TWENTY MILES FROM SIN CITY
By Tara Phillips “DreamWriterPoet” 9-12-19

Am I out of my head? Am I out of my mind?
To be upon this mountain seventy-seven hundred feet high.
Dramatic fluctuations in the aerial view and temperature.
Hiking far distances,
I suffer with thirst,
breath quickens
heart pounds.
Bouts of low energy,
glycogen depletion,
dribbles of sweat crease my eyebrows.
I nibble small bites of an energy bar,
sips of coolness
splash against my throat.
Lower valley heat sticks to the ground -
sediment, sandstone and rocks.
Uneven terrain, strenuous steep trail narrows between the trees.
Wind gusts churn whisking away debris, leaves and nearly me!
I shuffle my weight from
tightening quads and calves alternating longer and shorter treads.
Zigzagging hiking technique, decreases abuse on limbs with dangers of steep
ascents.
warns the climbing preserves my energy and easier on my body than the direct
incline.
Heartbeat quickens pounding and gasping for a cleansing breath.
Cautious of safety a steady rhythm of pace and rest.
Higher peaks pine and ponderosa trees mask the radiant temperatures.

My arms pump forward and backward, lock eyes with a hummingbird,
forging metaphysical awakenings.
What am I out of my mind to do this adventure alone?
Do I look like Reese Witherspoon in the movie 'Wild'?
I gasp, 'Dare I look down? Dare I ever look away?'
Meditation eases my mind and soul, I practice square breathing techniques.
A jackrabbit rushes across the trail, brushes my leg and hops into the trees.
Two hundred harmonious birds inhabit Mount Charleston.
The harsh climate is unforgiving, despite twenty degrees cooler than
the blacktop concrete in the overabundant urban city of Las Vegas.
Animals and vegetation fight relentlessly for its days to stay alive.
When I reach the flat peak, and look out to the murky horizon,
the energy is powerful.
A sense of glory and victory renews the evolutionary adaptation of my life.
Am I so far out of my head to attempt the alternative trail down?
I shelter myself, in an alcove to ponder my way home but...
my serenity centers me to believe 'I am home.'