Yesterday. Was. LOVELY.
A nero (less than 10 hiking miles for the day) got me to the Sahuarita Trailhead where a gem of a human being – Miss Joann scooped me up.
That morning at 6am I had a brilliant thought. What if instead of staying at one of the hotels along I-10, I checked Airbnb for room options? And that is where I discovered a room in Joann’s cozy house. Not only that – but I saw in her profile that she is a sound healer, complete with photos of her zen room which featured a massage table.
*oooommmmm* zen room
Can you see where this is going?
I reached out to her to inquire about the room availability for that evening and let her know I was an LMT. Would she be open to doing a trade? A 1 hour session for a night’s stay?
She called me a couple hours later when I was about half an hour from the trailhead and ecstatically said “YES!!!”
I offered to hitch to a coffee shop or somewhere until she was ready to which she replied “don’t you dare, I’ll be there in 30 minutes to scoop you. I have another hiker staying with me and he’s finishing up at the grocery store now.”
Her home was warm, peaceful, filled with books on natural healing & wisdom. Not to mention a sweetie heart of a doggo – Hachi, who immediately bonded with me; she even slept next to my bed that night.
cozy books
I always feel honored when someone’s pet shows me love. It’s a pact of trust that you cannot buy, barter, or steal. It simply is.
Hachi the Sweetie
After a relaxing day of showering, laundry, blogging, chatting with the other hiker, doing a massage session with Joann, and ordering some AMAZING birria soup, I crawled under the covers of my bed and fell fast asleep.
The next day was not nearly as pleasant.
I had forgotten how truly diabolical the desert can be, I drank SIX liters of water and peed once. Later I even bumped into some lovely ladies and their kiddos at a stream crossing who gave me a glorious ice cold tangerine la Croix.
Still. The desert. She’s relentless. Even with an umbrella.
umbrella bliss
I knew I didn’t have enough carbs in my system nor enough electrolytes. And I was starting to bonk. Or crash. Whichever caloric deficit you prefer.
I went thru the famous danger noodle tunnel, and lo and behold I found some trail magic!
*trail magic*
It helped immensely, but I was a delirious, dangerously close to heatstroke Starfish when in a state of true mental fuzziness I stumbled into the gift shop at Colossal Cave.
I have a hazy memory of walking to the cooler, grabbing a Gatorade, and standing in a stupor of sorts trying to figure out what I needed to do next.
Package. I was there to pick up my resupply package. Once that was sorted and I sat in the shade for a bit I came around. It was fun to see what my past self had sent my future self.
3 day resupply!
I ordered a large prickly pear ice cream cone which Colossal Cave is known for, unrolled my tent footprint, and fell asleep on it immediately after consuming the treat.
When I awoke, the tourists were gone, the cave tours ended, and the gift shop closed. I waited another hour for sunset and set off to hike the last 7 miles to the border of Saguaro National Park under the light of a full moon and a billion stars.
Never stop exploring. Embrace the suck. I. Believe. In. YOU. kk ily <3
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