There was no time to consider an answer in the thick of things; walking on sand requires approximately two times more energy than does walking on a hard surface, which is to say it felt like I was lugging ten pound weights on each ankle during my uphill trek.
Just when I thought the mechanics of locomotion and one shifty mountain of a molehill might just get the best of me, we crested the ridge.
This is IT, I mused as the majesty and grace of this natural wonder beckoned.