A Field Guide to Getting Lost

Solnit describes falling in love with a hermit who lived in the desert. Her love for him is intrinsically linked to her love for the landscape. When she first visited him in the Mojave Desert in late spring, while talking into the dark hours of night, she was arrested by a kangaroo mouse tunneling at her feet. She felt a sense of solitude when she was with this man who was surrounded by only animals. On their second date, the man told her a story about rescuing a rattlesnake from the cold and moving it to his garage. She was struck by his kindness toward a creature that was normally treated with animosity. She recalls thinking about the snake a few days later while walking up the trail. As soon as she thought the word “snake,” she looked down and saw a small rattlesnake at her feet.

This was not the first time such a phenomenon had occurred. Solnit remembers thinking about two arrowheads—one that she discovered and one that was given to her. As soon as she thought of this gifted arrowhead, its twin appeared at her feet, 2,000 miles away from where the first was discovered.

Solnit’s relationship came to an end.