“I plan to finally go check out the Hidden Valley area.”
“One of my favorite places in the park my friend.”
It seems that only strangers call me “my friend” ironically. Out here in the high desert of Joshua Tree, I find that most people are solitary and isolated….all strangers yet everyone is friendly, just don’t stay too long and intrude.
It’s that mentality and vibe that continually brings me back here year after year. My Valhalla.
I arrive to Hidden Valley just as the sun has fully risen in the cloudless sky. Although a million footsteps have graced the trails around this area before me, I feel like I am the first one to see the landscapes surrounding me.
I wander, wander and wonder about my place in this universe, not paying much attention about where I might end up. The desert swallows me up and spits me out.
I find a path that heads out of Hidden Valley and into the flat expanse of sand and Joshua Trees. More wandering for this desert creature.
I’ve no idea how long I was out here, maybe an hour, perhaps eight or nine hours. Time is relative to one’s experience. All I do know is that when I returned to my base camp, the stranger returns to see how my time was in Hidden Valley.
I believe all I did was smile and give a thumbs up.
