Flower Power

Who knew the desert could be so colorful? Rare are those occasions when wildflowers bloom, their bright petals turning the dusty landscape ablaze with color and life.

I've always loved flowers - even though I'm a notorious plant killer. I've got my Mom to thank for this one, not the killing part. The beautiful plants and flower part. She's got the most incredible garden and green thumb of anyone that I know, and one step into my parent's house and one is greeted with the earthy smell of potted plants, fresh flowers, and orchids.

I love it.

With this in mind, Nathaniel and I decided to harness the healing power of plants, flowers and all-things-Mother-nature-like, and enjoy a hike near the Anza Borrego Desert (currently in full bloom).

But before I share the beautiful flowers, I need to say something.

Constantly being sick, feeling ill, wondering about my long-term health hasn't been easy. Its been tough, going from racing Ironman Hawaii to being unable to enjoy the lifestyle that I once did. Scary, unnerving, frightening, NOT fair, NOT fun...and filled with worry about why this is happening to me.

After I broke my back, I tried to pretend that everything was okay and convince myself that it was a GREAT thing and that therefore everything would be SUPER. But during that process I lost sight of and completely ignored my true feelings - which (in part) lead to major depression.

Luckily, I've since learned my lesson, and today feel totally prepared to deal with my lack of training, lack of racing.

I've tried to remain as true to myself as possible through this blog. Call it as I see it, one bout of illness after another. And I know that I'm definitely NOT the only person who writes about their journey - the struggles, the hardship, the good and bad, the promise... I try to keep it real; to keep it me. I make no apologies for writing about sinus infection # __________, or about my health struggles.

There may be some who are tired of reading about it, tired of seeing my walk/hike photos. Well, get in line - I'm tired of it too. But it doesn't change the fact that it is happening to me and I have little control over what my body decides to do (or not do). On the flip side, hiking and going for walks is where I feel the most like myself. I'm outside, working towards a goal, learning about myself in the process, and staying physically active -

Which is what I miss so incredibly much.

And if you've had enough of my illness, get in line behind me first and then - you can find another blog to lurk. Because this is MY life; if you're tired of reading about it, you are not welcome here. Imagine for a moment, if you were left wondering, week after week - why you kept getting sick, trying one remedy after another, never entirely sure if what you were doing will work or not. Would you be scared? Would you wonder about your future - let alone your future in sport? What if it was your Mom, Dad, spouse, or friend?

I refuse to give up and will keep searching for answers as long as it takes. And I'll keep writing. The support I've received has been overwhelming; and for that I'm grateful. And at the end of the day, I know that I'm not alone with my struggle - there are others who endure much worse.

I don't usually say anything like this, but for you, Anonymous - I'll make an exception.

For everyone else - thank you for your support. This community is a GREAT one, and I'm truly lucky for the amazing friends I've made.

Now - the power of flowers.

Who knew the desert could bloom? We snapped a few shots on the way to Villager Peak. No - we didn't summit, as the path (or lack thereof) was pretty terrifying. The technical parts of the climb were well beyond or experience, and after finding ourselves on the edge of a 4,000 foot sheer rock face - we did the smart thing.

First: Carefully navigated back towards the trail-like thing we were on before we got there.

Second: Sit down and lean away from the edge. Hold back the tears (that was all me).

Third: Realize that while reaching the summit would be fantastic, that any idiot can make it to the top - but it takes guts to turn around when you can see the peak, but don't feel safe making an attempt. Yes, we still had an additional 700 feet to climb in just over half a mile - but the wind was picking up and for the lives of us, we could NOT find the trail. Period.

Fourth: Descend to a safe spot and cook lunch with great views overlooking the desert floor on one side, and Salton Sea on the other.

Fifth: Pick out the M&Ms from the GORP.

A few shots from our day...

Morning sunrise over the Anza Borrego
Posing before our adventure. The "hill" that we climbed is the claw-like feature over Nathaniel's left shoulder - a little over a mile from where we parked. We followed the ridge-line, wide at first, but narrowing dangerously later on.
Throughout the day, we followed stones pile atop other stones...called "ducks", as our only trail markers.
Finally climbing! (Up up up the claw-like feature...very steep, with a crude trail hacked into the side. Incredible at the same time)
Slopes of Villager, looking towards Rattlesnake Spring Finger.
Nathaniel + flowers + backdrop of desert.
Flowers in bloom...with one of the largest North American scarps (part of the San Jacinto fault) in the background.
More plants in bloom...
One of many sheer cliff drops - somewhere between 3,500-4,000 feet.
Do you see a trail? Our turnaround point somewhere around 5,000 feet.
"We will have lunch somewhere over there!"
Happy to be descending!
One of the many narrow saddles we trekked over. Thankfully there was no loose stone on this one. Interestingly enough (from a geological standpoint) - the white marble you see are some of the oldest rocks in Southern California. Fascinating topography...
Blooming cactus.
Many cacti on the lower slopes.
Large Pineapple Cactus.
Farewell flowers! See you next year!