Addicted

Two years ago I would have denied it completely. Me? No, it could never happen to me. I told myself that I would never get into that stuff. But now, after a year and a half in the new environment of the west, I am fully prepared to admit that I'm addicted. Completely. I can't help it. I spend my work days dreaming about it. I feel as though I can never get enough. Every high has me yearning for the next fix. I couldn't quit it if I wanted to... I am addicted to the desert.

It's hard to imagine, as I look about my room, that I could ever fall in love with the desert. Every picture hanging on my wall has water in it in some form or another. Nine out of every ten books on my shelf has to do with rowing or the ocean or both. Zero have to do with the anything remotely dry. My dreams are of waves and tides. My heart lies in the ocean... yet, here I am, smack dab in the middle of the Sonoran Desert and loving every minute of it. Maybe it is as the America song goes... "The ocean is a desert with it's life underground, And a perfect disguise above." Maybe I'm just addicted to deserts in all of their shapes and forms. Nevertheless...

It's not hard to be addicted during this time of year. It's just the beginning of the Lenten season, but it feels more like Easter. Cool mornings, bright sunny afternoons, and evenings that are custom built for barbecuing make it easy to fall in love with the desert.

This past week was incredible. Days were filled with new exciting work on my next HIV protein and I even took some never-before-seen electron micrographs of Irene's VLPs (i.e.... I'm gettin' published, woohoo!!!). Evenings were spent climbing, biking around Papago Park, playing kickball, and cooking with the roommates.

Although the work week was exciting in and of itself, by the time that Friday evening rolled around, my veins were pulsing, itching for the mountains and the rocks and the sand... a fix that the desert gateway of Papago Park was not going to satisfy. Early Saturday morning, I loaded up the Jeep with my bike and headed down to the green hills of South Mountain. It seemed that everyone else in the greater Phoenix area had the same idea as I did, but I didn't mind, because South Mountain is a big place. I spent the greater part of the morning riding the Desert Classic and trails that branched off of the main trail. After gaining my full confidence on the bike back, I started exploring the northeast part of the park. I had never biked in that area before, but its green hills and fast, steep sections kept me busy until the early afternoon. After a quick lunch of Clif Bars and a ubiquitous banana (I can't get enough of them... they taste soo good!), I headed up the two miles of the fire road to the National Trailhead. After a quick calculation of the number of bikers and hikers on the infamous trail, I decided that maybe I shouldn't try to tackle the massive uphill just yet. I locked the bike up to a Palo Verde tree and took off on my own on a trail less traveled, getting away from the crowds and enjoying the views from the mountain tops, the silence and seclusion of the valleys, and the scrambling on the rocks in between. After a good full day outdoors, I went back home to grill out and spent the remainder of the evening with friends on Mill Ave.

The next morning, several of us headed out to the Supersition Mountains for one of my favorite hikes: Flat Iron. It's a six mile round trip hike through the newly green landscape of brittlebush and sagebrush up through the red rocks and waterfalls of Siphon Draw, and a final scramble gaining 3000 feet up to the top of the perfectly flat plateau that resembles Pride Rock from the Lion King. Although it was 70 degrees and sunny, there was still a bit of residual snow at the top perfect for making snowballs and eating. Although the area wasn't too crowded, I saw several friends (including my mentor and his family!) along the way, making the hike even better. It was an incredible hike, but we were back in Tempe by midafternoon. After grabbing a bite to eat and reading for a little bit, I decided that it was a sin to spend one more second inside on such a beautiful day, so I rolled the bike out the door and spent the rest of the day playing around Papago Park, honing my jumping skills on the little dirt BMX course at Canal Park and gaining speed with every mile around the Buttes. As the sun started to set over the Estrellas, I headed home with a massive smile on my face and adrenaline coursing through my veins.

The hikes and biking gave me enough of a high to last me through to the next weekend, though I know that in a few days, my heart and lungs will be craving the hills and rocks and I'll have to appease my desert addiction once again.