It’s no secret that the first 500 miles of the desert were not my happy place. But with only 50 miles to go, I’m finally starting to appreciate some of the desert’s merits.
#6 The desert is getting hot
There’s nothing I hate more than packing up my tent in the rain. So when it started to rain and didn’t stop for three days – IN THE DESERT – I felt like someone was punishing me.
When the rain passed and it finally started to get warm, I was relieved. Come on! I thought. I smiled every time I saw those pink cactus flowers. I bowed before the Joshua trees. And I covered miles like the tough guy I am, even when my trekking pole broke. This is what I had prepared for.
«What time is too early to wake up?» I asked Roei.
«Just wake me up when you wake up.»
«So… five in the morning?»
«No, 6.»
And then at the end of the day, after sweating and getting lost in the sun, he would change his answer. “Maybe at 5:45… Maybe… Well, maybe just wake me up when you wake up.”
It was too hot to waste time. Too hot to take breaks. I would simply walk until I reached the water source and then nap with the other hikers in the little shade we had until the end of the afternoon: eating my ramen, doing my stretches, and drinking water like it was my job. Then we would walk until nightfall.
Gone are the days when I would wake up shaking at night. I slept naked!
#5 No norovirus for me!
It started with a whisper Two hikers sick from contaminated water, dizzy for days and with stomach pain. A few days later, rumors surfaced that a trail angel rescued two hikers up ahead with «food poisoning.» A day later, I sat with a friend outside Walmart and he said, «Don’t get too close. I think I got food poisoning a few days ago.»
I ran away as fast as I could and yelled, «It’s not food poisoning, buddy! It’s Noro!!!»
The section I was walking through was the perfect place for a norovirus outbreak. Noro is an incredibly contagious disease and there are surfaces that all hikers touch: doors and water faucets. I had no interest in being humiliated by that virus on the road a second time.
He was spreading the gospel as much as he could. Wash my hands, use the fabric of my hoodie to avoid high-risk surfaces. When I arrived at the Spigot of Doom, I copied Roei’s strategy of using a stick to touch it for me, still washing my hands before and after filling the water.
When I made it to Walker Pass without shitting my pants, I felt like a winner.
#4 Returning to My Roots
How can a good girl become stupid? I’m sure the camping trips I took with my family as a kid had something to do with it. I have so many memories of roasting marshmallows, hunting frogs, and venturing through the pines of the Idaho wilderness. While trapgrass and sagebrush remind me of home, ponderosa pines remind me of those early days, where the forest was a place to play, where I was always close to wonder.
#3 Roei takes a bath
Time flies when you’re enduring new hell every day, but walking with Roei for over 400 miles was a reminder that walking is supposed to be fun. I don’t think I need to say anything else. In this case a picture is worth a thousand words.
#2 I see a bear cub!
I was stopped under the shade of a tree for a carefully rationed drink of water when, to my utter delight, a brown bear cub the size of a Labrador crossed in front of me on the path. I stayed in complete silence, on the verge of tears from her pretty little face. He trotted down the path and then entered the bushes.
It’s the kind of thing that does everything.
#1 World Class Trail Angels
I want to pause here and acknowledge that without a dedicated team of trail angels working to refill the water reservoirs, this stretch would have been much more difficult. I got a glimpse of their world when, by chance, I was taken to a Walmart to help a trail angel refill the cache after Cajon Pass. We caused quite a commotion when we cleaned out every available gallon of water they had, methodically filling four carts and then tossing the gallon bottles into the back of their truck.
I hadn’t really appreciated the miracle of a reliable cache until I struggled to push a cart full of water through the crowded aisles of Walmart, but it wasn’t hard to recognize the miracle of Julie and Nay’s place.
It was the day before my 29th birthday and I was debating about doing my first 30-mile day. It was a wasteland, windmills echoed in the valley. I was getting close to 24 miles and the excuses started coming. You said you would prioritize people over logistics. It is not good to force the body so much. It will be dark when you reach camp; people will try to sleep. In the end, I came to an agreement with myself: I would stop to do trail magic and nothing more.
I reached the bridge and there was no angel in sight. Looks like I’m turning 30! I thought, until I caught a glimpse of a business card stapled to a post.
«2 beds. Camping shade. Cold drinks. Real food. Showers. Laundry. Wifi. Grab-and-go pantry. Stocked hiker box.»
All I had to do was text Julie to be picked up right there. Like magic.
I ran to where Smokey and Roei were resting just ahead.
«Did you call?! Did you text Julie?» I squealed.
“We don’t want to pay,” the boys drawled.
“It says free of charge!” I responded.
The boys were in, but it felt too good to be true. It was already late. It was probably full. Surely the hikers who came before us had called the number. But I had to try.
Just 30 minutes later, a car pulled up. «Dance?» Nay shouted from the ravine.
We got in the car, but not before an assortment of frozen drinks were passed around. I had a Gatorade, Smokey had a beer, and Roei had a Dr. Pepper.
The moment we pulled into the driveway, I knew something was happening. There was a strange clay sculpture, the deformed face of a clown, hidden in the ivy in front of the house. When we walked in, we were all amazed.
It was the most incredible house I had ever seen. An artist’s house, each wall painted in a different style from floor to ceiling. All furniture was reused. Every item, from a matchbox to the ping pong table, was chosen or made to be functional and beautiful. Nay and Julie were proud to show us around and took extra time to highlight the rare fish in their tank, the tranquil garden, and their collection of handmade bongs.
Roei took the first shower while Julie and I chatted about our favorite concerts, Julie prepared homemade chicken and waffles for our dinner, with fruit salad on the side, garnished with mint.
Listen, I know for those of you at home, this sounds like a cool house or whatever, but what’s the problem? I really can’t emphasize it enough: Julie and Nay rescued us. From hell. And they took us to their paradise.
The next morning, while we were enjoying an amazing batch of biscuits and gravy with fresh eggs, the boys wished me a happy birthday.
And then Roei asked, “Umm… What is sauce?”
