There are no visible living things out here except for the very rare patch of burnt brown lichen or thin muddy-looking crusts that Jay tells me are algal mats. Every once in a while our radio will chirp to say that another Dry Valleys group has turned their radio on. But it is a very long hike to reach another human being.

And yet, someone showed up at our tent bearing fresh cookies.

Jay and Mari had met Reneé last year, and apparently she couldn’t take the thought of both letting them pass through the valleys without saying hi. So she hiked five hours, said hi, delivered oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and gummi snakes, and then hiked five hours back to her station at Lake Hoare. That is dedication, people.

Mari, Reneé, and Jay happy to be reunited.