![]() ![]() I came to the top of the rise and saw that the terrain flattened out ahead into a wide plateau. Some hours in, I was breathing hard as I reached a slightly hillier bit of the trail. The hike in was uneventful – I won’t bore you with all the details, but it was great terrain, a clear and easy trail through the desert shrubland. I couldn’t see any buzzards around, but if there was something dead nearby I didn’t want to be anywhere near it if the wind kicked up again. ![]() “Ugh,” I said, setting off again and picking up the pace. The breeze died down and the smell went with it. “Smells like something died…” I muttered to myself. I winced as the warm air hit my face, because the smell it wafted towards me was terrible. There was the slightest breeze, but with it came the hint of something behind it. I’d gone no more than a couple of hundred yards when I slowed to a stop, nose in the air. I reached into my pack for my sunscreen and slathered some on my arms and neck, before turning off my phone (I’d called my sister before I left town to let her know my plans) and stowing it and my keys away, shouldering my things and setting off up the trail. 22 caliber it wouldn’t be too heavy, and I’d packed it into a light soft-case that’d fit alongside my pack. I’d thought hard about whether to bring the rifle – it was extra weight after all, and odds were I wouldn’t need it but last time I’d been out hiking overnight I’d had a far-too-close encounter with a coyote that’d left me wishing I had something more than rocks to protect myself with. I opened the door to my back seat and got out my pack, hat and rifle. As I did, I took a second glance at the other parked car. I got out and stretched, looking around and spotting the low sign that marked the trailhead. The area was almost empty, only a single other car parked up. “Parking lot” would have been too generous a title it was really just an unsealed area next to the highway with a signpost announcing the entrance to National Park territory. Should be a good chance to relax and get away from it all.Įventually, I reached my destination and pulled off the asphalt of the road and into the gravel of the parking area, tires crunching as I slowed to a stop off to one side. The deserted road suggested I was right in thinking that nobody came this far out. I’d already walked the popular day trails in the area, so I was looking into for something a bit farther afield – the plan was to camp out under the stars and head back in the morning. I live in a desert State (no, I won’t tell you which one), and I figured there’d be some stunning views of the constellations in the cloudless sky at night, especially since it was forecast to be a moonless night. My plan was to head into the wilderness and camp out overnight under the stars. I suspected this was because it was much further out than the regularly visited trails, only accessible from a branching road that pretty much led to nowhere. The land was technically part of one of the nearby National Parks but was only barely mentioned on the Park’s website. It’d lead up towards some serious wild territory, with nothing around for hundreds of miles. I’m an avid hiker but since many of the hiking trails I’d normally frequent had become almost crowded as of late, for this trip I’d settled on a trail I’d vaguely heard of but knew next to nothing about. ![]() As I pulled off the main highway and onto the branching road, I was struck with the sense that I was going to be very alone out here. ![]()
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