Deserted in Mojave National Reserve -

When you travel to the desert in the middle of the summer, it is a given that you will be on your own. While I do prefer solitude to most company, it is more about the Milky Way season for me. The desert is dark, free of artificial light of development. The weather is generally consistent, unlike say the mountains–where I spent the latter part of my trip. (Though flash flooding would close many of the roads I traveled mere days earlier!)

Another potent draw is just how different it is from where I live in New York City. Everything. The things that grow, the landmarks in the distance, the feel of the air. Day one was spent gazing upon this new form of land… and dancing in the intense heat, briefly, in Mojave National Preserve.

The sun’s fade is more intense here, luring me to stop driving constantly to see its handy work.

A sexy pink phone

Once at Mojave National Preserve, I wanted to hike to the Kelso Dunes. It was only 3 miles round trip, but it was a foolish idea. There was no coverage or relief from the blazing sun; sand is more difficult to hike in; and there was an elevation gain of 600 feet. I did start out on the hike after putting on my desert hat, cooling towel and topping off my water, but only went about half a mile.

What was unnerving more than the heat, the sand and the elevation gain was the way sound was traveling in the desert. My bag with my camera scraped noisily on my side but it was amplified with nothing to absorb it. It sounded as if someone was coming up behind me–at every step. My perception was altered by all the elements… and I felt kind of like a cartoon character whose eyes start to spiral while psychedelic music plays.

So I headed back. My next stop would be in a cave, away from the sun. So I admitted defeat and moved on. It is important to read the signs your body gives you and honor them.

Next it was onward to the Lava Tube trail. The trailhead is not very far from the Kelso Dunes geographically, but the access road (Aiken Mine Road) is probably the most annoying road I have ever driven on. Try to go faster than 10 miles and hour and you are noisily shaken into submission by the gravelly bumps. Given this, it takes a while to reach the circular parking spots at the trailhead. Once you begin the hike, you won’t really see signage for the lava tube, a cave for all intents and purposes. But veer uphill to the right and you will come upon its opening very quickly. If you hike for more than 5 minutes, turn around because you must have missed it.

Here is the entrance…

The ladder is steep but sturdy. I was holding camera equipment knowing I’d likely need a tripod to shoot in the low light of the cave. That made it more difficult to get around once I headed down.

There are VERY narrow parts and deep and slippery clayish mud puddles in all the best places to walk… again the camera equipment made walking more difficult. Not only did I have to crawl on my hands and knees where the cave floor was drier, I needed to toss my camera stuff ahead of me to be able to be small enough to navigate under the rock formations. Anyway, I am just saying so you don’t wear your fancy gown when you explore the cave.