PALM SPRINGS (CA)
The Press-Telegram
By Jenny Marder
Staff writer
PALM SPRINGS — David Guerrero sucks in a shallow gasp as the ground rapidly recedes below him.
The 37-year-old Long Beach man is inside an aerial tramway, 3,000 feet above Palm Springs, and he's starting to panic. He grabs a waist-high rail with one hand and a metal pole with another. He turns away from a window that frames the tiny buildings below.
"I can't look back," he says.
Around him, couples and families huddle, taking in the scenery. Outside, a Sonoran desert cliff gives way to a sheer granite face.
The tram is halfway up the mountain, but Guerrero has seen enough.
Shakily, he lowers his 5-foot-11 frame onto the floor and eases into a cross-legged position. The trolley jolts and shudders as it hits a bump in the rails.
"Oh my God," he whispers, and reaches again for something to hold onto. ...
Addiction ran in Guerrero's family. His father was a heroin addict and his grandfather an alcoholic. But it was being repeatedly molested by his priest when he was 9 that he says most likely pushed him over the edge. The priest was later convicted of child molestation and committed suicide. The whole experience, Guerrero said, left him hollow, and looking for something to fill the void.