The Week UK - 28.03.2020

52 The last word

THEWEEK28March2020

Ayoungwomanis

recordingaseriesofvideo

blogsfromtheJoshua

TreeNationalParkin

southernCalifornia.She

isslimandblondewith

anaquilinenoseandteeth

thatshinewhiteunderthe

intenseglowofthedesert

sun.HernameisClaire

Nelson,sheisatravel

writerfromNewZealand

andshehasspentthepast

fewmonthsexploring

CanadaandtheUSA

whiledocumenting

everythingonher

Instagramaccount.

Scrollthroughherfeed

andtheresheis,ina

freezingQuebecCity,

smilinginafur-lined

parkaan dapairofRay-Bans.Inanotherphoto,sheisinasnowy

wilderness,cuddlingahusky.InToronto,sheposesundercherry

blossominastylishleatherjacket.Thesephotosgoonandon,

makingherlifeseemlikeanendlessadventure,allsmilesand

sunglassesandseasonalhues,interspersedwithtastefulsnapsof

localfood.WhenNelsoneventuallymakesittoJoshuaTreeshe

postsapicturewearingcut-offshortsandaBobDylanT-shirt.

ShecaptionsitwithaquotefromDylanhimself:“Ikindalive

whereIfindmyself.”

Afewdaysafterarrivingin

southernCalifornia,Nelson

beginstorecordhervideoblogs

fromwithinthevast,baking

expanseofJoshuaTree.Holding

herdigitalcameraatarm’slength,shestartstospeak.Andright

away,itisclearthatsomethingisverywrong.Sheisflatonher

back,lookspaleandanxiousandisdoingherbesttoshieldher

facefro mthepoundingheat.“Ido n’twanttobehere,”shesays

inasmallvoice,astearspoolinhereyesbeforerollingdownher

cheeks. “Ireallydon’twanttobehere.”

On22May2018,Nelsonsetoffonasoloday-longhike.Aftera

fewhours,though,sheunwittin glywandere doffthehikin gtrail.

Whiletryingtotraversea20ft-highrockformation,sheslipped,

felland shat tere dherpelvisasshehitthestonygroundbelow.She

hadhermobilephone,butnosigna l.Sh eonlyha denough water

foradayinthe heatofth enationalpark,whichsprawls over

1,235squaremilesandstraddlestheColoradoandMojave

deserts.Farfromestablishedtrailsandobscuredbyboulders,she

understoodveryquicklythatthepossibilit yofb eingdiscovered

wasvanishinglysmall.Ifshebegan todehydrate,thenin

conditionssuchast hese,deathcouldcomeinthre edays.An dthis

happensinJoshuaTree.Hikerslo setheirway,losetheirwitsin

theheat ,theirorgansfail,they slipinto unconsciousnessandthen

theydi e.Theirremainsaresometimesdiscoveredmonthslater.

SoNelso npicked upher cameraandbegantospeaktoitsothat,

ifandwhenshedidsuccumb,herfamily wouldatleastunder-

stan dwhatha dhappenedtoher.“Thisisn otwhere Iexpected

toendup,”shesaysin

onemessage.“Witha

shatteredpelvisinthe

desert.Imightdiehere.

I’mreallyscared.”

Nelsondidnotdieinthe

desert.Sheiswithmein

aLondonphotographer’s

studio,drinkingacool

glassofwater–anact,

shesayswithachuckle,

thatshewillnevertake

forgranted.Sohowdid

shesurvive?Thisquestion

isansweredinherbook,

ThingsILearnedfrom

Falling,inwhichshe

describeshereventual

four-dayordeal,aswellas

thecircumstancesthatled

hertobetravellingonher

ownand,ultimately,

tryingtohopfromone20ftbouldertoanother.

Andthetopoftheboulderisprobablyagoodplacetostart.

NelsonhadbegunthedayplanningtohiketotheLostPalms

Oasis,amoderatetrekthatwouldrequiresomescrambling

duringadescentintoadryriverbed.Shesetoffwithfourlitres

ofwater,awalkingpole,sunscreen,afirstaidkitandanavocado

bagel,butafteranhourandahalfshehaddriftedfromtheroute

thatwouldleadhertotheoasis.

Whensheeventuallyfoundher

pathblockedbysizeablerock

stacks,shewassurprised–but

stillshebegantoascend.At35,

shewasanexperiencedhiker,

andevenstoppedforaselfie.“It

wasanormalsituationforme,hikingbymyselfandclambering

overrocks,”shesays.“Iwascomfortable.Ididn’tfeelanygreat

senseofrisk,whichinhindsightmightseemfoolish.Butwhen

you’re comfortabledoin gsomething ,youtrustyourself.”

Inmovingfrom onerockto another,however,Nelsonmade

amisju dgement.Th erockshe landedon wassmoother than

expected ,andthefoothol dshehadcommittedtofarles ssecur e.

“And Ijuststartedtoslide,”shesays.“Ir emem berthewords

inmyhead,‘You’re abouttogethurt...Thisisgoingtohurt.’

Iguessitwasjustmybraintryingtopreparemefo rthelanding.”

Thelanding,whenitcame,wasannouncedwithacrunchin gthud

asherhipborethebruntofthefall. Shetriedtogetup,butshe

coul dfeeltheshard sofs hattere dbonegrindingasshedidso,

makingmovementimpo ssiblefromth ewaist down.Nelson could

accessherba ckpack,butbecauseshehadnosignal,herphone

wasuseless.Shehadbeenhousesittingforfriendsin California,

butastheywereoutof thecountry, nobodyknewshehadsetoff

fortheLostPalmsOasisthatday.Soshela ythere, onherback,

inpain, squinting attheblueskyand thehuge,sandy-pinkrocks

around her.“I twasveryquiet.Theon lysounds Iheardwerethe

occasionalbreezegoing overthetopofthecanyonI’dfallen

into, ”shesays.“Itwasaneerieplacetobe.Isawplanes going

“I’d never felt more lost” –

survival against the odds

ClaireNelsondidn’ttellanyonewhereshewasgoingwhenshesetoffonahikeinaremotecornerofCalifornia.

Thatwasherfirstmistake–but,asshetellsBenMachell,thingswouldgetmuch,muchworsefromthere

“Shetriedtogetup,butshecouldfeelthe

shardsofshatteredbonethatmademovement

impossible from the waist down”

Joshua Tree National Park:avast, beautiful, baking expanse in California