Well, what can you say? It's June and I'm living in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. It's Sunday, June 13th and the day is winding down. I feel like being outdoors after having spent a lot of time inside, staying cool from the heat.
There is a hint that the heat of the day has passed as a breeze blows through the Mesquite trees in the back yard. I look at my watch and without hesitation, I run inside to gather my things.
First I grab the cooler and throw in a couple of bottles of water, cubes of ice and one beer. I quickly change, throwing on my old boots that have been with me since high school, over thirty years and head for the car. I feel a sense of adrenalin flowing through my veins as I envision the desert landscape before me as a day settles in and the sun starts to orange.
It is a short seven mile drive from my driveway to the end of a dirt road north of the Santan Mountains. I park my car next to a barbed wire fence with a rusted out sign that still reads "no trespassing." A light breeze meets me as I exit my car. I am guessing that it has dipped below 90 degrees and heading towards the low seventies tonight. I have hiked this trail several times and have yet to see another soul. For now, it is my paradise. It is classic Sonoran Desert with medium sized trees, lots of cactus species, dried grasses from the winter rains and beautiful rocks - some glittering like gems sprinkled before me. Trails are easy to pick as the desert vegetation leaves plenty of open areas. I especially enjoy walking up arroyos - the dried up stream beds that have been carved through rock and lined with soft sand. A trek through an arroyo can be a great workout. A word of caution however, always know where you're at and always know the weather forecast. During Monsoon Season, an arroyo can become a deathtrap, flooding so quickly that an unsuspecting hiker can find himself trapped and in serious trouble.
The quiet surrounds me only to be broken by the occasional cry of a Thrasher. I wonder what the bird is saying and why. If you listen carefully, you can hear another call far off in the distance. It is a brief chat between two birds before sundown.
I make my way south along a sandy arroyo. As I walk along, I try to figure out what animals have trekked through ahead of me. There are prints everywhere. Cottontails, Jack Rabbits, Coyote, Javelina, various lizards and some bird tracks - probably Gambles Quail.
The numerous hills drop their cool shadows around me as the sun sets lower to the west. I sense an urgency to walk faster before dark cuts short my hike. I look east at the hills and they seem to be on fire as orange and yellow cap their peaks. My mind is busy as I try to figure out what I want to do at this moment. Do I look down for artifacts, minerals, possibly a rare desert tortoise or do I look about at the landscape in hopes of seeing a coyote, roadrunner or some other shy desert dweller. As always, I choose both. As I walk along there is a moment of looking down followed a moment of looking upward and about.
As I climb higher, I pause and turn around to see what I have accomplished. I pull a cool bottle of water from my backpack and tip it back and guzzle. One of life's simple pleasures.
Below me are the distant lights of downtown Phoenix, seventy miles away. I wonder about the noise, the traffic, the constant confusion of a big city. I am glad I am here in my simple world. The quiet, the serenity, the magical sense that is what the desert is all about.
It is simply beautiful, simply serene and simply, for the moment, my paradise.
