DESERT RAT JOURNAL -- Installment 4, 5/24/08

I’m going backpacking today. I’ll be in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, which lies in the Sonoran Desert. I’ve read that cool things sometimes happen in the desert immediately following a rain – e.g., blooming of wildflowers whose seeds don’t germinate until wet – so I hope to see some of that. I’ll be gone one night, maybe two. The terrain is generally level, so even though my pack will be heavy with water and equipment made for car-camping, I should be okay. My ankle is much better and I will be wearing a brace.

There are no trails around here that I know of, so I’m just going to pick a direction and start walking. I have always wanted to do that.

I told Ben I’d give him the coordinates of my point of departure in case he needs to call search party to look for circling buzzards. I will head north from 33°13’56” N; 114°08’44”W. That is, if you take the King Valley Road into the Refuge from US 95, I will depart from somewhere between the intersections with the two dirt tracks that head south to MacPherson Tank. They say buzzards go for the eyes first, so cover your face with a jacket . . .

I will write again tomorrow or the next day.