This is a little bit of a long read for those with a short attention span... 
The day was hot as they all had been for months, the mercury hitting over 120 during the day and 95 at night
I had just finished work, cutting out a little early to take a few days traveling on foot in the Mojave Desert to meet up with the deeper side of life
Traveling over forty miles on a bumpy dirt road, taking in the sites as I drive along at little more than a snails pace
The Cholla, Rabbit Brush, Creosote, Yucca, Pine, and Juniper slowly pass as the miles creep by
Finally getting to my destination, the edge of a large dry lake bed, wisps of dust whirling up in spirals in the forms of dust devils, dancing the day away on the desolate landscape uninhabited by man for generations
As I get out of my truck, there are flint chips and broken arrow heads scattered in the dirt around an old dried up stream bed, showing no signs of age as if deposited there yesterday
I find these pieces of history interesting and can only wonder at the thoughts of the Native American who made them possibly thousands of years ago, even the small pieces were works of art in their own right
The deserts of the world are timeless capsules where change is in eons, where life and death are played out daily, but only to the trained observer or those who slow down enough to the see it for themselves
I grab my day pack, throw on my hat, and head out on a new quest. Meeting a hot desert on its terms, melding into its grasp, becoming part of the bigger energy that surrounds us all
I make a mistake right off the bat by power hiking to the top of a rise, even though I’m taking in some water, the intense heat, and the steep terrain take its toll and after a couple hours, I’m about done
I find a shallow cave about fifteen feet deep that gets me out of the direct sun, feeling nauseous, I lay in the coolness of the alcove with a pounding headache and a new appreciation that nothing here hurries and for good reason
After knapping for about two hours and getting over the ill affects of oncoming heat stroke I feel better. Heading out of my oasis, notice the sun will only going to be around for a couple more hours
Marveling at the beauty of my surroundings, it’s impossible to take it all in, this would take a lifetime to do it right
Hiking to the top of the hill I had earlier started to climb, sat on a rock, and willed myself to start slowing down and getting in tune with my surroundings
Looking out across open spaces, the mountain sides looked like they had been twisted and turned by massive heat and stress to form surreal patterns in the far away rock and stone
Dropping down over the next hill side, there was a dark spot resembling a cave. Deciding to check it out, I made my way across the treacherous ground, steep with loose stones and earth that could give way at any time, tumbling one headlong for hundreds of feet, if one wasn’t careful
Getting to the depression in the rocks made me immediately think of the Anasazi Indians as the area resembled pictures I had seen years earlier of the site
This was a good place to set up for the night as it wasn’t a good place for snakes or other critters to be living due to lack of water
It was obvious others had stayed the night in this place, rocks were piled up on one side about twelve inches looking like a small wall meant to hold some one from rolling down the mountain as they slept
Another spot had what looked to be an ancient fire pit and old depressions in the dirt that would have held two people while they slept
Turning over a few rocks, I found no signs of critters that might want to inhabit my clothing while I slept
Sipping a little water and eating some of the food I brought along, this place just felt right, it was a good place, a place filled with contentment and peace
Walking back out and up to the top of the next hill where my shelter was, I wanted to catch the last vestiges of the day as the sun slowly faded below the mountains
This was a place meant for solitude, a place where some one living the fast paced life, in a meat grinder trade could appreciate, if only learning to slow down enough to see it for what gifts it truly has to offer
The sun finally set, so I made my way back to where I had left my gear, lying directly on the ground as the ancients who passed this way before me had, I could feel a sense of ease and tranquility settling into my racing mind
It’s said the quietness of the desert is deafening, it’s an odd feeling to hear the roar of silence. Where every movement is the sound of a semi racing by, and breathing takes on the bellows in a forge. The pumping of your heart sounds like the ancient drum beats of long gone days in this land of forever
The stars looked to be filling the sky, leaving little space for the black void surrounding them
I laid there for hours watching the night sky as an occasional shooting star streaked passed and my thoughts pondered the mysteries of life
Awakening to the first rays of light streaming into my natural shelter, the dawn breaking on a brand new day, I gathered my gear and walked out into the sun just peeking over the mountains to the East
I eased my way along at a much slower pace than yesterday, reveling in the new sites and sounds of this place which seemed foreign and at the same time like an old lost friend
Spying movement about a mile off, I set off to investigate what life forms might be out here
A lonely crow circled overhead, playing in the currents of the morning air as it blew around the canyons
When I was with in a couple hundred yards, I noticed it was a pair of wild burros. Sneaking with in twenty yards they finally noticed the gravel crunching under foot and looked up to see what intruder had disturbed them
Walking along for miles at an easy pace, I noticed a couple pieces of decayed wood, on closer inspection was surprised to see a set of sheep horns that had lain undisturbed where the animal had met its fate
Notice part of the skull cap is still here also
There were so many things to see and witness that is was impossible to take in every thing
I thought I was moving along at a good clip when I heard some thing closing in behind me
Turning just in time to see a Desert Turtle pass me by as if it had some place far more important to be
Noticed the worked stone above the turtles head in the gravel
By the end of the day, I had to start looking for some where to bed down for the night. This would be my last night on this quest and I wanted to make the most of the quiet places I had found myself
Finding a rock outcrop made the perfect place to spend the night, it looked to the East and over a great expanse of land one could see for miles
The sun had set on my side of the mountain and I was feeling truly tired from the extreme heat and the walk over many small hills, I soon fell asleep, finally feeling as if I belonged to the land as a single entity, small and insignificant and yet a full bodied part of the whole
Waking again to the sun shining in to greet me, I headed back to my truck, not really wanting to go back, but knowing I must meet my commitments in the city
The ride back to civilization had a new found meaning and appreciation for the living things surrounding me
I hope some day to return to this timeless land for another stay, definitely longer for sure
The day was hot as they all had been for months, the mercury hitting over 120 during the day and 95 at night
I had just finished work, cutting out a little early to take a few days traveling on foot in the Mojave Desert to meet up with the deeper side of life
Traveling over forty miles on a bumpy dirt road, taking in the sites as I drive along at little more than a snails pace
The Cholla, Rabbit Brush, Creosote, Yucca, Pine, and Juniper slowly pass as the miles creep by
Finally getting to my destination, the edge of a large dry lake bed, wisps of dust whirling up in spirals in the forms of dust devils, dancing the day away on the desolate landscape uninhabited by man for generations
As I get out of my truck, there are flint chips and broken arrow heads scattered in the dirt around an old dried up stream bed, showing no signs of age as if deposited there yesterday
I find these pieces of history interesting and can only wonder at the thoughts of the Native American who made them possibly thousands of years ago, even the small pieces were works of art in their own right
The deserts of the world are timeless capsules where change is in eons, where life and death are played out daily, but only to the trained observer or those who slow down enough to the see it for themselves
I grab my day pack, throw on my hat, and head out on a new quest. Meeting a hot desert on its terms, melding into its grasp, becoming part of the bigger energy that surrounds us all
I make a mistake right off the bat by power hiking to the top of a rise, even though I’m taking in some water, the intense heat, and the steep terrain take its toll and after a couple hours, I’m about done
I find a shallow cave about fifteen feet deep that gets me out of the direct sun, feeling nauseous, I lay in the coolness of the alcove with a pounding headache and a new appreciation that nothing here hurries and for good reason
After knapping for about two hours and getting over the ill affects of oncoming heat stroke I feel better. Heading out of my oasis, notice the sun will only going to be around for a couple more hours
Marveling at the beauty of my surroundings, it’s impossible to take it all in, this would take a lifetime to do it right
Hiking to the top of the hill I had earlier started to climb, sat on a rock, and willed myself to start slowing down and getting in tune with my surroundings
Looking out across open spaces, the mountain sides looked like they had been twisted and turned by massive heat and stress to form surreal patterns in the far away rock and stone
Dropping down over the next hill side, there was a dark spot resembling a cave. Deciding to check it out, I made my way across the treacherous ground, steep with loose stones and earth that could give way at any time, tumbling one headlong for hundreds of feet, if one wasn’t careful
Getting to the depression in the rocks made me immediately think of the Anasazi Indians as the area resembled pictures I had seen years earlier of the site
This was a good place to set up for the night as it wasn’t a good place for snakes or other critters to be living due to lack of water
It was obvious others had stayed the night in this place, rocks were piled up on one side about twelve inches looking like a small wall meant to hold some one from rolling down the mountain as they slept
Another spot had what looked to be an ancient fire pit and old depressions in the dirt that would have held two people while they slept
Turning over a few rocks, I found no signs of critters that might want to inhabit my clothing while I slept
Sipping a little water and eating some of the food I brought along, this place just felt right, it was a good place, a place filled with contentment and peace
Walking back out and up to the top of the next hill where my shelter was, I wanted to catch the last vestiges of the day as the sun slowly faded below the mountains
This was a place meant for solitude, a place where some one living the fast paced life, in a meat grinder trade could appreciate, if only learning to slow down enough to see it for what gifts it truly has to offer
The sun finally set, so I made my way back to where I had left my gear, lying directly on the ground as the ancients who passed this way before me had, I could feel a sense of ease and tranquility settling into my racing mind
It’s said the quietness of the desert is deafening, it’s an odd feeling to hear the roar of silence. Where every movement is the sound of a semi racing by, and breathing takes on the bellows in a forge. The pumping of your heart sounds like the ancient drum beats of long gone days in this land of forever
The stars looked to be filling the sky, leaving little space for the black void surrounding them
I laid there for hours watching the night sky as an occasional shooting star streaked passed and my thoughts pondered the mysteries of life
Awakening to the first rays of light streaming into my natural shelter, the dawn breaking on a brand new day, I gathered my gear and walked out into the sun just peeking over the mountains to the East
I eased my way along at a much slower pace than yesterday, reveling in the new sites and sounds of this place which seemed foreign and at the same time like an old lost friend
Spying movement about a mile off, I set off to investigate what life forms might be out here
A lonely crow circled overhead, playing in the currents of the morning air as it blew around the canyons
When I was with in a couple hundred yards, I noticed it was a pair of wild burros. Sneaking with in twenty yards they finally noticed the gravel crunching under foot and looked up to see what intruder had disturbed them
Walking along for miles at an easy pace, I noticed a couple pieces of decayed wood, on closer inspection was surprised to see a set of sheep horns that had lain undisturbed where the animal had met its fate
Notice part of the skull cap is still here also
There were so many things to see and witness that is was impossible to take in every thing
I thought I was moving along at a good clip when I heard some thing closing in behind me
Turning just in time to see a Desert Turtle pass me by as if it had some place far more important to be
Noticed the worked stone above the turtles head in the gravel
By the end of the day, I had to start looking for some where to bed down for the night. This would be my last night on this quest and I wanted to make the most of the quiet places I had found myself
Finding a rock outcrop made the perfect place to spend the night, it looked to the East and over a great expanse of land one could see for miles
The sun had set on my side of the mountain and I was feeling truly tired from the extreme heat and the walk over many small hills, I soon fell asleep, finally feeling as if I belonged to the land as a single entity, small and insignificant and yet a full bodied part of the whole
Waking again to the sun shining in to greet me, I headed back to my truck, not really wanting to go back, but knowing I must meet my commitments in the city
The ride back to civilization had a new found meaning and appreciation for the living things surrounding me
I hope some day to return to this timeless land for another stay, definitely longer for sure
