The World is Calling

The time has come once again, the world calls my name, and I shall travel. I don't know where or for how long, all I know is that I shall graduate with a degree in Wildlife Biology, and by January 2010, the world is my playground.

















This Chapter of My Life is Coming to an End. This will be the last post on this blog, for a new chapter is about to begin. Similar to the rest of my life, this new blog is under construction, preparing to Launch for the New Journey ahead. I'll keep you posted, but for now the site will be Capri Journey



It's finals week now, only a few tests remaining before my next Adventure. Wish me Luck!

July's Adventures

Workin out at the canyon. I found this great spot with a deep maroon tree that matched the earth it grew in. It was seen right at sunrise, and was simply spectacular!


Fire can do strange things... You got to be careful that things like that don't fall on you!


There were three elk with antlers just as big! Its not easy to get a night shot of them, but I tried! There are animals EVERYWHERE! Especially in the night.


Uh... I locked my self out of the car? I almost knocked myself out trying to get in. HaHA, no joke. I got witty and grabbed my gerber out of my pack... got a piece of barbed wire... and tried for like an hour to hit the switch.

Well I pryed the door back a bit so that it would be easier... it was!! Then the knife broke, and I wacked myself in the head with the gerber. OUCH!! I had a huge bump for about a week.

I got in... eventually. Now I try to keep the spare key on me instead of INSIDE the vehicle.

Photos at Sunrise and Sunset at the Canyon

Thunderstorm and Miraculous things at the Canyon

Last night there was the most stunning thunderstorm . The sky was a creamy orange and red as the sun began to set, and deep purple clouds melted back to the red rusty dirt, deep into the canyon. Lightening light up the sky and would curve for miles in the most unusual ways. A picture would never do it justice.

I spoke with my only neighbor, a lady who is a lookout in the fire tower down the road. She told me that there is an albino mule deer living near my camp. I haven't seen it, but I sure hope I do.

Blurb.....

Its hard to believe my time here at the Grand Canyon is nearly over... The summer just flew by! Its strange to think that I have so few photos or blogs for this time, and memories and experiences are so many!

Ever since I left New Zealand, I've had a difficult time re-adjusting to the American Lifestyle. I just needed to get back to Nature! It's hard when you make tons of friends and have the best time of your life... and then just leave it all behind. Its like I left my life. It was nearly 5 months of intense studying and 'adjusting' before I started this job. I MISSED MY FREEDOM!!!

Thank you David Willey, my boss, for giving that back to me! I am loving my time here at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon! I am hosting Couch Surfers, who are as happy to see me as I them! I've been on the prowl to find an albino deer that lives near me. There is a Great Horned Owl that lives near my campsite... I call him Earl. I don't know why.

One night he was hooting right by my tent for over 4 hours... I lye awake, and came up with that name for him. " Excuse me Earl... I'm trying to sleep!" I would yell at him. Haha, he got quiet. "Thank you Earl"... then he continued. Haha. I think he was telling me that I was a guest in HIS home.

I've been seeing many signs of Cougars around my camp site, including scat... and CS'ers reporting a "large animal" checking them out at night. Well... I teased them, but that cat decided to check out my tent while I was sleeping too. It put a paw up, about a foot from my head, probably playing with the tent material.

I was less concerned considering the food was in the other tent. But I'll tell you, I finally got the courage to sit up and shake my tent and yell at it "Hey get outta here". I didn't have the courage to open my tent and look, I really want to believe it was just my imagination. Well then the next night I spotted it crossing the road about a mile from my camp. Since, I've been told that I am directly by of the most concentrated areas of cougars in the park. Hmmmm... Here kitty kitty kitty...

I saw a set of ring tails (like a raccoon) when I hiked into the Grand Canyon a couple of days ago. The canyon was incredibly hot, about 150 F in the middle of the day. By 2am it finally cooled down below 90 degrees.

In the Moment

Life is a funny thing, strange how some things happen, and you never expect to find yourself where you are in that moment. Sometimes it's like a dream, like reality no longer exists and that you will be indulged in some blissful fantasy and that there is nothing more to life, to anything. Just simply in the moment, happy.

There are times where you may be indulged in great fear, where your bones tremble and you fear for not your life, but your soul.

In these moments, such extremes of life, they are what make it all worth living.

There were time where I found myself alone in the woods, complete darkness. I've lost my map, my GPS is not working, and I swear the compass just said North was behind me not in front. Animals howling in the night, my headlamp no longer worked, and I dropped my bag in the darkness... that's where I keep my spare light (which didn't work either).

I've come to accept several times again that I may not make it out of this nightmare. But just like a dream that you wake up from, you use everything you know and your senses, instincts, come alive.

Look for the moon and stars, listen for signs of human activity, find that backpack, and trust your compass. Look at the terrain and smell the air for the moisture in the meadow. Where have the trees been burned, where do the animal trails lead to?


... and sometimes, when you aren't looking, just living your life as a dream, you meet the most incredible person....


I'm living my life, in every way I know how to. Sometimes I'm happy, scared, sad, full of adrenalin... but even in the saddest most terrible moment, I stop and remember, this is the best time of my life.

Happy 4th of July Everyone!!

There is going to be a HUGE water fight at Grand Canyon National Park... and I'll be right in the middle of it. If I'm lucky I'll be on the firetruck... never run out of water ;) Just spent a few CrAzY days in Vegas!! Not much of which I remember... just kidding. It was crazy though... 99 cent margaritas, penny slots, all the entertainment you could ever want, and the Most Interesting people you could ever hope to sit and watch. I saw the 15 acre flamingo habitat, nude swimming pools everywhere, white tigers, I stood underneath a glass tube below two lions... Anything Goes in Vegas! Apparently they have the largest collection of Ligers in the world too.

I went to see Dr. Van Gunther's Body World exhibition, the craziest coolest strangest thing I've ever seen. This world renown anatomist has an enormous collection of human bodies preserved into a self developed process, called plantation that solidifies the parts into a non-decaying state of rubberized material. He dissects to reveal the processes of digestion, circulatory systems, and all bodily processes including abnormalities and repairs. This may freak you out, but I'll tell you what, there is nothing else like it on the planet! From an artistic-scientific view, his works are simply mind blowing! If you are at all interested you should check out his website :

http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/prelude/human_saga.html

Check out google images to get an idea (if this stuff disgusts you, I don't recommend looking)
http://images.google.com/images?q=bodies%20exhibition&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

Anyways, since I've been spending so much time writing my trek through the grand canyon, there is tons that you've missed out on in the mean time... I won't have time to catch you up on all of it, but I'll soon write a post about the monstrous Bear we found in the woods, the coyotes that wanted to eat CB (while doing an owl call), and maybe I'll do a bit about Edward Abby's Cabin (a famous author), where he wrote some of his books here at the canyon. He was also one of the first rangers of the area, and lived at the highest elevation point on the North Rim, about 9,200 feet.

In the mean time, I'm heading off to Lake Powell for the day, just after a BBQ and water fight, for some away time. I'm broke as hell, (despite the theory of being paid for this job), so as always, It'll be interesting!


In Vegas, I spent $37 of the exhibition, $40 on everything else (food and gambling) , $20 on gas... and never needed more. Maybe $100 is expensive... but I had everything I could have ever wanted. Free place to stay, thanks Scott and Pume! and we split up the gas... so a 10h trip was a lot cheaper.

Who says you have to have money to have a good time? I've found quite the opposite!

Grand Canyon Photos

Hitchiking Home

I stared out the window watching the canyon fly by me... so much faster than when I was crossing through the gorge below. We'd stop at the canyon lookouts, and the desert view tower. All the little touristy places that I may have otherwise missed. I dug deep into my pocket to count my change, I was just a dime short of an ice cream. I looked around at the cafe menu for something else before trying to barter with the cashier to give me less than my full serving, to no avail. I asked him what it cost with tax, and asked some foreign lady for a dime. She tried handing me a quarter, and I pointed out the smallest of the shiny coins. I walked back in with a big smile on my face, not so happy at the cashier, who handed me a two inch size cup. I had just paid $3 for ice cream, and he gave me that little thing? I quickly found out that I could pile it on as high as I wanted... I'll tell you I certainly got my money's worth. It was a leaning tower that hung about 6 inches over my cup, smothered in orange cream, chocolate, mint, and vanilla ice cream.

As I piled it on, a man whom I figured worked there laughed, and commented about my sculpture. Then he strangely leaned over to me and whispered in my ear in a graspy, creepy sort of tone, "You're kinda perty..."

My eyes grew huge while I was trying to process what he said, my feet were the first to work, kinda like Fred Flintstone running in place... and I was OUTTA THERE!

In a bit of a panic I couldn't find the girls I was riding with, their names wiped from my memory, and I couldn't even describe the car if I needed to. I thought they would meet me at the Cafe? Panic came over me, my bag was in there car, with everything I owned. My wallet, drivers license, GPS, sleeping bag. Everything I needed to survive. What if I was stuck here with that creepy weird guy?

I took off to the parking lot to see if I could find the car. To my utter relief, there they were, waiting for me. Whew!!!

I snuggled back into my seat, doing the strange little dance to get the door shut- my body mostly out the window. I sat down, blanket on my lap, trying to shovel down the ice cream, which I held out the window. The car's speed picked up once we were on the highway, and melted ice cream was blowing everywhere! It had dripped down to my elbow, was covering my face and hands, while I was doing everything to keep it from spilling in the car.

As I licked the sun baked ice cream off my arms, I started to think that I should leave it in case I get stranded hitchhiking back the rest of the way. To remind me of civilization perhaps?

A strange buzzing came from the car, as I wiggled around in my seat, I found a locust. We had been trying to find one all day. Now there he was. I thought about Stinger, the pet scorpion, and instead of dooming this insect to the desert, decided to take him along as a mascot, and free him back in the woods on the North Rim.

I managed to tie a few pieces of my hair around him as a leash, and kept an eye out. The day flew by, and before I could name my new friend, he flew off too- out the window. I think it was mating season, and you know what testosterone can do. I suppose even if he died out there, at least he was living the way he wanted to- Free.

At the junction of highway 89, where it split in two routes, they pulled the car over so we could part our ways. Before I had even gotten my bag out, a truck pulled off to see if we were having car trouble.

"No I told the guy, the car is fine, but are you heading to Jacob's Lake?" I asked. He looked a bit baffled and agreed that he was. I did a quick look for any signs of creepiness, he passed the test. I explained the situation, and before I knew it had homemade cookies stuffed in my pockets, courtesy of the girls I rode with, and I was well on my way back to the North Rim.

I was surprised at how easy this was, considering that just yesterday I was being sneered at and scolded by snoody tourists. What did they know? If they had any sort of decency they would have offered a ride.

I suppose I am still a little cold towards that so very American attitude. I suppose we all have our reasons right? Ignorance.

I talked with the guy, who turned out to be a construction worker, heading back home to see his family. He told me about his travels, his family, and the new pool business he was going into. He told me stories of the desert, about Lee's ferry and how it use to be the major crossing point of the Grand Canyon.

I was dropped off at the junction at Jacob's Lake, just about an hour north of my final destination. The day had gone much smoother than expected, and I stragegized that it would be better to talk to someone at the gas station than to stick my thumb out.

After chatting with a group of bikers, I started to ask around. Everyone seemed to be going the opposite direction, or show no interest. I waited around for some time, before I decided to call my dad and let him know that I was alright. I called him right before I went on my trip to tell him what I was up to. I probably gave him a few grey hairs (my mom agrees).

I waited for some time, I knew foreign travelers were a better bet than Americans, and I quickly approached a German couple. They seemed to agree, and I'd meet them when they were done visiting the store. They didn't seem to understand much of what I was saying, but the important message got across.

I told them about the owls I worked with, and explained about controlled (and uncontrolled) fires in the area. It was a bit difficult to communicate, but the time I spent overseas has taught me patience. They dropped me off at the Kaibab trail entrance. A trail that I had new understanding and deep respect for now.

It felt as if it were a dream, I couldn't believe that I had finally made it home. I wanted to give everyone a hug, happy to be well and alive. No one was at my camp, but I had never been so happy to be there, and my bed had never felt so soft.

Through the Painted Desert

I woke up sprawled out on a tarp in my sleeping bag, with the others around me doing the same. The morning was chilly, and I curled back up in my bag, letting my full consciousness come back to me. I lay there as long as I could, and while I watched the rainbow boys take their scorpion for a walk. We each pulled out breakfast foods, insisting that the other eat our food... make the backpacks lighter. So in that case, we had a feast! Kool-aid squeezes, mandarins, beagles, coffee... and everything else we could put down.

The other campers were well on their way to leaving the canyon, my signal that I should be up. I hoped that I could strike up a conversation with some woman in the bathroom or something. Either way, they were leaving, and I needed a ride. I quickly packed up my stuff and took a good look around. “What are you going to do,” said Audra? I told her my plan. “I’ll see if I can get a ride with someone in the campground, then I’ll go back to the trail head and try until 9am when I can try again at the rangers station. If all that fails, then I’ll take the shuttle as far as it goes, and try hitching from there.” I knew if even all that failed... I’d have to walk back across the canyon.

“We’re headed that direction... if we can find room, you’re welcome to join us.”
My face light up with excitement. I helped them pack and shove their stuff into the car. I see what they meant by, “if they can find room.” There was a ton of stuff in that little car. Sure enough, I wanted a ride, and helped them make room for me.

There was a bout a foot of seat space behind the drivers seat, and after we got the last 6 blankets stuffed in there, I rolled down the window, stuck my head out, turned sideways in the car, and slammed the door shut. I snuggled into the little space, put another queen sized blanket on my lap, and we were ready to go. All you could see of me is a hand or two and a head. With the window rolled down, and knowing that I was finally headed back home, it was all I could ever want. They were taking me nearly half way back. You would think that since the distance from the two canyon rims is less than 30 miles that it would be a short drive. It takes about 5 ½ hours to drive from one side to the next, and so I was so very thankful for this long ride.

Bleach White Bones

Maybe I’d get some marshmallows and make friends. I was exhausted and too tired to stop by the store. I just missed the shuttle, and as I waited I thought about going up to the lodge to see if I could talk myself into something, anything. I was feeling quite desperate. This was my adventure I told myself, and that would be the easy/dumb way out. I rode over to Mather campground again, where I spotted a ranger. Perhaps someone would be driving to the North Rim in the morning. I spoke with her, and she advised me to stop by the office around 9am. Maybe there would be a ride. Bill had mentioned the ACE crew, an international trail crew who I share a camp with on the North Rim. I couldn’t take it to be criticized by some random group of people again, and I’m sure they would let me stay by their fire. She told me their site numbers, and I walked off towards them (about 2/3 of a mile), disappointed that she didn’t offer to give me a ride.

I walked the loop around the camp sites, with the two white vans nowhere in site. It was well past dark now, and I had no energy to pull out my headlamp. I looked over and saw a nice big fire, decided to ask them about the ACE crew.

“Are they expecting you?” I replied, “They don’t even know I exist.” The woman was about my age and was sitting with three others. “Well you’re welcome to come sit by our fire for awhile.” I dropped my pack, and plopped down by the warm fire. I began to tell them my story while they looked at me in disbelief.

The girl who had invited me over jumped out of her lounger chair, and insisted that I sit. I’ll call her Audra. Audra handed me a beer, and they had to know more. I talked for sometime before I got to learn each of their stories.

The two guys, each with dreadlocks, were hitchhiking to a rainbow gathering in New Mexico. One of them had a pet bark scorpion, about an inch and a half in length and nearly all white. His name was stinger, and was most certainly poisonous. He lived in a small little jar, after the guy had come across him in his backpack. I got a kick out of the daily walks they would take him on. Just tipped him out of the jar and let him stroll around for awhile- simply keep an eye on him. The plan was to release him back in the desert similar to where he was found... he’d be put into the grand canyon with others of his kind.
Audra was traveling with another girl over the last few weeks. Though Audra seemed to be more of an outgoing vegan type, and her friend seemed a bit more conservative, they appeared to be close friends. They had happened to come across the rainbow guys traveling around just earlier that evening. So here we were, a bunch of young adults traveling the world, simply doing what we love to do.

We drank beer and shared stories around the campfire late into the night. Chanting, singing, harmonizing, and playing instruments. These are my kind of people! Audra had asked me about my foot, which was now wrapped up in gauze, and had offered to help heal it. “Anything would be fantastic,” I told her. “Have you iced it?” she said.
“Ice... Now that’s in idea!” After my time in Zion, I had accepted the sad truth that ice wouldn’t last in the desert more than five minutes. Audra gave me that disbelieving motherly look, and quickly brought back a bag of ice for me. She rubbed tea oil on the bag and instructed that I keep it there for the next hour. It stung, but I knew it was for my own good. We continued our conversations around the fire. I held that ice bag on, as the pain grew to be unbearable. I’d listen in, occasionally squishing up my face, and leaning back to help me let the stinging perhaps go unnoticed. I could hardly keep ice on any longer, I was sneakily pulling i
t off when I could. Then finally Audra said, ok you’re done! Thank god! She came back with a cinnamon hot rub, tube out, ready to put over my wounds. I leaned forward pouting a bit, “Please don’t hurt it.”



I knew she had nothing but good intentions, and I was certainly feeling like a bit of a baby. I sat back while she put on the rub, and added Neosporin to my gigantic blister- now the size of a 50 cent piece. Though my foot was numb from the cold ice, it still throbbed (like a mo fo). I wrapped it back up in gauze, and I made sure to not move or let it touch anything. I was having too much of a good time to worry about it now.

I knew I was in great company as when Audra handed me the bottle of jegermister, (to take away some of the pain), and we sung away, harmonizing late into the night...

“Bleach white bones, leave them alone. Let them sit forever on the cold hard stone.”
“Bleach white bones, leave them alone. Let them sit forever on the cold hard stone.”

Hitchhiking back to my Condo Tent- Luxury Home

Early morning came, and I got a text from bill around 5am... went back to sleep, chuckling about the misaligned zipper not only on the doorway, but on the screen as well. haha. It was a cheap backyard tent for kids that they apparently rented. The Korean couple also picked up one sleeping bag to share, in a climate where frost forms at night. Not wonder they were cold. The floor was hard and rocky, but is was SOOO nice to be off my feet.

The Korean guy, the one who fed me steak and rum, and whose name I still don't know, was fast asleep in the sleeping bag. Looks like they had a difficult night sleeping in the outdoors. Maybe they really were from Manhattan, New York. I had a cup of orange juice, and managed to get a hold my owl friend, Bill. We were in the same campground, just a short ways away, but I asked him to find me, cause it might take me forever trying to walk to him. I was moving in a cricked bow-legged fashion, and my muscles were like solid rocks.

Before long Bill showed up, and we got to finally meet. We spoke forever sitting on the Korean's picnic bench sharing stories as if we were old friends.

We began to walk back to his camp site to grab the truck, and Bill looked at me like you would a pitiful dog as I limped along like the crooked old man and his six pence. "I'll grab the truck and meet you back here." I was so happy! Bill grabbed his white work truck, a monster of a truck, and we drove off to find breakfast. It was like being in Disney land, the South Rim was so busy and Made For Tourists! We stopped in the grocery store, which was like a giant gift shop, and grabbed bagels and cream cheese. (Now a becoming a time long tradition for Bill and I). He took me for a nice driving tour of the area, and back in behind the restricted areas for a better view of the canyon. Every time I got out of the truck, it took me at least 5 minutes to get myself wiggled out back onto my soar legs. I certainly looked like a cripple, but I all I could do is laugh at myself.

As I mentioned earlier, Bill had crossed the canyon in 8.5 hours not too long ago, and was still not sure what took me so long. (He would later carry a pack across, slept a good nights sleep along the way, and still took longer than I did).

I met the owl crew on the South Rim, the Condor Crew, and one of the ladies working on Cougars. I mostly slumped around that day, didn’t feel like doing much more than sitting. And in good company too. It was time for Tim’s owl crew to head back into the canyon, and that included Bill too. I borrowed a sharpie marker and made up a nice little sign that said Highway 89 to North Rim. I also added a few hearts and stars for good luck. They crew was rushed off, and Bill said a quick goodbye pointing me in the right direction. You could tell he felt bad about leaving me there like that, but he also thought I pretty frickin awesome and would be just fine (he later told me). I wobbled down the paved trail towards the road that would take me back to my nice soft bed. I stuck my thumb out by the road hoping to at least get a ride closer, it was suppose to be nearly a mile away. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I had to hide in the bathroom a couple of times back at the wildlife center to hide my crying. Though I felt a little desperate and exhausted, it was still an adventure. It was more that not only did my blister cause me severe pain, (I did not mention that it popped on the climb back up), but also that I rubbed my tendons raw in my heels. I was too exhausted to take care of myself, and could sleep in the bushes for the next four days and not care.

As I walked on this path gliding side to side on the outer edges of my feet (it hurt less), the path diverged. No one had mentioned this. No signs, nothing. So I picked a path and continued on. I had to stop a couple of times to break down and cry, but it was all part of the adventure right? I had to say I had a great outlook on the whole situation. The path diverged several times more before I found someone I could ask for directions. I meandered over to a lady gardening, “Oh yeah, its about a mile from here, and she pointed back the same direction I had come from.” ??? She directed me through the branching of the trail, I took a deep sigh and carried on. Tears again, and a smile on my face, I tried to make my way back through. Still managed to get lost... several times over, and stuck out my sign as soon as I found the road. I had no idea where I was, but I was ready to get outta there.

Several vehicles passed me, often with disapproving hateful looks. (Bill had been sworn at, swerved for, and flipped off by tourists on his route back. How awful! What kind of society of I live in?). None of that had happened to me. I got a few smiles, and a couple of people stopped who were headed the wrong direction. I looked at a young guy across the street who wanted to give me a ride, but replied that he was going the other way. I ran off into the woods and cried some more. If I were in any other country, I would have had a ride by now. Full of hate for Americans, I gave up, and cried my eyes out.

Some time later, I got myself back together, and found out where I was. I grabbed a map from the campground laundry mat, and headed towards the free shuttles. I figured that I could take one as far as it would go out of the park. I had such a hard time believing that people could be so cruel. I was dressed in colorful hiking clothes, had a new backpack, and certainly didn’t look like I would cause anyone harm. I’ve always had great luck hitching, and with the most incredible people too.

I slowly made my way to the bus stop, and took it as far as it would go. Struck up a few conversations along the way, but nothing to benefit. I had boarded my third bus by now, and was far away from the park... but I looked at my map, and realized that I had taken the wrong bus. I was far South from where I meant to be, and had to ride it back, 20 minutes into the park again. When I finally reached the pick up point to the correct shuttle, it was already 6 pm, a useless and dangerous time to hitchhike out.

Filled with dismay, sadness and exhaustion, I put on my best smile, and tried to think of a new plan. It was certainly better for me to stay in the park another night than be stranded on an Indian reservation. Bill had warned me that people have been skinned there at night. Lovely.

Maybe if I hung out in front of the fancy lodges I could strike up a conversation and manage to crash a floor in some fancy sweet. It was early dusk, and I sat out by the rim of the canyon. Wind blowing my wild hair, and feeling like I was that crazy mountain woman I had always looked up to. I wondered what the children were thinking as they passed me with their parents. I struck up a few conversations that only ended is disgust and bewilderment at my having crossed the canyon. I pitty these people, they don’t know what kind of life they are missing out on.

A new idea struck me, perhaps someone else had walked this trail from the other rim and would be going back. Someone had to be at least as crazy as me, if not more so?!? I escaped the snoody tourists, and found a little place to station myself at the top of the trail head. Funny enough, people’s attitude here was completely different. It was only a few hundred meters away from the ‘others’, but a totally different world. I chatted up with almost every person who made it back up, each with incredible stories to tell.

Unfortunately none of them had done as I had. One lady joined me to watch the sun set over the canyon, a tradition of hers. She worked at one of the stores as a cashier, and simply couldn’t believe what I had done. “Well, what do I do with you?” She felt a bit responsible for me, like a sweet mother would. I should have just asked her for a floor to stay on, but I didn’t. I was hoping that she would just offer, it was on the tip of her tongue, but I was too busy re-assuring her that I would be fine. I knew I would be.

She went back to her car, not so happy about leaving me, and I made my way back towards the campground deeply disappointed about being stuck. I was 30 miles from home with an empty bank account. I had $5 in my pocket, no transportation, and no place to stay. I knew no one, and the sun had gone off to light up someone else’s day.

Steak and Rum!!!!

The speedy little group that we scared along the trail were nice enough to give us a ride to Mather Campground, where I would try to contact my owl friend Bill. It was already midnight, and I had a feeling that I wouldn't get a response. I found the warmth of the bathrooms, THEY FLUSH!!! and sent a text. I eyeballed the handicap stall which looked surprisingly clean... and warm. It seemed a bit too epic to say I slept in a bathroom stall after the hike, and I wasn't keen on people walking in on to do their business. I wondered back to the little hiker's camping spot with no sign of Bill, and began looking for a sheltered hollow under tree limbs.

They must clean the trees well there, because they all looked too proper and nicely trimmed up. Who cares. William looked at me a bit horrified and offered to build a fire. "I'm too tired to even watch you build a fire, I'm alright." He noticed that the neighbors already had a nice fire going, it couldn't hurt to ask.

As soon as we spoke up, the couple happily invited us to join the campfire, and had poured me a cup of pure iced rum before I got two words in. Sounds GREAT!! They were from New York, they had to look at each other and agree upon it, "Yeah, Manhattan, New York." Originally we are from Korea though.

"Have you eaten?" I was too tired to eat, but he was persistent. "We have steak." My eyes got huge, and glistened like a starving animal. He put a few pieces on before I could say a word, and there was no way that I was going to argue. They were Korean prepared with teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds, medium rare. The best steak I've ever had in my life!!!

We chit chatted about this and that, I was over empowered by endorphins and exhaustion to remember what. They casually insisted that I not sleep out by the fire, and stay in their tent instead. It was supposively a 4 person tent, and I was just so happy to be off the ground. In less than two seconds, I had my sleepingbag rolled out in the corner of the tent and was fast asleep. There was a couple of time that I woke up, once to realize that it was certainly not a 4 person tent, and that I somehow got snuggled in with this couple (???). but again, too tired to care. and once more to notice the Koreans lighting a stove in the middle of the tent because they were cold. I glanced up at the top of the tent- it was mesh, and hid deeper in my bag just in case they burned up all the oxygen in the tent. It even ran through my mind that the whole tent might burn down... but I was too tired to care.