In 2014, I thru-hiked the A 2,660 mile hike across the country from Mexico to Canada.

In 2014, I thru-hiked the A 2,660 mile hike across the country from Mexico to Canada. The experience was amazing and extremely different from the life I had come to know while living in Chicago. This is about 300 miles in, and one of the first of my most memorable spots along the hike. Have you ever seen those movies about the guy walking across the desert, and then suddenly out of no where an oasis appears?!

Well I have good news for you, that place really exist, and it is called Deep Creek Hot Springs. After being hammered by a snow storm while camping in Mission Creek days before, we moved on towards a more dry climate and elevated high into the desert once again. After two separate days of twenty mile long waterless stretches of desert, I was running low on energy and motivation when suddenly I rounded a switch back and it was just like a scene from the movies. Down in the valley, sat a magical place. A clothing optional natural hot springs right in the middle of the desert.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. My motivation to finish the last mile of my day was immediately no longer an issue. For the remainder of the day I just sat in the hot springs, moving from the hot pools to the cold ones. The water was like therapy to my sore muscles, and the conversations provided plenty of fuel for thought. That night I cowboy camped under the stars and as I was closing my eyes thinking about how lucky I was to have the privilege of experiencing this journey, a shooting star flew by almost as confirmation that my thoughts were completely justified. (5/?)