We drove Jim's two wheel drive Chevy truck deep into the Mojave Desert. We were following a rugged and forsaken dirt road up towards Hole in the Wall Canyon. We had packed a picnic lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches, apples, carrot sticks, a twelve pack of water and a six pack of beer. Jim brought a bag of Beef Jerky to gnaw on while he drove.

It was a fairly nice Spring morning when we left the house. The thermometer on the porch read 53*, and the sun was beginning to shine through the high billowy clouds. By all standards, it looked like it would warm up by the time we reached the canyon and we would enjoy a sunny day of mountain climbing, and traversing the area along with our picnic!

The drive was outstanding! There were Cacti in full bloom along the roadside! We even saw a Desert Tortoise forging its way slowly, towards its destination! I had always loved the Desert, especially in the Spring and Fall. I brought my binoculars with me in the hopes of spotting Desert Mountain Sheep. I had heard there was a spring hidden somewhere in the canyons that provided the much needed water for them. I had high hope's of spotting a herd!

Jim was more the mountain conquering type! He was looking forward to climbing his heart out! He was prepared with climbing boots, rope, carabiner and pulley, axe, climbing harness, and, helmet! I was more grounded you could say!

Jim's truck had no problem with the rocky path or small holes and rises we encountered. I was a little worried when we had to plow through a modest dry wash.  The truck bogged down a little bit and I was afraid we were going to get stuck! Jim was able to maneuver us on through it, thankfully!

It took us nearly an hour and a half of driving at speeds between ten and twenty miles an hour on the dirt road, to reach our target at the bottom of the mountain where our designated picnic area was.
 We had left the house at 9:00am. It was already 1:00pm. Jim was, "as hungry as a bear." At least that is what he said! Which was unbelievable after the breakfast he had eaten!  So we unpacked everything and had a tailgate picnic! It was a good thing I had made several sandwiches for each of us to eat throughout the day! He ate three of his already, plus an apple and a hand full of carrot sticks. He drank a bottle of water and washed that down with an ice cold Bud!

After we cleaned up, Jim began dressing for his climb! Within thirty minutes he had dressed and double checked his gear! He hooked a walkie talkie onto his belt and left one with me. I always made sure we had contact with each other. It was safest that way! He put three bottles of water in his backpack with his Jerky and up the mountain he went!

My binoculars, camera and I started searching for flora and fauna! I put water in my belt holder and an apple in my belt pouch and off I went, a groundling through and through!

The weather was still all right, it was in no way warm though, because the sun never made a clear showing. Jim and I both had sweatshirts on and with our continued movement we would stay warm enough. We would be long gone by nightfall when the real cold sets in!
I was thoroughly enjoying my walk through the desert along the mountainside. I had spotted several different kinds of Cacti: Barrel Cactus, Banana yucca. Beaver Tail Prickly Pear,  Joshua Tree, and Jumping Cholla. Many of which had beautiful blooms. There were also many wild flowers:  Desert candle, Desert five-spot,  Desert larkspur, Desert Lily, Desert rock pea, Desert star, Mojave prickly poppy, and White woolly daisy's. The variety of plants with their differing colors were astounding! I was lucky enough to see a few desert animals and reptiles as well: Lizards were plentiful. I saw several Chuckwallas, Common Side-blotched Lizards, Long-tailed Brush Lizards,  Desert Horned Lizards, and a  Desert Iguana., I even stumble upon a snake hidden well in a Desert Sage, I believe it was a Glossy Snake. A Cottontail rabbit caught my eye as it raced across the scenery ahead of me I never could find what it was running from. A coyote maybe?. I was in awe of a gorgeous Red Tail Hawk sitting a top one of the mountain peaks above me as I looked for Desert Bighorn Sheep.

Jim had checked in with me every half hour so far. He was having a blast in the mountain and canyons! We were both so busy enjoying ourselves neither of us noticed the change in weather. The clouds had transformed, they were no longer white and billowy, they were lower now and looked heavy . Worse still they were taking on an ominous ashen color!  My face had begun to feel the bite of the cold breeze that snuck up on me!

I radioed Jim and told him that we needed to head back to the truck and pack up. We didn't need to be caught out here in the rain. We certainly were not prepared for it! He said that he was probably about an hour from the truck. I told him that if I pushed it, I could be there about the same time.

I headed back to camp and about forty-five minutes into my trek, I spotted movement in the mountain! It was my herd of Desert Bighorn Sheep! I stopped and took a few minutes with my binoculars to relish in their majesty. There were a Buck, two Doe and several fawns standing in tiny plateaus along the mountainside. These creatures were magnificent in every way. Their ability to survive in the harshness of the desert was rivaled only by their ability to climb mountains! After several minutes, I bid them farewell!

A few minutes later my walkie talkie began to crackle and shout out static. I listened but couldn't hear Jim's voice. I called to him, but I didn't get a reply. I called him a second time, a third, ... still no answer. My first thought was that he must have somehow dropped his walkie talkie, so I wasn't panicking, yet! I would reach the truck in about fifteen minutes now and Jim would probably be there waiting for me, ready to regale me with his adventures on the mountain!

The sky was getting downright hostile looking now, and I had already felt the light touch of sprinkles on my skin. I heard the challenge of thunder beckoning the flood gates to open wide! I still had not heard from Jim!

Our campsite should be just around the next toe of the mountain. I had tied red ribbons on Creosote trees to mark my way so I couldn't get lost! I had learned this through an outdoors program years ago! It had never failed me! You simply untie them as you return, that way there is no littering involved marking your way!

When rounded the toe,  I didn't see the truck. I was puzzled for a moment, thinking maybe I had another toe to pass still, but then I saw Jim's rope hanging down the crevice above me. His walkie talkie was lying broken inside the cavern. Jim was nowhere to be seen! I began shouting his name, "Jim, Jim." But heard only my echo in the cavern. I walked outside of the cavern and yelled again, "Jim, where are you Jim?"  Again, no answer. My heart was throbbing inside my chest. I continued to call out his name for the next ten minutes, but heard nothing but my own voice and the thunder summoning the rain! Within minutes the clouds began issuing masses of raindrops which were very indifferent to what was happening. What was happening?

I looked where the truck had been parked and saw several sets of footprints. Mine and Jim's accounted for two sets, but whose did the others belong to? Then I noticed something even more disconcerting, blood drops on the ground next to another set of vehicle tracks.

My God, I was stranded in the middle of the desert. It was cold and a storm was brewing. Jim was missing, so was our truck and blood was at the scene! The gravity of the situation had set in! I was in significant trouble and Jim's situation could be even more profound! I was a strong woman and hard to shake, but I was unnerved, and very alarmed! For both of us!

I knew I had no chance of walking out of this desert during a thunderstorm. I had to find shelter and do all I could to keep warm. I found my way into a crevice that had a large hole in the wall of it. It was big enough for me to crawl into. I gathered as much wood from old dead trees and bushes that I could find before the rain began to fall. I made myself a fire pit with rocks, inside the cave. I would lite it when I got too cold to stand it anymore. I had an apple, a bottle of water, a lighter, a compass/watch, a pocketknife, a Band-aid, a one use packet of Neosporin and a miniature flashlight in my belt and belt pouch. Not much, but a few critical things for someone in my situation.

My plan was to wait until tomorrow and hopefully by then the storm would pass, and then I would begin the long hike out of the desert! For now, I would try to settle in for the night and not succumb to hypothermia! It was six o'clock in the evening when the storm clouds opened up and the rain fall became a gusher! The wind was howling much louder than any desert coyote protesting the inclement weather!

The cold had climbed into the hole in the wall with me! It showed no signs of compassion! I could only guess that it was probably in the mid forties at 7:00pm. I had no doubt it would fall below freezing before midnight. I would need to lite the fire at that time, to ward off  hypothermia. I was thankful that I was sheltered from the fierce raindrops that were hammering on the mountain and shredding the blooms on the cacti and desert plants!

By 10:00pm there was a sharp drop in temperature as the wind erupted into a raging bull across the desert, devastating everything in its path. It had begun swirling within the crevice causing an updraft that blew into the hole in the wall where I had found shelter! I pushed my way as far back into the den as I could. I could not leave my hollow to find another, even though it provided little shelter now! If I got wet, I would surely freeze to death! I had to pray for the winds to calm their fury! If the wind did not subside, it would prevent me from lighting the fire I desperately needed to endure the night!

I tried to close my eyes for a while, but it was too frigid to sleep. My restless mind would not have permitted it any way. I could not stop thinking about Jim. I had too many scenarios running through my head, and not one had an optimistic ending! If he was alive, he never would have left me alone in the desert. That one thought over ruled any other!

In an attempt to keep warm. I kept my body moving as much as I could. I pulled my hands inside my sweatshirt and pulled the neck of it up over my forehead. I was trying to keep my hands and face warm. I found that only kept them warmer for a few minutes and stopped me from being able to move around freely. I had to keep moving to keep my blood flowing and keep my temperature up! My hands and face were exposed to the cold and began to lose feeling, at least until they began to hurt!

It was almost 3:00am when the winds were finally appeased and they stopped their assault on the desert! The burning in my fingers nearly prevented me from being able to work the lighter. The pain was as intense as the cold! I did manage to get a fire going after struggling with the chore for several minutes. The dampness was almost too much it nearly prevented the flame from catching on! I dug deep into the pile and found the driest piece I could to use as kindling! Within a few minutes a warm fire was radiating within my hollow and I was beginning to thaw out! My face was stinging and burning as the warmth touched the skin. I knew I had suffered through below freezing temperatures for several hours. I also knew I didn't have enough wood to last for more than maybe an hour and a half! I would stretch it out as long as possible. I prayed that sunrise would come soon, and with it warmer temperatures and the hopes of a dry day!

With the warmth of the fire I was able to close my eyes for a while! My mind still restless, tried pushing away my attempts at sleep, but failed! Exhaustion had overcome my distressing thoughts! I awoke an hour later shivering in the frigid air to the startling sight of a coyote standing not more than two feet away from me. When I moved, it bared its teeth and growled at me. It did not run away, causing a very disconcerting moment! Only a rabid coyote would do that! I was in trouble and knew it! I slowly reached into my pouch and retrieved my pocket knife never taking my eyes off of the savage animal! I gently moved closer to the fire pit, and  I grabbed a piece of tree limb that was still red hot on the end, with my other hand! The coyote moved closer to me. I knew it was going to vault towards me any second. I was as ready for it as I could be!

The Coyote lunged at me with teeth exposed, I thrust the hot poker at it, and plunged it into its ribcage.
The deranged animal fell into the fire pit howling in pain and ran away. My heart was pounding as I hoped it would not return. I threw the rest of the wood on the coals and warmed myself as my heart began settling. I kept the stick in case the coyote reappeared! I wouldn't go back to sleep. Such a indulgence could cost me much more than I was willing to give!

I hadn't much wood left and my fire burned down to coals within half an hour. It was 4:15am and I would have to guess that it was probably around twenty-five degrees outside of my cove and maybe thirty degrees sitting right next to the coals. It was still below freezing either way! I was feeling that familiar pain in my hands and face again. Another hour and the sun should finally stick its head over the mountain top and yell, "here I am." How I wish Jim would!

 I could still only imagine what had happened to Jim. He was one of the best friends I had ever had. It was so cold, I swear the tears were freezing to my face!

I kept moving, but it didn't seem to be doing much for me! The icy air was making it hard for me to breathe. My lungs and sinuses were beginning to hurt. My ears and nose burned until I could no longer feel the incredible pain. I knew that I had frostbite. I was scared now. I didn't want to lose body parts along with Jim as the final outcome of this disastrous day trip gone seriously wrong! I felt like someone was laughing in my face!-

I was getting really hungry, so I cut my apple in half and ate one part of it. I kept the other piece for later. I drank a few swallows of my water too. I kept the rest of it for the long excursion back to civilization.

As I rocked back and forth in my lair trying to find even the smallest bit of warmth, I heard the rustling sounds of something outside. I grabbed my flashlight, knife and stick, and then maneuvered to the edge of my cavern. I couldn't see anything at first, but I could still hear the strange noises. I moved the light around the ground a few feet below me fearing the sick coyote had returned. The animal startled by my beam was a small Mule Deer. It stopped eating from the bush nearby and stood still mesmerized by the light! I was momentarily comforted by its beauty but suddenly out of the dark, a Desert Mountain Lion pounced on it taking it down in a cruel and hostile struggle to the death. Though an instinctive part of nature, I was repulsed by the sight! I removed my light from the savagery and crept back into my cave! The Lion, I knew would have no reason to bother me since it would have a full stomach, thanks to the Mule Deer!

When the sun rose, I was still alive! It was 5:26am .No coyote had ravaged my body, A Mule Deer most probably gave its life for me, and I had not fallen into a hypothermic coma! I would never look at a sunrise the same again! At one time I saw magnificent beauty, colors that melted into each other creating a pallet so rich that a painter would be envious! From now on what I would see, is warmth!

The temperature was finally rising along with that wonderful, fiery ball in the sky! As my frigid body parts began to thaw out, the pain began to set in again! It was excruciating! My finger tips were dark, nearly black. I tried to see my reflection in my knife blade, but it wasn't wide nor clear enough. It was probably a blessing!

I crawled out of my cove and began my long journey towards the populous! If God was with me during any part of this catastrophe, I would make it before nightfall! I could follow the dirt road all the way to the asphalt. Hopefully there, I could find help! I grabbed my faithful prod to use it as a walking stick. I put my belt pack back on, attached my water bottle to it and began the long walk home!

It was probably sixty degrees by 8:00am. The dark clouds had cleared and made way for the sun to shine! This was a blessing and a curse! There would be no rain but it could end up being a warm and humid day! This would not be good for a long trek across the desert! I would be coming out of the ice box into the frying pan!

For now at least I was no longer frozen and I had probably already made my first four miles of the day! I stopped and sat on a rock for a few minutes, and took a swallow of my water. Then I took up my staff again and moved on. I came across another Desert Tortoise, I wondered how they survived out here. They were slow but steady, maybe I had better take notes! I slowed my pace a little so I wouldn't burn out!

By 10:00am, my guess was the temperature had increased by a good ten degrees. I had made it another three miles by my speculations. I was beginning to sweat and had taken off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waste. It was time to find a rock and sit again! I was thirsty. I took two swallows of my water. I also ate half of the piece of apple I had in my pouch! Within twenty minutes I was back on the road once more.

At noon, It was sweltering and the humidity made it feel hotter than I knew it was. It was probably somewhere around eighty degrees. The Spring weather felt much more like Summer.  I was struggling to breathe freely. I had become dizzy so I sat down and laid the shirt over my head, keeping the sun off of it for a few minutes. I drank a few more sips of water and ate the rest of my apple. I only had a few sips of water left and then I would have to find some! I had walked a few more miles at most.

After resting for half an hour, it was time to get back on my feet. I wrapped my sweatshirt around my head hoping to shade it, and some of my face the rest of the way! The sun beating down on my frostbitten nose and ears was agonizing. Along the trail I caught a glimpse of nature's wonders now and then, I was sorry I could not enjoy them more. I saw a beautiful Desert Kit Fox sauntering across the road ahead of me. I imagined, he had a jackrabbit in his sights! 

When I went to sit on a large rock next to a Desert Sage, I was nearly struck by a Mojave Green Rattlesnake who didn't want to share its territory. If I hadn't had my walking stick, it would have sunk its fangs into me instead of the rod! I was able to throw it off into the desert and run away with the only injury being to my pole!

I found another rock to sit on, far away from any greenery! It was two-thirty now. I drank the rest of my water. The sun was nearly full in the sky. I imagine it was probably near eighty-five degrees with at least 75% humidity. It was a dangerous combination without water! Only in the desert could you find such extremes between the night and day! Right now, I wished I was anywhere else! I calculated that I had forged ahead another four miles.

If it was the weekend more than likely I would have run into off-roaders by now! Jim and I both had our days off during the week. This made our circumstances even more unfortunate. If off-roaders and other campers had been around Jim would have been safe and I wouldn't be stuck walking for what is probably twenty miles in the middle of the Mojave Desert! 
I was getting thirsty again. I knew I hadn't consumed enough water today. I started looking for Cacti to get water from! I kicked over a Barrel Cactus exposing the roots, I used my pocket knife and cut a large chunk of the root off and began chewing it! I followed this same routine several times until my thirst was quenched. I found a Beaver Tail Prickly Pear Cacti, carefully removed a piece of fruit and cut off the thorns. I peeled and ate it! I needed nourishment as well as fluid! I picked another, prepared it and put it in my pouch for later. I sat for fifteen minutes before I ventured forward! I had only made it about a mile this time! It was 4:45 and I was unquestionably tired. I was moving too slow now!  I still had about five miles to go and the sun was nearing the mountain again! I could already feel a coolness to the air!

I tried to pick up my speed, I knew I had to reach the pavement before nightfall. I wouldn't make it out of  here without any shelter in the freezing cold another night. If I didn't make it to the asphalt before dark, finding anyone out on the back roads after dark would be by the hand of God alone! My feet and legs were throbbing with every step I took. My fingertips were blistering and beginning to bleed. I was finding it hard to hold onto my staff. I took my sweatshirt off and cut the lower arms off of each one and made makeshift gloves out of them. It wasn't long before blood soaked through them. At least they were cushioned from the harsh texture of my walking stick!!

The sun was quickly descending now, it was 6:00pm and only the tip of the large burning sphere could be seen above the mountain! I put my sweatshirt on an hour earlier. At my recent speed I figure I had made it about a mile and a half.  I had to stop again. It was time for that prickly pear! I consumed it and looked for a nearby Cacti for some water. Once quenched, I hit the road again. Within minutes, I was treading my path in the dark with only my flashlight and the moon to lead the way! I couldn't grant myself time to sit and rest. With the darkness comes the bitter cold!

Within an hour, my flash light was growing faint. With it so were my hopes of reaching help before it was too late! My progress was slowed in the dimness of the night! My heart was sinking as fast as the sunset had! I turned the flashlight off, sat on a rock and had a good cry! I was exhausted, in severe pain, hungry, thirsty, cold, worried about Jim and still at least three and a half miles away. It was dark and I had only the slightest possibility of getting any help before tomorrow! I had every right to finally let the dam open wide! After a few generous minutes of wailing, I pulled myself together and put my energy to better use! Back on the path again, one step in front of the other!

I was moving along fine until I came across that wash! It had been dry the day before as I remembered! It was now about twelve feet wide, and a raging river! I walked about a quarter mile in each direction away from the road and found no way across it! I picked up the largest rock I could, struggling to carry it, I threw it into the torrent and it quickly disappeared. It was evident that it was too deep and swift for me to cross safely. I was devastated! Once again, I was faced with natures fury!  A flood of emotion came over me and I cried out, "Why God? Fine, then you get me out of here!" Then I laid down in the dirt and sobbed!


I cried myself to sleep. The emotions and exhaustion took over my body and I slept for over an hour. I woke up shivering! Automatically I thought of the warmth of a fire! "Fire!" I yelled out hysterically, and I began gathering rocks to make another fire pit! This time a large one. Then I gathered every piece of wood I could find within a quarter mile range! By 9:00pm I had built a very large bonfire! I looked up and exclaimed, "Thank you God." Someone was bound to see it from the road, hopefully a highway patrol officer! Fires were not allowed in the desert. The only chance I had was for someone to see it and turn it in as a wildfire or illegal fire! I sat as close to it as I could without getting burned,  to stay warm. It was giving off an amazing amount of heat.

All I had to do now was to sit, wait and pray!  I had to pray that someone would see it before it burned out and I froze to death! I closed my eyes and prayed for God to open someone's eyes! I was anxious and the pain in my fingers was much worse after moving rocks and gathering wood. I had to change the dressing which meant cutting more of my sleeves off. My hands looked bad but my fingers were shocking! The flesh had begun falling away from the bones at the tips of my fingers. I used the Neosporin on the worse fingers because there wasn't enough to cover all of them and then I wrapped my hands in the home made bandages. I knew I would lose most of my fingers up to the first knuckles, a few maybe even to the second knuckles. Right now I felt blessed to even be alive and sitting by a warm fire!

I was tired and dozed off. The warmth of the fire and its gentle crackling sounds lulled me to sleep. When I awoke, it was to the sound of a helicopter!  I grabbed my stick and lit the end on fire, then I stepped back away from the fire and wrote S O S in the air with it, over and over again! The helicopter flew closer to me and finally landed several hundred yards behind me. I am sure it was so the blades would not spread the fire outside of the ring. I limped towards the bird as I saw flashlights coming towards me, when I got close enough I could see they were Highway Patrolmen! I had never been so happy to see lawmen in my life! I nearly fell into the arms of one of them! He helped me to the helicopter and I told them about the disappearance of Jim and his truck and my survival story! One officer stayed with me while the other went and put out the flames that had saved my life!

I was being flown to Loma Linda Medical Center for Critical Care while the Highway Patrol put out a missing persons report for Jim and his truck!  I was absolutely shocked when the dispatcher came back within fifteen minutes with a 10/20 on Jim! He was in Loma Linda's Intensive Care Unit. A couple of off-roaders had found him lying at the bottom of the crevice where his rope had been hanging. He was unconscious. They had no cell phone signal so they took their chances with moving him, they put him in their truck and one of them drove his truck so it would not be left behind! As soon as they got into cell phone range they called 911 and an ambulance met them at the asphalt. A tow truck took his truck to their impound yard. Since he was still unconscious, the ambulance called for Life Flight and they picked him up and flew him to Loma Linda. He apparently fell while repelling and hit his head hard enough to cause the severe concussion, even inside his helmet. Since he was still unconscious, no one knew he was with anyone else!

A freak accident and off-roaders trying to save Jim's life, caused my horror over the last twenty-four hours! I was glad that Jim was going to pull through this one, once the swelling recedes in his brain! I was finished going mountain climbing with him though! I lost the tips of seven fingers, five to the first joint and two to the second joint. I lost pieces off of both ears and a piece of my nose! The doctor said my ears and nose could be fixed with plastic surgery which is a good thing since I don't look very attractive right now as you can imagine!


 All that time alone made me think a lot about strength, Faith and my relationship with Jim. I know now that I am much stronger than I thought, much weaker than I thought, have much more Faith in God, and that Jim and I, well we will still only be friends! He is still the best friend I could ever have, and I don't want to ruin that!