question, I said: “John, no matter how often you ask or what I say, the first indication you’re going to get that I’m not feeling well is that I’ll be flat on my face”. He nodded in acknowledgment and that’s the last time we had that meaningless exchange.

The cliff dwellings were fascinating and the trip back out of the canyon was uneventful. I stopped to catch my breath halfway up but so did most everyone else.

And just to prove a point, the next day we took a coal-fired, steam-powered train to an elevation of 9,400 feet. “If you have any health problems” my ass.