Hesitation or the Road Not Taken

I am an introvert. That doesn't mean that I don't talk or talk in front of people. In fact, I love it.
But it does mean for one thing that I don't rush into things. I tend to analyze, prepare more, and ponder things before I say yes or no. I want to give a careful response- to look before I leap.

It doesn't mean that leaping in impulsively is bad, or that others don't plan. It just means that I am wired to take time before responding and some may get frustrated - but I am okay with that and I thus feel more comfortable with my choices. I see that as a strength.

But it can be stretched too far and like other strengths stretched too far become a weakness.
It ceases to be contemplation and becomes hesitation and even indecisiveness and ultimately
a lost opportunity.

One example I call '" the road not taken" (with thoughts of Robert Frost). Some of you may
have heard my speech "The Road Goes Ever on and on" about my Grand Canyon hike down
the Bright Angel trail from Rim to River and back up to the Rim in one day -in July years ago.
It was an arduous journey - about 18 miles, 4500 feet of elevation difference each way and donesolo. It is not recommended to do it in a day, but I have reasons I needed to do it that way
and I was in great shape and well prepared. I had done many shorter hikes in the years before.
It was the most exhausted and yet the most exhilarated adventure I have ever done. I have neverregretted it.

What you don't know about is the hike I didn't take in the Grand Canyon. I was looking
down from the rim at another trail - the Tonto trail, which stretches across the Tonto Plateau,
connecting the Bright Angel and the Kaibab trails. It was a way to experience a steep downhill
section of the hot, dry, shadeless Kaibab, traverse the flat Tonto Plateau, and come back up the
gentler, watered, sometimes shady Bright Angel to the Rim. And it offered a refreshing visit at the oasis of Indian Gardens, with a potential trip out to Panorama Point with its view ofColorado far below. It only involved half of the rim to river elevation gain going back up.

It should have been fine and a no-brainer hike decision. But two things gave me pause.
One , there was the matter of having 2 trailheads to manage transport to and from, with a
a fair distance between, instead of going down and coming back up to the same spot.
And then as I gazed down on the very visible Tonto trail I began to worry "there aren't many
people crossing it" as opposed to the Bright Angel and Kaibab. I worried about getting
lost (long before cell phones) and I hesitated and ultimately did not make that hike. And I
regretted it ever since.  A little thing like not having the same trailhead and too much thought
sabotaged my plans.

It's not to say that preparation is not important, nor is weighing the risks and benefits of actions
not valid - because many people have suffered and died from hasty unprepared hikes - nature
can be very unforgiving. But if over-analysis can become paralysis and you can miss the
adventure of a lifetime.

And did I mention that the "road not taken" hike came after my Rim-river-Rim one day hike?
I had already had success, but hesitation can strike at any time. Please don't let it stop you from
success.