Saturday

It was windy Saturday afternoon. Storm clouds were gathering in the Inyo Mountains to the east, and dusty whirlwinds spouted up to the north end of the valley. I hiked through what seemed like endless scree hills, occasionally seeing the stray wildflower or cactus among the rocks, until I reached the crest of the hill. Rolling brown mountains were set across a blue and gray sky, dark clouds drifted southbound, miles of rocky desert opened up from the narrow canyon wash to the valley floor, the blue-gray Sierras jutted upward in the west, and a few more miles of downhill scrambling came into view ahead of me.

Watching the looming gray cloud cover overhead while I made my way down a wash in cloudburst conditions (like an idiot would), feeling the sun burning my face, the wind cracking my lips and stinging my eyes, wondering where my hiking companions had gone and where the car was, I remembered why I've liked hiking for so long. The pain in my legs woke me up. Tumbling rocks that some lizard knocked over kept me alert. A couple bites of beef jerky and a couple slugs of water from a beat up Nalgene bottle with a Patagonia sticker on it kept me moving. I was a little lost in the desert and mountains, and I soaked in the moment with the sun and sweat and dust on my face.

Now I’m sitting at work, answering phones and doing the usual clerical and concierge stuff. I’m showered, wearing leather loafers instead of hiking boots and a tie around my neck to help me look relatively professional instead of a bandana over my nose to help me breathe in the dust. I’m a little sunburned and there’s a small cut on my nose but otherwise I’m as clean cut and as white collar as can be. I’m drinking from a beat up Nalgene bottle with a Patagonia sticker on it still, reminding myself that I still get lost in the middle of nowhere and that I still live life beyond the office. My legs still get sore from wandering around in the middle of nowhere and my face still gets pink from being out in the rays for too long.

With nearly perfect weather and a new vehicle capable of going places, I have the opportunity to get lost in a lot of new and different places. As time goes on I'll be able to go to Yosemite, or to the coast, or into the redwoods, or pretty much anywhere I can lose track of reality for awhile. So far my year has had a lot of adventures, and something different comes along every weekend. I hope it keeps it up like that.

I look forward to beating up my Nalgene in some new places.


(DISCLAIMER: This is actually reworking of a post I made a couple days ago in another blog I have, but I liked writing it and I couldn't think of what to write today, so enjoy!)