Dear desert: – The walk

Thank you.

Thank you, Sol, for keeping me warm on the cold mornings and for not hospitalizing me on the hottest days. Thank you for the occasional cloudy days and for hiding behind them when you had the chance. Thanks for not drying up all the water sources. Lastly, thanks for the crazy tan lines from trekking poles. That’s the most ridiculous proof that I’m a hiker.

Thanks to the flora. I expected the desert to be shades of tan and brown, desolate. Instead, I found all the colors of the rainbow scattered across the landscape. Now, you still can’t beat the East Coast, but the flowers here brought majestic shades of purple, red, pink, yellow and white that helped brighten the time I spent here.

Thanks to the fauna. Those who I expected to find in the desert, and those who were pleasant surprises. Every encounter with a lizard, mourning dove, red-tailed hawk, kangaroo rat and deer made me smile and brighten my life. Even the snakes, spiders, scorpions and bears were an exceptional sight.

Thanks to the angels of the path. This experience would not be the same without you and, in some cases, it would not be possible. Without the water reservoirs, the desert would have been much more difficult and strenuous. A special thanks to Gandalf, our guardian angel of the path. The first 3.5 weeks of our trail experience were much better thanks to your kindness and generosity.

Thanks to my tram. To Boostie, Coyote, Marathon, Skunk, Acorn, Frodo and Rawhide. We almost all started on the same day and have made it through most of this journey together. We all did it: we crossed the desert! I am very proud of all of you, even the members of the tram who are in front of us, behind us, who have had to go home. Thank you all for the memories and I hope we have many more to make together.

Thanks to my family. To my own family, thank you for putting up with my late night calls. 8 pm here is 11 pm for you and even though I know it, I still like to call when I have duty at camp, in town or just when I feel like chatting. Thanks also to Boostie’s family, for keeping an eye on us, for reading these blogs to keep up with our antics, and for supporting us and our crazy dreams.

Thank you, desert, for the safe passage (apart from the seven blisters at the beginning, but who’s counting?). Thank you for your overwhelming beauty, your 700 miles. Thank you for preparing us for what comes next, both physically and mentally. I don’t know if I can say that I loved you, but I sure didn’t hate you. I will miss you, but I am ready for what is to come, for something new, for something maybe a few degrees colder.

Thank you desert for everything.

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