Moments D626: Hiking the Mojave Desert

On the way back from Vegas, EQ and I stopped to hike in the Mojave desert.  Why not?  It was near the end of my work day, it was gorgeous outside and we both love the outdoors.

So, with one last round of conversations with my team at work, EQ took this photo of me saying goodbye:

The sun bright and low in the sky we hiked for about 40 minutes before I returned to work.  (Ooh the joy of a hotspot in the car!)  What a beautiful moment our hike was.  The temperature was cool, but it was perfect for a hike.  We stopped and enjoyed the fauna & flora.  I picked up a couple of stones to take home with me, to add to my collection.  EQ found one too.  We picked up a piece of jumping cactus too.  Carefully of course, after all, they bite!

The best part of the hike?  The silence.  We soaked in the sunny, cool silences, breathed in the dusty winter desert air.

Now that's what I call a "coffee" break.

Moments enjoying the world around you.

Moments at one with nature.

Moments D220: Surpassing Fears

Today had a nice slow start to the day, but it quickly became another adventure filled day within beautiful surroundings.

Today my “older sister” (as she likes to be called) and I went hiking. Now these trails are not your ordinary path trails in the woods. Each trail has been labelled as either EASY, MODERATE, or STRENUOUS. After doing a little research, we managed to pick one of the hundreds of trails in this area.

This one was labelled as MODERATE. Of course, we assumed “no problem”! Well….what we didn’t know is that, while the first part of the trail is quite easy to navigate, the mid-section of the trail is quite steep with approximately a 600 ft climb using footholds and “scrambling” up the rocks.

To back track: It was only recently that I learned that my “older sister” was afraid of heights. (In her words, it’s not about the height, it’s about the fall!) BUT, little did I know that this kind of hiking/climb was something she’s ever attempted before!

I didn’t realize this new tidbit until we were well into the steep part of the hike/climb. And yet, while I could see the trepidation in her face, my “older sister” was pushing through the fear. I helped her navigate some of the trickier spots and cheered her on through her uncertain moments. We celebrated along the way of her successes and in the end she made great leaps in how she tackled the steepness of it all.

And then, we hit a spot that required a bit of a leap of faith. It was a BIG step up with small footholds. It required confidence to believe that once you stepped up you’d find yourself on solid and flat ground. This was the breaking point for my dear sweet ”older sister”. She wasn’t ready to take that step and I understood that was the time to stop cheering and start congratulating her on such steps taken. She, of course, felt like she had failed. I completely (and quickly) disagreed with her - she DID NOT FAIL. She took BIG steps forward to surpass her fears and SHE ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH.

We then walked another trail after that for about an hour. It was an easier one with less navigating to do. Eventually we looped back to the first trail *where the car was parked) and as we looked up to the steep climb my “older sister” commented on how surprised she was that she had made it that far into the climb. We took a moment and celebrated her success once again.

For the rest of the evening she lamented over the fact that she didn’t make it to the top. Each and every time I reminded her just how much she HAD accomplished.

(why is it that it’s so damn easy to forget the success and focus on the rest?)

It’s incredible that my “older sister” pushed herself so hard today and *I*, for one, am damn proud of her! As the night closes, I think she’s starting to respect her steps taken in surpassing her fear. That is a moment to celebrate.

Moments of digging deeper and believing.

Moments of celebrating the successes.