“It was absolute hell as one had to walk nearly the whole time.”

Not my words, but those of French runner Guido Di Paola as he began the toughest race on earth this week in the Sahara desert. (I can attest to the fact that walking, even at a slow pace, is an absolute attack on the heart while maneuvering the dunes in this desert.)

I’d never heard of this race, had you? A photograph appeared in the New York Times describing The Marathon des Sables as the toughest footrace on earth and covers 150 miles over six days. Now get this…an equivalent of 5.5 marathons in six days in extreme conditions. Like…sand, sand storms, high temperatures, sand dunes, sand and oh and did I say SAND? People, I’m talking nothing but sand. No shade for miles. No place to hide. Just sand. Makes an ironman seem like a piece of cake, doesn’t it?

But what an incredible part of our world. This had to be the most beautiful area I’ve ever experienced so far in all my travels. Yes, it even surpassed the Inca trail to Machu Picchu in Peru and Milford Sound in New Zealand. It’s really hard to find the right words to describe this unimaginable beauty. The simplicity, the solitude, the evening light full of yellow and orange (think varying shades of the color of apricots and sunflowers) as the Milky Way filled the sky as it turned into night…only to be awakened by the brilliance of the moon and the softness of the sun slowing peeking over the dunes…

Ok, I’ll let the photos help me to explain….but stay tuned for more about the Sahara experience in a future post. Like gg sleeping in a tent and peeing in a very dark dark place that was very very scary.