Hello Friends of Deep Roots,
Most of you will be glad to know that I have returned safely from my 26-mile run
across the Black Rock Desert, and I'm thankful to report that the whole
adventure unfolded remarkably well.
Despite not sleeping much the night before (My crew of old friends, who were
excited to see each other, raised quite a late night ruckus around the
campfire), I woke up at about 5:30 Saturday morning and had two very groggy volunteers,
Andy Wachs and Andy Tabb, drive me to my starting point at the desert access
road.
From there I was off on a long journey to the
desert's other side. If you've never been there, and I'm guessing most have
not, the Black Rock Desert is a 400 square-mile, dry alkali lake bed in the
northwestern corner of Nevada. In most sections of the playa, there is literally nothing
except miles and miles of flat, dry alkali mud, and an occasional scorpion or
patch of quick sand. I love it. But it did provide navigational challenges, as
the lack of any trail, road, or notable landmarks along the way forced me to
concentrate my full attention on a dark outcrop of rock at the desert's
opposite end throughout most of my run.
I started out pretty slow.
Luckily, it took me less than half an hour to get into a good running rhythm,
and I think I managed to maintain a reasonably straight line across all of that
barrenness.
Running alone through the vastness of the desert is incredibly peaceful.
Other than my two assistants (who visited in a truck every half hour or so to
give me water and Gatorade), and the distant dust trail from another
vehicle inching across the desert several miles to the south, I saw no other
signs of people during my run.
Eventually, I reached my targeted foothills and started up a steep, silty road
that led me to the predetermined finish line. The running there grew
extremely difficult, because I was tiring a bit, and also because the
steepness of the hills I was climbing and the dusty condition of the road were in
stark contrast to the flatness and desolation of the desert floor.
With a little over four hours of running behind me, I finally reached the
jutting
outcrop of rock that was my destination. The two Andys were waiting there
with cold drinks and a ride to the hot springs. Soaking in those springs was
just about the best thing ever.
So far, Deep Roots has received over $4,500
worth of pledges from generous Deep Roots supporters. For this support,
we're extremely grateful. The
money will go a long way towards training new teacher-leaders, and expanding
our curriculum to new cities and schools.
Thanks for your generosity and encouragement.
Sincerely,
Chris Gragg
Program Director
The Deep Roots Music Project
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Black Rock Desert, Nevada
(Photo by Matt Scully)
Black Rock Crossing (Can you find
me in this picture?)
Still Going
Chris Gragg and support crew enjoy
the view from the finish line.
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