# Exit Aravaipa - Link: https://mywalkabout.net/exit-aravaipa/ - Published: 2020-10-20T04:45:22-07:00 - Author: My Walkabout **Dazed and confused**. Lost. Scared. The rain starts to fall, lightly at first but I knew what would be coming. I take in a deep breath, then exhale slowly. ![](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HipstamaticPhoto- 617306474.488933.jpg?resize=640%2C640&ssl=1) **Everything looks strangely new**, as if I was going down a different path than what I had previously taken. The morning was filled with optimism and color, but now everything was starkly black and white. The river that felt cool to my skin earlier was now a treacherous torrent in which I kept slipping and falling. ![](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HipstamaticPhoto- 617313180.953828.jpg?resize=640%2C640&ssl=1) **The water rises with each step I take**, becoming waist deep. The rain falls harder now, making it near impossible to see more than a few feet in front of me. I decide to leave the river and get on somewhat higher ground, giving me a greater chance of survival if a flash flood comes my way. ![](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HipstamaticPhoto- 617304347.873922.jpg?resize=640%2C457&ssl=1) **The tall brown grasses** entangle my feet, increasing my anxiety as I get trapped underfoot. Easy prey for a number of predators that call this place home. Shivering, I start to run, but trip and fall. An intense pain shoots up my left flank and back, crippling me. I have no idea how far I’ve come, let alone how much further I need to go. The battery on my phone just died, and I feel I’m following suit. The rains fall even harder now. ![](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HipstamaticPhoto- 617307846.798111.jpg?resize=640%2C640&ssl=1) **Prickly cacti and thorn bushes** rip at my skin, leaving long gashes on my arms and legs. The blood mixes in with the rain and washes away into the black. I see a fence line and in the far distance a homestead on a large farm property. I realize that I have somehow overshot the exit to Aravaipa Canyon. ![](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HipstamaticPhoto- 617319966.553307.jpg?resize=640%2C457&ssl=1) **Forced to trespass**, I squeeze through the barbed wire fence, hoping that the property owners don’t come outside with a shotgun. I see no one though. I climb another fence, pass the homestead, and then find the dirt canyon road. I breathe a sigh of relief, then starting walking back up the canyon. After a couple of miles, I finally see the trailhead parking lot. ![](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/HipstamaticPhoto- 617319977.260472.jpg?resize=640%2C457&ssl=1) **Knowing that I am finally safe**, my body lets me know that it is hurting. Intense pain radiating from my left side, making mere walking and breathing almost impossible. I hobble to my truck, barely able to pull myself up into the driver’s seat. My casita is only down the road a spell, and I try to fein optimism that once I get food and drink all will be fine. I come to a bridge crossing and see a rockslide at the other end from the monsoon that fell upon the area. I try to move some of the rocks by hand, but my pain doesn’t agree. I slowly put the truck into four wheel drive and finally make it over the slide. ### Share this: * [ Email ](https://mywalkabout.net/exit-aravaipa/?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20Exit%20Aravaipa&body=https%3A%2F%2Fmywalkabout.net%2Fexit-aravaipa%2F&share=email) * [Post](https://x.com/share) * [Share on Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/share) * [ WhatsApp ](https://mywalkabout.net/exit-aravaipa/?share=jetpack-whatsapp) * [ Nextdoor ](https://mywalkabout.net/exit-aravaipa/?share=nextdoor) * [ Threads ](https://mywalkabout.net/exit-aravaipa/?share=threads) * [[ * [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) * [ Reddit ](https://mywalkabout.net/exit-aravaipa/?share=reddit) ### Like this: Like Loading…