Post by Vespertine on Jul 11, 2022 21:15:15 GMT -5
Place: James, camper van, South parking/RV site lot.
Date/Time: Monday July 11th, 2022, 6:30AM
(I wake up from a deep sleep and look around. I first see that the time is 6:30AM. I look towards James and he is actually up typing on his laptop.)
"Watcha doing," I ask him.
"Jotting down some thoughts for my upcoming article." he tells me. I wriggle my naked body towards his and snuggle up next to him.
"I was thinking. Let's take today for ourselves instead of tomorrow. We can still go to all the districts starting tonite. My first match is Thurs. I was thinking maybe we can do a 50 mile hike today." I tell him.
"I'm all for it. But 50 miles is a camping trip. Let's go out 10 and back 10. See how far we get. I want to warn you (he closes his laptop and turns towards me. Unlike me, who likes to sleep in the nude, he has on boxing shorts. He plays with my nipples as he talks "This morning should be cool. But by midafternoon or even early afternoon, temperatures are going triple digits. You said so yourself on Jimmy Fallon. So if we hike, take lots of water, stay cool and wear bright colors. Dark colors keep in and trap heat." I look at him askance.
"I have been hiking before with you. Remember Death Valley. We crossed that in a day."
"In Winter. This is Summer. I grew up in Baja and Tijuana where triple digits were common. I don't think they are that common in San Francisco. Even in Oakland, the highest it gets is upper 90s. Please, for me." He caresses my jaw and forces me to look into his eyes.
I sigh and give him my ascent. We get up and an get going. By 7:30AM, we are dressed and ready to go. I wear brown hiking boots, small pink yoga shorts, a white sports bra type top which I wet down to keep hydrated. I also wet down my red do rag to keep my head wet. I fill my camelpack with lots of water, fill the extra pockets with water bottles, pack a lunch as I'm thinking we may be out in the middle of nowhere and want to eat. James wears board shorts which when I am comfounded by because there are no oceans in the desert, he explains that he can wet them down if need be. He also wears hiking boots and a blue do rag and a white wikiway T shirt. We slather each other up with sunscreen before we head out....
Wrestlestock is in full swing even at 8AM in the morning. We stop by the desert mobility center and tell them what we are doing and if we aren't back by 2, come look for us. We stop by one of the breakfast tents/pop up convenience stores and buy some to go granola bars to hit the road with. It takes us a few minutes as we wind around people maybe through groups, go through multiple districts to get to the edge and heat out in the vast nothingness that is the Sonoran desert...
It doesn't take us long before we find our stride. 10 minutes ago we ate our granola bars. I take a slight swig of water and we go between a rocky outcropping and look down at a steep canyon. I stop to take it all in, get out my camera to take a pic of a hawk that is soaring overhead. The sun is just coming up and I jump on a boulder to get a better view.
"Quick. Instangram pic. I heart sun hand." I say to James.
"Really? Really?"
"I kid." And take his arm and put it around me. He kisses my head. We jump off the boulder as the sun comes up and it gets slightly hotter....
Two hours later. 10AM
I have drunk a full water bottle and used some of the water in my camelpack to wet my shirt down. We are out with noone around for miles, I should just take off my shirt and wrap it around my neck. James would love the view. I mean he has already done the same. The current temp is 95. OF course I didn't slather up my chest so if I did that my breasts would get sunburned badly. I decide against it and I tell him I need to pee and we stop and I step around a rock to relieve myself...
An hour later 11AM. Temp is 99 degrees.
"You're right" I wipe my brow "It DOES get hot in the desert."
"You are drinking your water, right? I ain't carrying you back."
"I already finished a water bottle. I just soaked down my bra and shorts and do rag. I got a few full bottles left." I look at my watch. "Let's say at 12 we break for lunch." I pause "Did we look at the map? How long did they say this trail was?
"I did last night. They said in 9 miles, it switches back and then goes off on another route. I was thinking that in 9 miles we can figure out if we want to head back. We have been off roading it a couple of miles. But keep the sun off you and remember landmarks. In this case, boulders or cactus clusters, and we should be good." He tells me. I'm still optimistic we can make this a round trip hike way before 2PM. It's only 11AM...
An hour later, 12PM. Temp is 101 degrees. I wet down my bra and do rag again. We break in the shade of a rock outcropping. I go and relieve myself again. When I get back, I take out our lunch and we sit in the shade while we chow down on our salami and cheese sandwiches, apples, and water bottles. The desert is nice. Don't know why I can't stand this place. Even in triple digits, it's clear, calm, quiet. Not like the city. But then we are miles away from Wrestlestock. I hope we can make it back in time. I take a bite of apple and hear the scream of a hawk overhead. Two hawks. Wait.... I thought there was one. Are my eyes playing tricks on me. I take a look around and it seems all I can see is a vast nothingness. How does mirages work again? I wipe my brow and feel the sweat combined with water from my do rag. A good 10 minutes later we get up and start off. I stumble a little bit. I straighten up quickly when James looks my way. Why is everything blurry? I look at my watch it's 12:30.
"I'm thinking we aren't going make it to the 9 mile marker. Shall we start heading back." I ask him.
"You ok?"
"Yes. why?"
"You were pumped to go the full route this morning. Now you want to turn around. Plus, are you slurring your words? Did you spike your water?" he asks incredulous?
"No! Why would I ever do that in the desert on our own on a hike? I'm smarter than that."
"Ok." he seems hesitant "Let's turn around then. I think we have hiked a good 8 miles today. Tomorrow we can add 2 more to it."...
"Ves are you all right?"
"I'm perfectly fine. See, I'm not hot or sweating." He feels my head and then my do rag, puts a hand on my shorts, then puts a hand on my chest. Now I'm getting hot again. He wants to do me right here. There is no shade around. Is it normal for me when I'd rather have water than sex?
"What did you say was out there?" he asks. I look again. Water. Boats. People. Beach. I tell him all this. I sit down suddenly afterwards in the middle of the trail. He goes to look at my pack and I barely hear him when he asks "How long ago did you drink all your water?" I shrug and tell him my water is still in my pack. I haven't had a drink since this morning. My water bottles are all filled too. I start telling him about this band when I feel a prick on my skin. He yelps about it. I think it's not a big deal so I talk to him soothingly about a band I was once in when all of a sudden I seem to black out. I'm ok. I should be good in a few minutes.
Hours later. I'm lying in a cot in a tent, somewhere in the middle of the desert. I look around. My eyes are still swimming and I groan because I want the world to stop spinning. I look around for my watch and find it on a table next to my cot. It reads 6:30PM. What looks to be a nurse, comes in. Doesn't tell me a thing but checks me out.
"Vespertine is it?" I nod "You are lucky you were close. I mean he could've carried you all the way from the 9 mile marker but you had the wits to turn around in time. Here though, take this." She tells me.
"What is it?"
"Sedative and antivenom." I take it in a gulp, then I realize what she said but before I can ask about it, I zonk out again. I figure I was dehydrated. One of a few thousand things that can happen in the desert.
A little while later, all is in darkness. I look down at myself. Still on IV drips and feeding tubes. Only now I'm dressed in a hospital gown. I look over and see Bill my bandmate asleep on the chair next to me. The nurse comes in.
"You feelin ok hon?"
Date/Time: Monday July 11th, 2022, 6:30AM
(I wake up from a deep sleep and look around. I first see that the time is 6:30AM. I look towards James and he is actually up typing on his laptop.)
"Watcha doing," I ask him.
"Jotting down some thoughts for my upcoming article." he tells me. I wriggle my naked body towards his and snuggle up next to him.
"I was thinking. Let's take today for ourselves instead of tomorrow. We can still go to all the districts starting tonite. My first match is Thurs. I was thinking maybe we can do a 50 mile hike today." I tell him.
"I'm all for it. But 50 miles is a camping trip. Let's go out 10 and back 10. See how far we get. I want to warn you (he closes his laptop and turns towards me. Unlike me, who likes to sleep in the nude, he has on boxing shorts. He plays with my nipples as he talks "This morning should be cool. But by midafternoon or even early afternoon, temperatures are going triple digits. You said so yourself on Jimmy Fallon. So if we hike, take lots of water, stay cool and wear bright colors. Dark colors keep in and trap heat." I look at him askance.
"I have been hiking before with you. Remember Death Valley. We crossed that in a day."
"In Winter. This is Summer. I grew up in Baja and Tijuana where triple digits were common. I don't think they are that common in San Francisco. Even in Oakland, the highest it gets is upper 90s. Please, for me." He caresses my jaw and forces me to look into his eyes.
I sigh and give him my ascent. We get up and an get going. By 7:30AM, we are dressed and ready to go. I wear brown hiking boots, small pink yoga shorts, a white sports bra type top which I wet down to keep hydrated. I also wet down my red do rag to keep my head wet. I fill my camelpack with lots of water, fill the extra pockets with water bottles, pack a lunch as I'm thinking we may be out in the middle of nowhere and want to eat. James wears board shorts which when I am comfounded by because there are no oceans in the desert, he explains that he can wet them down if need be. He also wears hiking boots and a blue do rag and a white wikiway T shirt. We slather each other up with sunscreen before we head out....
Wrestlestock is in full swing even at 8AM in the morning. We stop by the desert mobility center and tell them what we are doing and if we aren't back by 2, come look for us. We stop by one of the breakfast tents/pop up convenience stores and buy some to go granola bars to hit the road with. It takes us a few minutes as we wind around people maybe through groups, go through multiple districts to get to the edge and heat out in the vast nothingness that is the Sonoran desert...
It doesn't take us long before we find our stride. 10 minutes ago we ate our granola bars. I take a slight swig of water and we go between a rocky outcropping and look down at a steep canyon. I stop to take it all in, get out my camera to take a pic of a hawk that is soaring overhead. The sun is just coming up and I jump on a boulder to get a better view.
"Quick. Instangram pic. I heart sun hand." I say to James.
"Really? Really?"
"I kid." And take his arm and put it around me. He kisses my head. We jump off the boulder as the sun comes up and it gets slightly hotter....
Two hours later. 10AM
I have drunk a full water bottle and used some of the water in my camelpack to wet my shirt down. We are out with noone around for miles, I should just take off my shirt and wrap it around my neck. James would love the view. I mean he has already done the same. The current temp is 95. OF course I didn't slather up my chest so if I did that my breasts would get sunburned badly. I decide against it and I tell him I need to pee and we stop and I step around a rock to relieve myself...
An hour later 11AM. Temp is 99 degrees.
"You're right" I wipe my brow "It DOES get hot in the desert."
"You are drinking your water, right? I ain't carrying you back."
"I already finished a water bottle. I just soaked down my bra and shorts and do rag. I got a few full bottles left." I look at my watch. "Let's say at 12 we break for lunch." I pause "Did we look at the map? How long did they say this trail was?
"I did last night. They said in 9 miles, it switches back and then goes off on another route. I was thinking that in 9 miles we can figure out if we want to head back. We have been off roading it a couple of miles. But keep the sun off you and remember landmarks. In this case, boulders or cactus clusters, and we should be good." He tells me. I'm still optimistic we can make this a round trip hike way before 2PM. It's only 11AM...
An hour later, 12PM. Temp is 101 degrees. I wet down my bra and do rag again. We break in the shade of a rock outcropping. I go and relieve myself again. When I get back, I take out our lunch and we sit in the shade while we chow down on our salami and cheese sandwiches, apples, and water bottles. The desert is nice. Don't know why I can't stand this place. Even in triple digits, it's clear, calm, quiet. Not like the city. But then we are miles away from Wrestlestock. I hope we can make it back in time. I take a bite of apple and hear the scream of a hawk overhead. Two hawks. Wait.... I thought there was one. Are my eyes playing tricks on me. I take a look around and it seems all I can see is a vast nothingness. How does mirages work again? I wipe my brow and feel the sweat combined with water from my do rag. A good 10 minutes later we get up and start off. I stumble a little bit. I straighten up quickly when James looks my way. Why is everything blurry? I look at my watch it's 12:30.
"I'm thinking we aren't going make it to the 9 mile marker. Shall we start heading back." I ask him.
"You ok?"
"Yes. why?"
"You were pumped to go the full route this morning. Now you want to turn around. Plus, are you slurring your words? Did you spike your water?" he asks incredulous?
"No! Why would I ever do that in the desert on our own on a hike? I'm smarter than that."
"Ok." he seems hesitant "Let's turn around then. I think we have hiked a good 8 miles today. Tomorrow we can add 2 more to it."...
An hour later, 1:30PM. I'm down to my last water bottle. I go around a cactus that I don't think I have seen before and stumble and catch myself scrapping my hands as I go down. I stand up as James comes up to me and then stagger backwards. I'm feeling dizzy. I put a hand to my head. I don't feel anything isn't that good. I look out in the distance and see an ocean.
I tell James. "Hey, how far is that water from here. Maybe we can go skinny dip for a while." He looks to where I'm pointing then gets a worried look on his face.
"Ves are you all right?"
"I'm perfectly fine. See, I'm not hot or sweating." He feels my head and then my do rag, puts a hand on my shorts, then puts a hand on my chest. Now I'm getting hot again. He wants to do me right here. There is no shade around. Is it normal for me when I'd rather have water than sex?
"What did you say was out there?" he asks. I look again. Water. Boats. People. Beach. I tell him all this. I sit down suddenly afterwards in the middle of the trail. He goes to look at my pack and I barely hear him when he asks "How long ago did you drink all your water?" I shrug and tell him my water is still in my pack. I haven't had a drink since this morning. My water bottles are all filled too. I start telling him about this band when I feel a prick on my skin. He yelps about it. I think it's not a big deal so I talk to him soothingly about a band I was once in when all of a sudden I seem to black out. I'm ok. I should be good in a few minutes.
Hours later. I'm lying in a cot in a tent, somewhere in the middle of the desert. I look around. My eyes are still swimming and I groan because I want the world to stop spinning. I look around for my watch and find it on a table next to my cot. It reads 6:30PM. What looks to be a nurse, comes in. Doesn't tell me a thing but checks me out.
"Vespertine is it?" I nod "You are lucky you were close. I mean he could've carried you all the way from the 9 mile marker but you had the wits to turn around in time. Here though, take this." She tells me.
"What is it?"
"Sedative and antivenom." I take it in a gulp, then I realize what she said but before I can ask about it, I zonk out again. I figure I was dehydrated. One of a few thousand things that can happen in the desert.
A few hours later: I open my eyes. Still in the cot. I look over and see James, Cody, Rae and Lizzie talking. Rae sees me wake and rushes towards me. I fall asleep again. I'm ok. I hope this is normal for dehydration. I should be ok by the time we rock out and then my first match of the week on Thurs. Or was it Friday. No, I'm pretty sure it was Saturday.
A little while later, all is in darkness. I look down at myself. Still on IV drips and feeding tubes. Only now I'm dressed in a hospital gown. I look over and see Bill my bandmate asleep on the chair next to me. The nurse comes in.
"You feelin ok hon?"
"Never better." I give her the thumbs up weakly. She smiles weakly and gives more me antidote/sedative. I'm starting to think I hate the desert. This is way beyond just dehydration. I been in overdose comas because I overdosed on painkillers a few years ago. I've had my face broken. I've had a few concussions. A contussion. I've taken coke and caffine for a few years just to keep up. I binged drank when I was in college and had my stomach pumped. I survived all that. I'll survive this too....
TBC... (UGWC extra in Desert Mobility Center Update on Vespertine)