A Finger of Land on an Old Man’s Hand

“A Finger of Land on an Old Man’s Hand” by Earl Vincent de Berge is the stark, witty, and profound memoir of four college students testing their limits on the Baja Peninsula in the summer of 1962. One could think of this as the classic literary assignment, “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.” Only to do so would be to grossly underestimate this narrative. It is the tale, taken from the author’s journal entries during their summer vacation expedition to the badlands of Baja.

When I think of four college men camping in an isolated desert, my mind conjures up moments like the infamous campfire scene from “Blazing Saddles.” A wealth of testosterone plus a pot of beans equals after dinner musical hijinks. But these young men were in college in the early 60’s, a very different age, and quite frankly, I’m of the opinion that these were extraordinary young men even for their generation.

Every twenty-four hours on Baja’s Gulf coast present us with three seasons. First, spring-like mornings from before dawn to about thirty minutes after sunup. Second is a steady descent into the lower circles of Dante’s Inferno, climaxing in late afternoon when we could fry an egg on any stone surface, assuming a hawk didn’t swoop down to help himself. Third is the balmy evening we could classify as fall. Winter is fictional.

This memoir is rich with so much more than just the adventures of their travels, which would have been exciting enough. But the author is more than a naturalist and natural born storyteller, he’s also a poet, a philosopher, and a chronicler of the four-some’s struggles with wild animals, equipment failure, extreme heat, lack of water, fierce storms, and occasionally each other. As readers, we are gifted with their conversations around the evening fire as they discuss such low-brow subjects as what they would eat if hungry enough, to the more cerebral concepts of their views on God, nature, and politics. Mr. de Berge peppers his memoir with short bursts of his poems, both the profound and the profane; the deeply intelligent to the irreverently witty.

Bumblebee and dragonfly
burr the tranquil air nearby.
With such gifts, I now perceive
that I am a millionaire.

As these four men, Earl, Mark, Adel, and Brian trek through the various peninsular ecosystems, they discover more than local folklore and history. They set out with one well-used vehicle,camping equipment, a first aid kit, gas and water cannisters, a couple of spare tires, and a relatively small amount of both money and food. Their goal was to hunt for the bulk of their food as they traveled, occasionally buying a meal in small villages.

They thought they had prepared as well as they could for virtually all mishaps. But each day brought new dangers, trials, and deadly encounters, requiring the travelers to act quickly, think creatively, and invent on the fly. They encountered suicidal drivers straight out of a Mad Max movie whose driving philosophy when meeting another vehicle on a one-track mountain road was to run the opposing truck off the mountain. They ran into drunken Americans with more dollars than sense, who thought excessive drinking and midnight target practice were a terrific combo. They had so many tire blowouts they started marking them on the side of their truck in the manner of an ace fighter pilot. Then there were the mechanical issues with their well-loved vehicle: too numerous to describe here.

“Only you two could find a flying circus in Baja. Who in hell were those people?”
Mark replies, “New friends.”

Despite excellent preparation, some events were simply beyond their plans. They set out to explore and have a great adventure in a land without highways, electricity, running water, or law enforcement. But along the way, they developed a deep appreciation for the people who were carving out a living in a bleak environment. They learned about the unique features the land possesses and its abundance of wildlife. They become acquainted with the sheer majesty of this finger of land between two seas. They also came out of the desert with a greater sense of who they were in this vast universe.

As I read “A Finger of Land on an Old Man’s Hand” by Earl Vincent de Berge, part of me fell in love with this land forgotten by men and time. I was jealous of their adventure, their experiences, and their camaraderie. Readers who enjoy memoirs in general will find much to love here, as will anyone who is interested in this area or the early 60’s time period. I’ll confess that I don’t have a burning desire for any of those things, yet I found myself intrigued to find out what was next for Earl and his band of travelers. Between the inspiring poetry and the immersive prose, there are glimpses into the minds of these travelers in 1962 that seem quite insightful- prescient, even, and just as appropriate to issues we face today.

The desert’s calm beauty teaches me that, if we seek heaven on Earth,
we had better preserve the environment.

- Reader Views

Imagine the setting: it is 1962 and Earl Vincent de Berge and a few friends are looking for the kind of summer that will sharpen their personalities and broaden their horizons. With just a homemade camper, a rough map, and a $400 loan, the young men find themselves staring down a vast, untamed territory, Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Inspired by the journaled adventures of two intrepid men who previously embraced the challenges of this nearly untouched land, they set off. “We believed nothing could defeat us in our pursuit of adventure.”  Whether sunburns in unmentionable areas and dangerous bouts of dehydration, or close calls with native wildlife and interpersonal conflicts, these college students embrace every challenge this wild wilderness throws their way. Ever-curious Earl is joined by Brian, who has never ventured outside Illinois, Mark, a friend with endless wit and intelligence, and Adel, a methodic and meticulous fellow whose preparedness is as cumbersome as it is beneficial. The men encounter mechanical issues, seedy locals, and run-ins with the infamous Federales, all before leaving Mexicali! But paved highways soon give way to rutted trails and unforged paths where flora and fauna rule the landscape and humans are connected to the land in a unique and beautiful way. Their months-long journey is filled with experiences ranging from flat tires to living off the land, but all leave an indelible mark.

A Finger of Land on an Old Man’s Hand – Adventures in Mexico’s Baja Wilderness is a profound journey to a place suspended in time, an era before asphalt takeovers were a symbol of progress. Earl and his companions “wanted to see if [they] were made of whatever it is that men are made of.” As a result of their total immersion in a refreshingly unadulterated landscape, they learn who they truly are when stripped of all but the barest essentials. Meeting locals and coming to appreciate their heartiness and resourcefulness proves enlightening and fulfilling, as does hunting for food and taking the time to examine and appreciate the awe surrounding them in nature. Primarily written in the present tense, events unfold with an intensity and sense of wonder, driving the pace and allowing readers to discover this rugged landscape in real time. The book is rippled with inspired original poetry and decades-old photographs that convey the author’s passion and reverence for even simple things, like a gorgeous single bloom or a crooked boojum tree. A story about finding beauty when it isn’t always obvious, A Finger of Land on an Old Man’s Hand is an irreplaceable journey that will not soon be forgotten.

- Indies Today

Detailed observations of a naturalist meet
beat-style travelogue in this rollicking
memoir about four young men finding
themselves in the Baja desert.

Halfway through college circa 1962, de Berge
gathered three friends to spend a summer driving
through the desolate, unpaved roads of Baja in a
souped-up old jeep named Ambrosia.

Relying on century-old maps, a meager supply of cash, hunting rifles, and the
unbridled enthusiasm of young men bound for adventure, they navigate sweltering
months in the harsh and beautiful landscape of the world’s longest peninsula. This
book overflows with romance, nostalgia, and high adventure, depicting a world that
has largely disappeared in the wake of modern tourism and development. Readers are
given a tantalizing glimpse of colorful frontier people and radical freedom.

“Everything away from the primitive road was as it had been for millennia. We
hiked for days without seeing a human footprint or signs of a domesticated animal.
Any scratch in the sand was made by something indigenous to the area.”

The four men set off with different goals in mind—de Berge and his best friend Mark
are eager to test themselves, to see if they are “made of whatever it is that men are
made of;” Adel is an avid gamesman, content to hunt and fish anywhere and
everywhere; and his friend Brian tags along out of loyalty and wonder, having never
been outside of Illinois.

Along with de Berge’s artful descriptions and personal insights, each man is rendered
in a compelling portrait. Brian finds joy and curiosity in the smallest things, getting
sunburned while driving through the deserts of Arizona because he can’t stop sticking
his head out the window. Adel struggles with assimilating to new cultural standards,
as when he pesters Mexican police over lost gun ammunition until a bar owner
intervenes, warning him against antagonizing the police’s violent tendencies. De
Berge and Mark are the most mature and worldly of the bunch but also go on the most
reckless adventures, driving along the edge of cliffs, courting exotically beautiful latin
women under the glares of their boyfriends, and an uncountable number of other
escapades.

“While there are scattered military outposts, beyond the border, residents rely on
good manners and mutual respect. The few who do not can be identified by how
many front teeth are missing. I conclude that fists are effective deterrents to bad
manners because most men have all their front teeth.”

Photographs add a flesh and blood reality to this captivating travelogue. Under the
pretense of a making a photo-essay of indigenous Baja flora for a “work-study”
university program, the author photographed his way across the peninsula. Appearing
intermittently, these pictures complement the descriptions of landscape and character
well. Stark images of plants and people (as well as of the four men themselves) are a
welcome change of pace, imbuing immediacy to sections that are occasionally
verbose.

The book is chock-full of cinematic scenes and quotable lines. When a disgruntled
Mercedes driver honks and tailgates the four men, Brian stands on the back of the jeep
and hurls a watermelon at the car. Many events are enlivened by long, riotous
monologues. Mark excitedly recalls his crazy truck drive thus: “See that sweetlooking
old guy over there? taint so. Behind the wheel, he’s a bona fide Evel
Knievel. He considers it entertaining to dance with lucifer. He must believe he’ll
never have to pay his dues. Maybe they wanna die, i dunno. But just as sure as i’m
standing in front of you, the term daredevil must have its roots in Mexico. Our trip
was fantastic, a ball-buster in every sense of the word.” Even casual exchanges
between the men are alive with intelligence and humor, evidence of de Berge’s traplike
memory and remarkable ability to capture places and people on the page.

A riveting journey into isolated villages, desert landscapes, and the dreams of four
young men, A Finger of Land on An Old Man’s Hand, stands out for its high-spirited
antics, philosophical introspection and richly sculpted prose. It is a pleasure to get lost
with de Berge and his friends.

- Independent Book Review