On our first day in Aruba, we arrived late at our cottage at the edge of a desert that two years ago was designated as a national park. Since it’s a new park, there are no official entrances, no park rangers, no paved roads, just double-track dirt paths through the rocky, rolling landscape. Even though it was dark, Megan and I and her cousin, Avery, who had joined us on the trip, decided to walk out into the desert with a lantern. Trish opted to remain at the cottage, and as it turned out, she made a smart decision. We’d walked along a path for about a quarter of a mile, mostly with the lantern turned off so we could see that vastness of the star-studded sky.
We were about to turn back when we stopped, listened closely, and realized we could hear the ocean pounding on the shore in the distance. So we decided to continue on, walking into the wind. About a mile or so later, we found the beach and explored the rocky shoreline. It occurred to me that it was a great night for an adventure, and I put out a wish to the desert spirits that something unusual would happen. I didn’t know it, but Megan did the same. And, oh, we found our adventure soon enough.
We started back, but became confused about the location of the trail. So, with the lantern on, we headed cross-country along an uphill grade. Big mistake. Soon, we found ourselves surrounded by tall cactuses, imposing rocks, thick hedges of prickly cactuses, steep drops and sharp climbs. There were also golfball-sized cactuses growing low to the ground, and it was impossible to avoid all of them. The spikes pieced Megan’s foam sandals and penetrated the bottom of her feet. I pulled out as many of the thorns as I could by the light of the lantern, but she quickly attracted more of them. Meanwhile, Avery was recovering from a sprained ankle and now it was bothering him. Our forward movement slowed to a crawl. Megan could barely walk, Avery hobbled, and they both yelled at me to slow down and come back with the lantern.
Finally, as we reached the top of a hill, we could see the lights on the cottage in the distance, but we couldn’t move toward it. We were blocked and our intended short hike into the desert was turning into a nightmare scenario in the dark, strange environs. By that time, we were all hoping that Trish would drive the rented car out into the desert so we could see where the path was located…and hopefully catch a ride back. No such luck. The key was in my pocket.
So we decided the only thing to do was to backtrack to the beach, and find the trail, basically starting over on our return trip. That’s when I put out another silent call to the desert spirits. “Never mind about the adventure. We just need to find the way back to the cottage.” I repeated it several times. With Megan’s feet and Avery’s ankle, this journey could take us well into the night.
Megan started shouting for Trish, who we later learned had heard her shouts and started scurrying around the cottage, looking for the car keys, then a flashlight that worked. She started out into the desert several times, but her flashlight kept dimming, forcing her to turn back and scour the storage closet for another lantern.
Meanwhile, we knew the way to the ocean was into the wind, which served as our compass. We covered about a hundred yards when eureka, we found a trail. Only thing…it wasn’t the right trail. At that point, we didn’t care. We just wanted to get out of the rugged desert landscape and onto a cleared path. We followed it for about a quarter of a mile when it crossed another path. This time, I knew it was our path, and we turned away from the wind and continued walking.
When the cottage finally came into view again, it was a great sight, and there was Trish standing outside the porch, her dim flashlight barely penetrating the darkness. “What happened to you guys?” she called.
“You don’t want to know,” I said.
“Oh God, my feet,” Megan groaned.
“We got lost,” Avery said.
The first night adventure was over, and amazingly, it had lasted barely an hour and a half. The three of us had thought we were out there for three to four hours. How the desert spirits played tricks with us that night.
Ray – love your stories! Mumba – didn't realize Mumbai was named after a goddess!
What an adventure. I remember visiting one of the Spanish forts on the Pensacola Naval Air Station years ago. It was marked off as unsafe. My friends and I snuck in at night and one of the group went around the interior perimiter passageway in one direction and my other friend and I went around in the opposite direction. We purposely scared the lone adventurer so bad he pulled his knife out. I think when he did that I was more scared than he was.
In Puerto Rico we were walking to the water in our diving flippers to go snorkling when one of our party stepped on a sea urchin. We still went in the water, but as soon as we got back to the ship we had one of our group who was a shell collector remove the stingers using meat tenderizer.
I thought of that when you mentioned the thorns going through Megan's feet. How terrible.
I almost forgot the time I was in Field Medical training at Camp Pendleton. I was playing the game. When someone shot at me (blanks) I jumped off the road into a CACTUS.
I could feel the pain when you mentioned the thorns going through Megans foam shoes. I still can.
Word Verification: Mumba, the localIndian goddess after which the city of Mumbai is named.
Ray
One reason I don't go on desert walks at night is that my internal compass is so bad I can get lost in my own neighborhood!
– T
Whoa! Glad you guys made it back ok! I am always amazed by how a little bit of time and space can become so vast when you are disoriented in the least! I have the WORST internal compass EVER! I probably would have been lost out there all night!
Thanks, Nat!
Deary me.
Sounds like a lesson in being responsible to me.
Glad everyone was safe in the end. Must have been scary there for a while though. Eeek!
Trish ~ Feel free to repost, though there is more stuff that I deliberately left out, out of consideration for the parents. It has to do with the perps. using black magic, and it is crucial to understanding why I was so spooked. I will email that to you as soon as I get a minute.
Good ole trickster….nothing like being lost in the desert. Been there myself, some where between Wickenburg and Prescott (AZ). Took a wrong turn at Wickenburg. Ended up in the mouth of a mining cave. Full moon, very creepy.
Just after reading Sigewald's trickster comment, I went to Gmail and found an e-mail that was sent June 7 to me, our first day in Aruba. I never opened it until a few minutes ago.
What was it? An updated Wily Coyote cartoon with Wily cursing like Bill Mauer on HBO. The trickster up to his ol' tricks!
sigewald – you're probably right about the trickster. Cells phones didn't work where they were lost! Megan's feet are fine now.
Nancy – so right. You hear that shout…
I believe the trickster spirit surely plays a hand in these type misadventures. A few years ago, my wife and I lost our way in broad daylight at a State park near our home. We were caught in a sudden summer storm, the rain bending down limbs and leaves and suddenly the landscape was obscured and foreign. We could only have been 50 yards from the parking lot but could not find our way out of the woods and kept finding ourselves on a circuitous route, crossing and recrossing the same paths as if we were in some weird labyrinth. I finally called the Park office on my cell and after talking to a ranger, found a road leading out but 2 or 3 miles back to our departure point. Our inability to find our way out and finding ourselves back at the same place so many tmes was a waking nightmare which to this day, I still can't understand. HA – I suppose it's a good maxim, "be careful of the adventure you wish for…" Hope Megan's feet are okay.
Geeze, glad everyone is okay. Sounds a tad scary. Poor Trish – nothing worse than having your child call to you and you can't get to her!
what an absolutely incredible [almost funny – well, now it is, right??? story] – and trish back at the ranch!!! what a deal! vicki d's comment is interesting in that i've also discovered the same thing, in my own life – once i surrendered to the universe, it was magic – all falling into place –
anyway, loved the drama and thrill and spirit of this little windy desert adventure! an adventure to remember for sure – and a very neat photo with it! thanks so much for sharing!
and, mister indiana jones getting lost!!! love it!!! 😉
I suppose you got what you asked for: something unusual. This will, no doubt, stick with you for years and years while other bits of Aruba may tend to fade.
Ahhh…be careful what you wish for.
I have had something similar like this happen and when I stopped and tried to figure out "what went wrong" I realized I was in over my head, and as soon as I accepted that and said "OK, I need help" I got it.
The Universe is very complicated but one thing I keep learning is that I do have to be careful what I wish for.
I found it interesting Trish was not with you and couldn't get to you right away, which again makes me feel that this was a lesson.
No matter what I am glad that you are all okay.