The Novices
USA | Wednesday, 27 May 2015 | Views [100] | Scholarship Entry
It’s summer. It’s 11 am. The temperature is somewhere in the 90’s. We’re in Topanga Canyon, California.
We’re standing under hanging leaves, looking straight ahead at the dusty road dividing into two paths, both of them entirely devoid of shade as far as we can see. We’ve got about 3 miles to walk before we reach our destination – an unobstructed view of the Pacific ocean – the Parker Mesa Overlook.
And so it begins – our walk towards the view we’ve heard so much about. As we take a step out in the baking sun, I already know it’s going to be a challenge. Did we bring enough water? Will there be more shade around that corner?
Soon the heavy heat of the sun creeps under my light clothing, drawing sweat from my pale, alarmed skin. I feel like saying, ”Don’t worry, I’ve smothered you in sunblock,” but my skin is not convinced.
Soon I’ve got other things on my mind. There, right on front of me, I see the first of many lizards of different colors and sizes. Beautiful silvery plants that we don’t know the name of, grow all along the winding path. We gasp in approval every time we see the Topanga Canyon Boulevard below us, snaking its way alongside us towards the Pacific, serving as some kind of reassurance, that we’re heading in the right direction – if only it could also tell us, how much further we have to walk.
We look out for rattlesnakes and bobcats, but the closest we get to see any of these dangerous creatures, are on the warning signs at the beginning of the trail, which leaves us half disappointed, half relieved.
For each corner we turn, we hope that, this time, we’ll see the end of the road. Surely it must be just around the next corner. But as the heat gets the better of us, we realise we’ve made the most novice mistake of all – this is no place for walking in the middle of the day, in the middle of summer. Exhausted and overheated, we try just one more corner, hoping that this will be the one. But as we turn the corner we’re greeted by more stretch of dusty road and no sign of our goal. So we turn back.
And so it ends – back where we started at the Trippet Ranch. We never make it to the Overlook. We set out too late in the day and got burned. But we’re so grateful to be back in the shade and in spitting range of our air-conditioned rental car, that the failure of reaching our destination, has become the success of making it back without casualties. Besides, I have a strong feeling I’ll be back one day – or should I say, one very early morning.
Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship
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