I kept walking (actually, for full disclosure, I drove ten minutes from the Lost Horse Mine trailhead to the Ryan mountain trailhead, and then kept walking). I’d seen my fill of joshua trees (see previous entry) but my legs were rearing for some more exertion. Must have been the need to burn all the extra energy I got from the generous dose of honey I spiked the thermos of tea with, which I had just sipped sitting in a rare shaded spot, on the trunk of a broad, lazy leaning joshua. Or perhaps I was all charged up from the breezy weather. Or I felt like I had to reach a certain level of exhaustion before calling it a day, having paid a whopping thirty bucks to enter the park. Beats a gym membership, but I’m used to walking for free.

At any rate, if I was statically charged when I started up the short climb, I got juiced to the bones by the time I rambled back to the car, hanging on to my hat.