Rare Desert Supreme Snowstorm — Grateful Wild Winter Roots — Desert Snow Time Lapses & Cozy Chat About Being Prepared For Emergencies
The largest winter storm to hit the desert in years, including the first blizzard warning for San Diego county in history bore down on the San Diego Backcountry this week.
A ferocious mix of driving wind, torrential rain and blinding snow tested our resilience, and preparation separated those experiencing quirky backcountry inconvenience, from those facing hardship. Yes, preparation, the one attribute that can’t be mustered up in the face of adversity, only planned and executed in advance, is what will give us a fighting chance of getting through.
There comes a point in every person’s life where they realize they are alone. I remember my moment vividly. I was in my first apartment in Brooklyn in a falling down rowhouse and the ancient knob and tube wired power went out. With a feeling of sinking realization, it became clear. I wasn’t just alone in my apartment, I was alone in the rowhouse. And I had to find my way to the menacing cellar to find the circuit breaker. Without a flashlight, I found my way down the stairs burning my fingers with a lighter, only to discover to my horror on my last step, that this cellar had a dirt floor. Yes, in 2004, in the United States of America, and certainly at no cut-rate price, I standing on a dirt floor in a city infested with rats and cockroaches.
As one always does simply out of necessity, I rose to the occasion, stood straight, held my head up high and found the circuit breakers, managing to get the power back on. But at that moment, I vowed to never be caught unprepared again. After the power was out, and I was engrossed in reading a book by solar lantern light, drinking a delicious central coast California cabernet sauvignon, and eating all of the snacks in the house, I recalled that moment in Brooklyn almost 20 years ago.
The nature of life in the San Diego backcountry is tenuous, just barely tethered to so called civilization, and so easily disconnected. Just getting the basics taken care of is challenging day-to-day, and when disaster hits you’re on your own. It’s so easy to get complacent, after all, who needs one more bag of groceries to carry, or who wants to make yet more room for emergency supplies. But when disaster hits, knowing that you’ll have the basic essentials, and that you’ll be ok, is the greatest comfort there can be.
When you’re on your own, you’re forced to revert back to a simpler way of life. Being without the usual comforts of modern life makes you appreciate what’s really important and what you truly need. As long as I have a strong cup of Cuban coffee in the morning, a glass of wine in the evening, clean water to drink, and enough food to keep my stomach from growling I’m quite content living a rustic life.
Even with double pane windows and insulation, how quickly our homes become unbearably cold when unheated on a freezing, windy night. Or how difficult it will be to have water to drink and clean with, if you can’t trust the water coming out of the taps, or worse if there’s none at all. We are so vulnerable, and we have such a narrow range of temperatures that we can comfortably survive. It’s no wonder, that we have an irrationally strong attachment to our homes and vehicles, our last refuges of safety.
My one request to you this year is to accept that vulnerability, and be prepared for what may come. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, obviously the more you spend, the more prepared you’ll be able to be. Even if you just have food, water, and other emergency supplies for 3 days, that alone will be make or break should you need them. It also makes it easier to build them up, especially when the stores run sales. Each disaster is a preview of a bigger disaster in the future. Pay attention to what you need, and most importantly take notes, when the disaster passes, you’re likely to go right back to normal and forget. Yes, we are vulnerable, but we are also intelligent, resilient, and capable of preparing everything we need, but only if we choose to be.
As the storm rolled into the mountains, I seized the moment to take time lapse videos, the clouds lifted and revealed the snow on the mountains. It’s so rare when the clouds are moving across the sky, but it isn’t raining or windy, and I wanted to share the incredible panoramic views with you.
Thank you so much for joining me on my journey of discovery, and spending time with me here in the world of Desert Mountain Apothecary.
All the best,
William Z. Brennan
About Desert Mountain Apothecary: The original desert apothecary for mind, body & spirit: desert roots & desert mountain botanicals: Desert Mountain Apothecary by William Z. Brennan. Supremely natural natural skincare & botanical fragrance hand made with love from the purest natural source plant-based ingredients.
About William Z. Brennan: William Z. Brennan is a natural lifestyle expert, founder of Desert Mountain Apothecary & author of upcoming e-book Natural Lifestyle Optimization. Originally from New York, and with a background in fragrance, skincare, fashion design & bespoke mens tailoring, he is now based in the Southern California Desert.
About Natural Lifestyle Optimization: William Z. Brennan is the author of upcoming e-book Natural Lifestyle Optimization, a new way of harnessing habits and routines towards a transformation and renewal of mind, body & spirit. Pre-order your copy of Natural Lifestyle Optimization today!
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