Yellow Collaborates

When I was young, there was so much nature around me. The sandstone walls, the moss, the ferns, wild shrubs used to be a part of my daily life since I remember learning to walk. When it rains the water used to drip and make a creek of the lane that I use to get to my grandpa’s place and I used to enjoy the splash with the clear water or spraying it on the walls riding with my dad on his scooter. With time, the shrubs were cleared, neighbors sold the land as the land prices appreciated and came small palaces of the middle class folks whom we came to love as our neighbours and soon disappeared the snakes that I was so afraid of or my little croaking friends who would come with the onset of the famed Indian monsoon. My adventurous uncle in the AirForce would go hunting with his homemade bow and arrow or his air rifle and even skinned a snake once. Ewy..as they say, I could not go near it for months and he used to taunt me with it. Now I watch the famed King Cobra on Discovery or Animal Planet, whereas it used to roam in our backyard.

Then a mechanic setup a garage near my lane and with every rain the water would be tainted with thick black oil that was drained from the engines. That ended my fun in the rain water and perhaps more than that, the legacy that I could have passed on to my children. They might not know what it is to explore nature than to watch it on TV or a guided trip to the the Zoo or a wildlife camp. The thrill of going into the unknown, discovering nature on your own is something which we are perhaps losing too fast growing up in the steel-glass-concrete jungles with overdoses of Nick, CNET and Disney.

This feeling of nostalgia was triggered by my recent break from the monotonous and drudgery that my life had become. E-Mail, IM, Project plans, Design Documents, Quality Control, Innovation, Value add to customer. But my friends have we “the committed individuals” taken a step back and thought about the value add that we bring to ourselves. You too have the right to live an enriched life and not feel guilty about it. Take the time off, connect to nature. We are losing it at a pace faster than we imagine sitting on our couches and wondering if global warming is a hoax, while polar bears are drowning as the ice melts.

If that did not get you, let me quote Benjamin Bankes (feedthepig.org): One of things things to ensure that you have enough savings is to ensure your health in old age. The largest expenses will be healthcare related in your retirement years and no amount of saving while you earn or investments can really help you prepare for that. Yes, that jolted me out of the rut and together with my personal nurse Dee assigned from my insurance company, I am trying to get myself back to fighting fit.

So much thoughts triggered by my hike atop the hump of the camel. Well, that’s CAMELBACK mountain for you. I live in Phoenix, the Valley of the sun (or valley of fire in summer or the area with so much dry heat that we have dry rain). Was wondering how do we connect to nature over here unless you drive to Sedona (ah so beautiful) or the Ponderosa dotted Coconino forests. We even tried a hike on North mountain which ended up much like sex with out an orgy. We could not simply find a way to the peak. Maybe we took the wrong trail. So with low expectations we decided to trek Camelback mountain on its Echo Canyon trail. The website said 1.2 miles and strenuous.

I can do it, I thought to myself. Should be a breeze as I run three miles an hour on my newly acquired  treadmill. So I wake up early on a Sunday with Captain Morgan leaving me in a dizzy after a Saturday night duel. The sounds of dawn was so inspiring with all the bird chatter and it struck me with wonder: What a welcome change from the blaring sirens and whoosh of cars that pass by. Grab a bottle of VitaminWater and hop in the car for the short drive to the trailhead. We decided that only 500ml of water was needed and leave one bottle in the car and we start out. Oh my, this is a hike, it has log steps on the mountain and we have beautiful views with a fantastic sunrise over the valley. Should be a pleasant walk in the park..ahem walk atop the mountain.

I am already panting whilst the regulars just breeze past me in a jog. Then I see a steep rock that you have to tackle to get any further. Luckily they have a railing to hold onto. Else you would need your rope and hooks unless you are Mowgli! just kidding, I saw one lady move so swiftly without the rails.

Once we negotiated it, I was almost dehydrated! Captain had left me dry and I forgot to hydrate myself before I left home and now we were left with a small bottle with two guys and just 3/8th of the mile to the summit covered.

As we went up it was more and more nature. You were just scrambling atop the rocks, negotiating steep climbs, pulling the tired leg muscles against the rocks and gravitational pull. It took me and my friend a good 2 hrs to reach to the summit and there was not a single party that did not overtake us. Most of the times, I just politely ask them to move ahead as I am too busy crawling. So we stop plenty of times along the way taking in the scenic views of the valley and that of Camelback. Somewhat like the rock formations of Sedona, Camelback has so many wind carvings on it. At points, I wondered, is this what the Bamiyan looks like in Afghanistan. I am sure it must be even more exciting for reasons quite obvious to the well read.

Finally the summit was worth the effort. Its like having a 360 view of the valley from Tempe to Skyharbor to Scottsdale to Glendale and a summit indeed it is. My first summit scaled! We even had a bunch of Army Strong guys who ran up the peak and staked their team flag on it.

It has left my legs aching for two days but I am sure I would love to do it again. This time with my family as I believe this can be a step to reconnect with nature and get our dose for the NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER.