At My Peak

Birthday Summit

My birthday was amazing and memorable. It's okay that I had to come back from NYC suddenly - I actually think it was more appropriate to celebrate desert, outback style anyway than city chic.

I took a solo hike up a peak I had always been curious about to the west of Kraft Mountain in Calico Basin. Divinely burly. My traps, rhomboids, delts, quads, glutes and all those other latin-named muscle groups were noticebly 'iratus' with me by the day after. Every movement was pain. I love the humble feeling because I thought I was in shape.


This is the route I think I took. The best part was, it's definitely not the way I took down. I ended up much farther to the left.


The enlightening part of the trek was, as I rose up higher past the fiery sandstone, the colors and qualities of rock changed. I was walking, in a geological sense, from past to future. The path I took upward couldn't be more perfect for my day's theme as by the time I got to the summit; I'd be at the present; and I'd be at the top of the world.

I tell you, I was even surprised to find some fiery-red conglomerate rock halfway up. Tons of river rock were immersed and set in the sanguine sandstone; one thick layer of it. As I got higher, it turned to very, chossy and breakable limestone. I had to scramble quite a bit...slipping on tons of scree steepness. The last part was of course, the most challenging and a bit unnerving. I almost....almost. turned away. But I thought logically about my fear and knew there wasn't any real present danger and I should push forward.

I did and the summit view was worth it - I felt completely aware of the excitement that built up in my chest and my throat right before the view.

Topped off with a massive smile and great thanks.......

And then the guilty realization that, 'Shit. I'm going to be late for my own dinner!'.

Dinner at Naked-Fish! Met the girls there, Angelica and Anna. Boy, were we an exotic mix of Mexican, Kenyan and Taiwanese-Whitey. A little bummed I didn't have time to shower and change into my new dress but honestly, in the long-run, who cares....




At the summit and peering over at view on the other side.


So magical. View from nearing the top.




The conglomerate layer I found.

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