Dehydration, Icees, Miranda Lambert, and a Cookie the size of my head.

As the Burly Mountain men jog off with their 70 pound packs, Ryan and I turned our attention to the summit. We were not too far off and the trail from here on was challenging, but I could tackle it without a barrage of four letter words escaping my mouth with every step. Eventually, we made it to the peak and were rewarded by one hell of a breathtaking view. From the summit one can view the Strip in its entirety, the mountains, majestic and ominous with their steep cliffs and drop-offs, and butterflies fluttering about. We ate our bars, took in the dry Arizona air, and reveled in the view which rewards all who succeed in reaching the peak.

Dehydration Sets In….

It was at the top, while enjoying our protein bars and the brief moment of rest that we discovered we had left one of our bottles of water behind in the car. Thinking it would be fine (we didn’t have much of a choice anyway), we began our two-mile descent before fatigue set in. By half-way down the mountain I was parched. We were out of water and the breeze from the top gave way to stagnant, hot, dry, desert air. I began to fantasize about lemonade with soda water, gallons of ice-cold water, or anything liquid coming from a refrigerator. Like a cartoon form the 80’s, Ryan, just a few feet in front of me, became a walking lemonade apparition. My lips were dried and chapped. I knew it was serious when even a margarita sounded dehydrating. I just needed to make it to the car. There is a bottle in the car.

An Overactive Imagination and Paranoia….

I began to strategize. I can drink my spit! I don’t have any spit. It’s all dried up. Then… I can drink my pee! I have seen it done on TV. People do that. But then… don’t you have to drink something in order to pee? My mind was reeling. This would not be a good way to die. Not that there is one. Ryan, by the way, is practically skipping along in front of me. WTF?

Icee….. best damn thing EVER

Welp, needless to say, we made it down. I ran to the corvette, dying for water only to learn that there was no water bottle. We had left it. In the hotel. By now I actually began to feel a little nauseous. That is when Ryan brought up the Icees from 7 Eleven. The ones we used to get when we were kids. We were driving through the most stunning landscape of gigantic red-rocks, shaped like enormous gorillas peering down at us. Eagles flew up above, the wind was warm, the radio playing, top-down in the first convertible I had been in in years, and all I could think about was WHERE THE HELL IS A GAS STATION????

I was laser-focused. We finally made it to a gas station with a pretty legit convenience store. By then, all I could think about was the sugary-delight that was about to hit my lips. Ryan found it first. Now, I am a bit of health nut, I don’t usually go for the sugar-filled drinks, but Ryan brought that Icee to me thinking I would share it, well he was WRONG. I sprinted to that machine and filled it half with the Cola flavor (fake Coke) and half cherry on top. Almost immediately I began to feel like myself again. My energy returned, my mood improved dramatically (we were on vacation after all), and I was looking forward to a leisurely drive back into Vegas with the top down. Thank you, thank you ICEE for saving me. I will never forget you.

Miranda Lambert and the Cookie the size of my Noggin…

Let’s start with the cookie. After a late lunch at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants off the strip, we weren’t too hungry when it was time to leave to see Miranda in concert. Being my first trip to Vegas sober, my eyes were wide open to the crowds, lights, street performers. When did all of these street performers come out?? Now, this is not a plug for sobriety or a blog written to convince you to stop drinking. You are on your own journey. You do you boo. This is simply my experience. Flashing lights, the people watching (it is Vegas after all!), the music, I observed it all clearly for the first time. I don’t do drugs, but I can only imagine that this might be what it looks like when you are tripping.

Walking through the casino, we decided to get a “snack” before the show. We passed a desert shop on the floor and decided why the hell not? That’s when we spotted the enormous cookie. Covered in Oreos. The size of my dome. And ice cream. It was heaven. We ate that huge cookie covered in cookies and salted caramel ice cream for dinner. I felt like an 8 year old getting away with something big. We giggled like misbehaving children. It was fucking delicious.

Now Miranda….

This was the beginning of Miranda’s residency in Vegas and you guys, she was just amazing! Due to the small venue, we were able to be up front and due to being sober, I can remember it all! Also, just an FYI, I also wasn’t concerned about which song to miss so I could pee and get another drink. It’s a thing, really. Try it once and see how it goes. Miranda was an epic finally to a phenomenal day.

The Moral of this Long Story is…..

Now, there is a definite parallel here between this death-defying hike and our Entrepreneurial life. You start out at the head of the trail, all high on excitement and opportunity. You begin to climb. Life gets steeper. You slide, claw, sweat your way on forward. You take a wrong turn, only learning later that you have now chosen the most arduous path. And just when you are pulling out all of your hair and praying for a life-flight out, a burly Mountain Man (Universe metaphor) comes out of NOWHERE to guide you. You take a breath, set your sights on the summit, and put one foot in front of the other. Miranda Lambert and a giant cookie just might be waiting for you at the top.