Camelback at Dawn, Donkeys at Dusk

"I want to climb something." I had been in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona for six weeks mounting my first musical in two years (read more about that here) and realized that between my trips to crumbl, Trader Joe's, and the pool, I hadn't gone on any adventures. The temperature was usually 110ºF, so I did not wander about on foot the way I usually do on contracts. I walked to the theatre after I settled in to my rehearsal housing and according to Google Maps there was a river behind the theatre!

The river behind the theatre:

I should have known from my 2014 Google Maps nightmare that there was no river in the desert. But I trusted that Google Maps knew about local trails and sites, so I zoomed in and out of the satellite view looking for a mountain to climb. Camelback Mountain was a short ride away from my housing, and from what I had read it was a pretty doable hike for someone who doesn't climb things often, and the time to do it was before dawn. Sunrise was supposed to be beautiful from the top of the mountain, and also, the mi-day Arizona heat is so dry and intense that hiking after sunrise could be very dangerous/deadly. A few of my cast members were excited to hear that I wanted to climb a mountain before dawn and decided to join me, thank God because Ubers are expensive (gas prices in Greater Phoenix at this time were outrageous--at least $5/gallon) and it would probably be dangerous for me to climb a mountain by myself in a city I did not know.

So at 3:00AM on July 11, for of us met next to the bigass cactus outside the gate of our apartment complex and hopped into an Uber. About forty minutes later we were dropped off at the base of Camelback, and after covering ourselves in sunscreen (preparing early for the dawn) and drinking water, we set off onto the gravel pavement lit by nothing. Our eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. We could not see any stars. It could have been because of the hour, cloud coverage, or light pollution that cancelled them out. I could research the reason, but I will not. The hike was very easy to start, but since it twists around tall rock formations we had no way of knowing how much we had left to climb. At points, we could see bits of the surrounding city, homes poking out of the mountain side, and other hikers passing by. At one point, a railing appeared in the middle of a steep section of rock to aid our climb. I thought this meant that we were close to the top, but no. 

Evan, before sunrise

At this point the most difficult part of the hike was not knowing where it would end. I worried I wasn't going make it to the top before sunrise. I tried to keep everyone in our group within my periphery, but we eventually split apart. I don't know if hikers have a code, but I feel like if they did this would be against it. At one point I started to slip and wondered if someone would find my unconscious body before the dawn, and if so, would they take my maxed out credit card out of my drawstring bag and attempt to order something luxurious? But I didn't slip and I realized I was being very dramatic, and then something kicked in that I have never felt before. I felt extremely competitive (against whom, Stephen?) and started racing up the mountain on all fours. This sounds like some type of exorcism film sequence, and I'm not saying I was possessed but some kind of instinct clicked off my anxiety and got me to the top of the mountain. 

Evan and I high-fived and we sat and were greeted by a ringtail cat. Adam arrived shortly after. And then the dawn.

Moose, B, and the Camelback Mountain welcome committee

I watched morning reach into every corner of the city as we made out descent, filled with granola bars and gold from the sun. Also, I slipped down part of this mountain but no one saw, not even Squidward's house. 

There's that railing again.

A few days later we visited Lake Pleasant. I was surprised to hear that there was a lake in the middle of the desert, especially since Google Maps lied to me about the river behind the theatre two months prior, but I was assured by my wardrobe team that this was a real place with real water, so I went along to take a dip in the dessert. It was rocky, it was windy, the day was filled with talk and laugher. And at dusk, a group of donkeys crossed the road.