I’ve never been there before but reviewers were raving about it on the All Trails app. It's about two miles altogether with a waterfall.

A waterfall in the middle of the desert? This I have to see.

I drive up a steep road going straight into the mountains and park in the lot in front of the visitors’ center.

After I pay, I follow the rocky trail further into the valley above the desert floor.

A quarter of the way in, and I’m surrounded by tall granite mountains on three sides.

I scan the sky for possible big horn sheep that the ranger said I might be lucky enough to spot. He has seen groups of them running down the face of one of these mountains at full speed. A mountain lion, who’s about seven feet in length and two hundred pounds, is known to wander these parts and the ranger suspected that he was the one chasing them.

I’m in awe at how close nature and civilization exist out in the west. At night, I hear coyotes howling and here, only a few miles away from my house, there are mountain lions and big horn sheep living their lives. Some people might be put off by that, but I love it.

I’ve lived in a city for a very long time and only now realize how claustrophobic it can be.

There is a disconnect between the urban me and the wild me.

Out here, I take a breath of fresh air and I feel free.

Freer than I ever felt back east.

The trail continues to get steeper and steeper and I’m forced to take a few short rests after I start to feel dizzy.

If you keep doing this long enough, you’ll get stronger, I say to myself. Take a minute to stop to rest but keep going.

It’s going to be worth it in the end.

I start up the audiobook again. This isn’t my usual reading but I saw it and bought it on impulse.

It’s about a woman who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. The hike is over twenty-five hundred miles and takes about six months or so.

Today, I’m struggling with doing only two.

When I reach the middle of the hike, I can’t believe my eyes. In the middle of one of the harshest and hottest deserts in the world, there’s a tall waterfall.

All of the falling water has formed a crystal clear lake in front of it.

It’s a weekday and I’m the only one here.

I take off my shoes and wade in. The water is much colder than in my pool but still warm enough to enjoy. In the blistering heat that made me sweat completely through my shirt, it’s actually quite refreshing.

I love taking pictures and I even brought a selfie stick with me.