That One Time I Lost Everything (Part 2)

(Beware! This is a LONG, pictures intensive post :-))

After losing all of my money, the adventure continued. Thankfully I had an "emergency" credit card and losing all my money definitely counted as an "emergency". We all had our unique way of coping with the "what in the world just happened?" feeling. For me it was taking sharp turns just a bit too fast with the windows down and music blasting. For Miles, it looked a little something like this:

The further we drove from Vegas, the quicker things began to shift. It felt as though we were entering some sort of magical world that we later deemed "the vortex". For some reason, whenever the four of us shared space, adventures, and/or conversation, synchronicity, the unthinkable and unbelievable occurred.

We drove into the night through a breathtaking sunset, past tiny towns with bizarre antique stores, into a world of tall pines and crisp air.

We eventually pulled off onto an unmarked road and set up camp under the stars. In the morning, we all woke at our own pace and set off into our own minds and morning rituals. For Randy, it looked like working out like a madman. (In fact, when we were packing for the trip and he brought out his two giant kettle bells I wasn't sure if they'd fit. When I told him that, the look in his eyes very clearly told me that he'd leave his sleeping bag behind before he'd leave his kettle bells.) Miles slept until it was time to leave again; Maria set off on a meditative walk; and I made coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

Maria.

Miles.

Randy.

And then we were off again. We stopped at a gas station for a quick fill up and snacks. I bought a bumper sticker that I proceeded to promptly stick on Sunny (my car!) that said "What happens in the mountains stays in the mountains." Little did I know how much meaning this little sticker would have in a few short days...

We drove past valleys, snow capped mountains and pristine lakes. Of course, pit stops were made and toes (or a little more) were baptized by the glacial waters.

Our destination was a "word of mouth" spot on the river where hot springs flowed. It was right outside of Yosemite and we weren't quite sure if these hot springs actually existed. When we pulled up to the river, there was only one way to find out....

Did we find them? Yes, yes we did. But before submerging, camp needed setting up and the trees were begging to be climbed.

And then we soaked....

Now you're probably thinking, "Yelena this sounds incredible! Where's the part where you tragically lose something and have a panic attack?" Oh that part is coming. But before the "big bang", the Universe gave me the most memorable, symbolic, breathtaking gift. To this day, it is the best birthday gift I have ever received. To clearly visualize the intensity of what happened, it's important to see how we sleep (no tent!) and the sleeping arrangement:

From the top down- Maria, Miles, Randy and me.

So, after soaking and filling out bellies we snuggled under the stars and allowed the frost to slowly set in. Now because it got below freezing at night, we all slept with our heads and faces inside the sleeping bag. Randy and I were the first to doze off. Before completely surrendering to dreamland I heard some really excited whispers from Maria and Miles, but being exhausted, warm and absolutely at peace, I allowed myself to fall into a deep sleep.

I was woken up early in the morning to Randy very intensely whispering my name.

Groaning, I reluctantly stuck my head out into the freeze. Randy pointed forward and as I turned my head, I froze. There, not even 10 feet away from us, stood a large black bear. Without saying a word, we watched as the bear sniffed around completely unaware of our presence.

"Hey Randy." I whispered. "What happens if the bear comes towards us?"

"Well, we just tell it to go away." He replied, completely undisturbed by the fact that THERE WAS A GIANT BLACK BEAR LESS THAN 10 FEET AWAY FROM MY FACE.

By this point, Maria and Miles had woken up and all four of us kept low, watching the bear explore. For some unexplainable reason, Miles decided to suddenly stand up. The bear whipped its head toward us and froze. Staring.

I have never felt my heart beat as quickly and intensely as it did in that moment. THERE WAS A GIANT BEAR LESS THAN 10 FEET FROM MY FACE. And now it knew it.

Silence.

Staring.

Decisions.

The bear decided that four humans were a bit scary and shuffled off to climb a tree roughly 20 feet away. Unfortunately the branch it chose to sit on couldn't quite support it's weight and leaned at an odd angle. We would see the branch dip down even lower as the bear peered out at the humans watching it. At this point, the situation evolved from fear to humor. And it became even funnier when the bear climbed down the tree and hid behind a rock hoping we wouldn't see it. When it finally decided to go after our food (which was hanging in the tree), Randy chased it away. That's right- he CHASED it. Gotta love the wilderness folk!

Somehow, after the bear incident, Randy and Miles went right back to sleep. Maria and I decided that we would drive the 20+ miles into the nearest town to get some good coffee and breakfast burritos for all. Quite nice of us, don't you think? We get in the car and as I start it, the "Check oil" light turns on. Hmm...that's interesting. I fill Maria in on my observation and we decide that while we're in town we'll just add more oil to the car. So we begin the absolutely breathtaking drive into town. The windows are down and "Breathe Owl Breathe" is blasting as we blissfully sing along....

(Here's a live version of the song we were listening to from 2008 Blissfest for those of you who are interested.)

"A chain reaction..." CLUNK

"An explosion...." BOOM! CLUNK! GRIIIINNDDDD!!!!

I pull over.

My car shuts down. And it won't start.

I look at Maria...after seconds of complete silence....

we both start laughing hysterically.

Then my laughter turns into sobbing.

Somehow, I knew that Sunny and I have reached the end of our journey together. "What happens in the mountains stays in the mountains" after all.

To be continued......

That One Time I Lost Everything (Part 1)

I've never been a "birthday party" kind of gal. I'm more of a "birthday adventure" and "I'm gonna buy myself some really cool shit" kind of gal. And as I approach the official status of late twenties (27!), I can't help but reminisce on years past. And while every year was memorable, 24 is one for the books. On my 24th birthday, I lost everything that society would deem valuable. And I mean EVERYTHING. But let's start from the beginning....

I had just moved to southern Utah after nearly a year of car living and was itching for an adventure. I was living with a crazy bunch of fools half of the time and the other half was spent with teenagers in the wilderness.

Welcome to my office!

And because that wasn't enough of an adventure, I suggested that our next week off (we worked week on/ week off) we hit the road and shake things up a bit. It was, after all, my birthday week.

Why not?

So after a week in the wilderness, we grab a beer (working with teenagers is hard y'all!), throw our packs into the trunk, find some clean clothes that we didn't put on, and load our filthy bodies into the car. Because what's a few more hours without a shower when you've already gone a week in the wilderness wearing the same clothes?

Our destination: Yosemite. But because it's already 9pm and we're pretty exhausted, we decide to make a pit stop in my least favorite place in the entire Universe. It's got cheap hotel rooms and we desperately need to shower. So Vegas it is, baby!

After quick showers and window ledge dancing, we hit the streets.

And then we walked into a casino. I mean, c'mon. It's Vegas.

And while everyone was doing this:

I was nowhere to be found. I had met a force to be reckoned with and was seduced by the thrill. It was exciting and full of promises. The connection was too strong to deny and I couldn't resist. Ladies and gentlemen, I met Black Jack. And my night looked a little something like this....

That's me in the brown jacket. If you look carefully you will see my hand protectively resting on my stack of chips.

In fact, at one point, Miles approached me...

Miles: "Umm, Yelena? Don't you think you should get a little sleep before we hit the road?"

Me: "Oh yea, don't worry. I'm just gonna play a little longer. But you should go to sleep and I'll be up in a bit."

Miles: "I did go to sleep. Now I'm awake because it's morning. I want pancakes."

It was 7 a.m. I had played blackjack all night. Not only that but I lost all my money. ALL. OF. IT. I went to the ATM to get more and there was nothing left. NOTHING. I gambled all my money away. It was the dealer that finally told me to go eat pancakes with my friends. While eating pancakes, Miles decides that he's gonna give blackjack a try. He comes back having doubled his money. I tell him to go do it again.

"Okay."

He comes back having doubled his money again. I tell him to go back.

"You know, I'm gonna keep what I've got. I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead."

Why couldn't I do that?! Oh yea, because gambling and I have a toxic, addictive relationship. Don't worry, I only gambled all my money away one other time. I don't need a third time to know that I will never be gambling again. EVER.

Miles paid for the pancakes. I cried. Then we hit the road.

On Day 1 of the epic birthday adventure, I lost all my money. But wait! There's 5 more days left!

Wilderness feet. Blisters, callouses, dirt and all. 

 To be continued...