Night in the desert

This entry is part of my journal from Semester in the West. For all SITW journal entries, click here. For all SITW posts, including blog posts I wrote while on the program, click here. To learn more about the program, click here.

camp: Escalante, Utah

I love this time of night in the desert. Or semi-desert, since I’m surrounded by National Forest land and cowpies. I feel like I’m seeing a whole other world, being awake after everyone else is in bed. It feels like this is when life is truly still, relaxed, with no expectations. Right now, I could be anyone. I can go for a walk, read, pee in the middle of an open field. In the city, anywhere where humans have permanently settles, this time brings anxiety more than anything. Step outside and you risk encounters with potential rapists, murderers, drunk homeless men, drunk frat boys and police. Here, I’m safe—it might rain and I might smell like cow shit, but I know I’ll be alive in the morning.