I’ve had my eye on a quiet corner of the desert for a while, and one day we had the opportunity to go wandering there. Traveling there involved the usual meandering up washes, taking detours for interesting rocks, and weaving through Joshua trees and around vegetation, all the while breathing in the arid, sharp desert air.
When we reached the general area I wanted to explore we fanned out and started poking around the rocks. I was examining a large swath of midden on the bank of a wide wash with growing excitement when my companion, who had disappeared into a tangle of boulders and brush, let out a shout. I stopped my investigation short and bounded over.