continued.

…that she was in a great deal of pain. Since I didn’t have a comb, I just tried to stay calm as Sara pulled the cholla from her skin. Big drops of blood sprung up in several places.

That was actually the main reason we turned around right when we did. Especially since there was still a spike stuck deep in Sara’s palm We made our way down the mountain and met up with the rest of the group. Even Josh, eventually.

Back at camp, the plan was pancakes. But that plan wasn’t working in the least. Our bellies were empty, and the temperature was dropping quickly. To prevent a mutiny, our fearless leaders took us to KFC/A&W. Good choice. We stayed there until bedtime, then went back and went to bed.

The next day was Saturday. We knew it would be cold. It was windy, too. We escaped up the Waterfall Canyon, all the way up the creek bed to the white tank, where the waterfall, if there were any water, would gush through, polishing the rock to a slideable, smooth, white. The tank formed where the water always hit the hardest was filled with water. Beautiful. The water was there for itself. No trees could force their roots into those rocks to use it; very little plant life could be found. But it was an oasis nonetheless.