Gahhh! I'm so sorry, everyone! Shame on me for making you wait so long!
I really do appreciate your questions, and I hope you continue to ask them. It's just hard to answer them (and remember that they're even there) when I have a jillion things to worry about and my mind is everywhere but here.
Sorry again for my forgetfulness.
How was your hike on the Bright Angel trail? Was it easier, harder, or exactly as you expected it to be 
?
I guess it wasn't nearly as tough as I'd expected it would be, but I actually think that all three of those options could apply to some extent. Before we actually visited the Grand Canyon, I had imagined that hiking there would involve much steeper and rockier trails than the Bright Angel Trail turned out to be. Shortly before our actual hike, however, I read in a pamphlet that the Bright Angel Trail was the easiest trail for hiking, so as a result I wasn't too surprised that it turned out to be so smooth (both the hike and the trail itself
). What did come as a surprise to me was how much time it took us to hike a measly one mile down the trail (though my constant stopping to take pictures was probably a big reason for that
). We knew that we weren't going to make it all the way down to the canyon floor in one day (that's not recommended for visitors anyway), but we had originally hoped to hike three miles; when it became evident that we weren't going to make it that far before sundown, we cut back our goal to two miles, then one-and-a-half miles, and in the end, we didn't even make that. Returning to "easier than expected" territory, my siblings and I were all surprised that we took the same amount of time (if not less) to hike back up to the rim as we took going down (Again, this was probably because I was taking fewer pictures on the way back). We enjoyed the trip in any event, and maybe another time we'll get to hike further.
Was it blazing hot when you went hiking?>
Well, we made a point of starting our hike a little later in the dayóaround 2 or 3 PMóso that the sun wouldn't be at full strength for most of the trip, and conditions would only become cooler as we progressed. Still, it was pretty warm out (though not the kind of sweltering heat that would allow you to make omelets outside without the aid of a fire), and we had used up just about all our water in the numerous bottles we were carrying with us by the time we got back.
What debt do you think Siak owes Aizon, so much as to make her feel obligated to take care of a bunch of total strangers for him?
Hmm…One possibility that came to mind is that Aizon was the one who "introduced" Siak to the Jungle Runners (more likely, he recommended that she seek them out and advised her on how to befriend them, considering the runners' attitude toward wingtails) after her mate was killed; I'm guessing she was probably seeking out a new home at that point. Maybe Aizon himself gave Siak sanctuary for a short amount of time before directing her to the Abyssal Jungle.
