Kearny to Oracle. Halloween, Heat and Patience.
This blog post was originally posted on The Trek right here.
Stats:
Miles: 532.5- 589.8
Days: 28- 30
Halloween Traditions.
What we do in Lithuania.
I’d only seen Halloween in movies before. In Lithuania, we celebrate Visų Šventųjų diena (All Saints’ Day) on November 1st. We visit the graves of our loved ones and light candles to show respect and warmth, and in the evening, if you stand on a hill, cemeteries look like distant cities full of light. It’s one of my favorite days.
Spooky night in Kearny!
Since I am in the U.S., I really wanted to see what Halloween was all about, so we decided to stay an extra day in Kearny with Trail Angels Jeff and Que (shout-out to them for hosting us!).
As soon as the sun went down, elaborately decorated front yards lit up — and oh boy, some people are really invested in decorating here! From inflatable pumpkins to giant, human-sized skeletons, grave diggers, witches, and zombies. Light shows on house walls, talking projections, and moving decorations.
We took chairs to the front yard, along with a big bowl of treats for the kids and a cooler with some treats for adults, and sat there talking as groups of trick-or-treaters showed up — from toddlers who could barely walk to teens who clearly put a lot of thought into their costumes. Princesses, witches, death, policemen, and characters from animated movies I had no idea existed, which made me feel very old.
Once the candy bowl was empty, Kez and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, marveling at every corner.
What a fun night! I think I ate more candy than in my entire 35 years of life combined.
Kearny to Oracle section
There are these amazing temperature pockets in the desert. Uphill it can be really warm, then you go downhill and suddenly the temperature drops by a couple of degrees — and it’s not even a big descent. We pitched our tent in one of those spots. In the evening, when you’re hot and sweaty, it seems fine, but you always regret it in the morning when you have to get out of your warm sleeping bag and pack up your tent, wet with condensation.
We head uphill and it’s pleasantly warm.
“Look, there are four deer over there,” Kez says.
“If anyone asks, we’ve seen none,” I say, knowing hunters are all over this area.
Planes and plains and patience
I look up at the sky. A plane is drawing an orange trail across the sunrise. It’s hard not to imagine myself in one of them. Normally, you wouldn’t associate plane travel with comfort: queues, check-ins, air-pressured cabins that dry your skin out. But here in the desert, it seems like the most luxurious thing in the world. My skin is already tanned and dried like a prune anyway; I didn’t even wash my face yesterday, trying to conserve water, because my filter is clogging and it took me half an hour to filter 2.5 liters. I’d rather drink it than waste it on my face, since the next water source isn’t until tomorrow.
In a plane you get cushioned seats, near-perfect temperature, and they bring you snacks while you watch a movie! You don’t even need to stand up. And if you need a toilet in the middle of the night — a flush one is just a few steps away. You don’t have to roll out of your sleeping bag into the cold darkness and dig a cat hole in rock-hard desert soil, all the while watching for the shine of eyes belonging to something that might want to eat you.
The border seems tantalizingly close and yet still miles away. It is testing my patience, because I’d like to be there already. The flat terrain doesn’t help — it’s close to 90°F (~30°C) with little shade. You push fast miles, hoping it will get you there sooner (even though you know it won’t), and feel your knees slowly baking in the sun.
It’s the mornings and evenings when I stop thinking about the heat and start noticing the beauty — the little bunnies, the lizards, the cholla cactus forests glowing in the light. I know I’ll miss the trail when it’s over; yet somehow all I can think about all day is cold sparkling water with a splash of orange and the sound of ice cubes in a glass.
Oracle
We roll into Oracle half a day earlier than planned, after walking 28 and 23 miles the two days before, visit the local coffee place (a must!), and settle in for the night in Ann’s super-comfortable trailer.
There’s a dog here, Scooby-Doo, the Great Dane with a strong preference for ladies. Poor Kez is stuck doing laundry while this giant black dog hovers nearby, growling suspiciously but silently.
Tomorrow we start walking the last big section — all the way to the town of Patagonia without stopping for zeros or neros. It should take us a little less than a week. And then we’re almost there.
Things I learned along the trail.
I decided to add this bit at the end of my blog posts because I like learning about the places I walk through. I’m not local, so if you notice that I’ve misunderstood or missed something, please feel free to point it out in the comments.
1. Wildflowers
2. Cacti
3. Both Kearny and Oracle relied heavily on the mining industry. Each town once housed many more people, but when the mines were relocated or shut down, thousands moved away, leaving the towns to adapt economically to whatever the future held.
4. Finally figured out what smells so good on trail! It’s Wright’s Beebrush. It smells of something sweet and herbal, like a honeysuckle mixed with mint. To me at least.