Mountains and Deserts

Mountains and Deserts~

June 22nd

I love the mountains. Especially the mountains of Colorado. And, I miss the mountains of Virginia. It makes me feel warm and happy to see distant mountains, and I feel so full of glad emotion when I am embraced within them. I feel strong and healthy when I am hiking in the mountains. It always feel right, like I just belong there. I remember being nine years old and moving from New Jersey to Virginia with my family. It was an adventure; I was excited. It was a long drive. When we got to the part of Route 29 that curves around the outskirts of Culpeper and I saw the Blue Ridge Mountains for the first time, I was amazed. They really are blue and it looks like someone painted them in the distance. So cool! Except for my little “Runaway” mountain behind our house, I didn’t do much hiking until I became an adult. Now it’s my passion. When I visited Gillian in Colorado in 2003 I didn’t bring my hiking boots because she didn’t live near the mountains. What I didn’t realize is that the mountains are so big they can be seen from quite a distance. I could see Pikes Peak from her house and it was calling me. I couldn’t resist! I drove the two hours and hiked the 13-mile trail that went up to the 14,000-foot peak. Mountains are like that; they call me. They say: “Come to me, experience me, I’m your friend and I love you.”

Deserts are different. They are beautiful in their own way. But, they are not inviting. Driving into Utah and then into California I drove into the desert and it came with a feeling of “I don’t belong here, this place is foreign.” They are desolate and scary to me. I drive through and think: “I could die out here.” I met two women just before driving into Death Valley, and one of them gave me a very motherly talk: “take lots of water, stay on the road, if you break down, stay with your car, DO NOT go wandering into the desert for any reason. It’s called Death Valley for a reason.” I felt like I was going into enemy territory! As I drive through the desert it says to me: “go away, you don’t belong here. I am mean, and ugly and unforgiving. I will suck the life from you.” It makes me feel a little anxious. When planning this trip, so many people asked me: “Aren’t you afraid of traveling alone?” No, I’m not afraid. Sitting here in my tent alone in the forest I feel safe and cozy. But, in the desert I do feel afraid and just want to hurry out.