Lucas
&
Donnine

Love is in the shade

Lucas and I love backpacking. When I met Lucas, I always wanted to go but never had the guts to do it by myself nor the patience to sift through countless gear lists. Lucas was a seasoned pro – having hiked 800 miles on the Pacific Coast Trail and Catalina Island. He helped me make a gear list; we've never looked back. We'll go off the grid for four days to sometimes a week at a time, and it's the best time. We have become re-enchanted with the little things we sometimes take for granted: running water, a soft bed, clean clothes, and hot food. Most of the time, our cell phones don't work except for the camera, and we spend days chit-chatting and making inside jokes. One of my favorite things about Lucas is that he'll always stop for an interesting critter, plant, or rock I find. He even did it on our first date when I wanted to show him the happily fat turtles on Lady Bird Lake in Austin, and I still remember the eagerness to see what I wanted to show him.

Big Bend National Park in Texas is one of our favorite places. It borders Mexico and is about a ten-hour drive from our house in Austin. It boasts some of the most beautiful plant diversity, birds that fly as far North as some trails and miles of mountains and hills that all used to be underwater and part of Pangea millions of years ago. We've been lucky enough to see miles of century plant blooms and the wildlife it attracts. On the trail, I've learned how to follow Lucas, and he's taken turns enough to give me the confidence to lead.

One of our repeat trips was in June of 2021. Big Bend had, most unfortunately, suffered from a massive wildfire. Long gone were the beautiful plants and trees and the shade that they provided. It was hot. We had to carry all our water for four days up the over 6,000 ft elevation in 95-degree heat (though, I think Lucas carried more than his fair share. Such a gentleman.) By the time we reached our campsite, our legs were covered in ash, and Lucas wanted to go home the next day. I begged us to keep going to our next campsite in hopes that there would be more shade so as not to spoil the rest of our trip.

Our next campsite was mercifully untouched by the fire, and we spent most of the day hiding in the shade. We set up our sit pads to eat our lunch and were rewarded for our perseverance – as we looked down, a cicada was coming out of its shell. We sat and watched for hours as this little creature went about its business growing, stretching, and becoming a better version of itself. In the protection of the trees from the summer heat, this little bug was able to thrive.

We sometimes help each other keep going through the too-hot days. We remind each other to notice the little things to be grateful for. We grow and become better versions of ourselves when we love each other well. Our relationship does, too. I am profoundly grateful for the love we've built and the memories we've made so far.