06/18/09 Gershwin, George "Rhapsody in Blue"

After dragging myself out of the hotel room, hiker population of 5, at 7 in the morning and taking advantage of the breakfast bar in the form of two heaping bowls of cereal, two chocolate muffins slathered with pb and banana and 6 egg whites, I hoisted my bounce box to my right shoulder and raised my BB to my left. I was on my way to the post office. The hours of errands and preparations almost outnumbers the hours of hiking. Grocery, PO, laundromat, gas station, library, eat, eat, eat. These town chores are one thing I will not long for when I relinquish the life of a nomad.


Real life invades as I discover BC needs more paperwork to process my fin aid and I am forced to stay in town as my camping buddies depart. But not to worry, only 5 hours behind, ill catch them by saturday. I decide to take the colorado trail rather than the official CDT.



Hmmm...yeah, easy choice. Lush meadows and clear dirt paths winding through sparking green aspen forests over snow drifts, ice cornices, and grassy tundra. I've hurled myself over enough enough snowdrifts on this trip.





Tongiht was supposed to be my first time properly hanging my food (now that I am once again camping alone) but, hilariously enough, the rope won't lift the food bag. The friction is too much on the tree. Filed under: moments when you know you've overpacked.

As the bag gets lighter perhaps ill try again.



But the meadows ARE lovely and the elk that just came within 20 feet of my tent (and is now barking) IS unreal.



But I keep asking the question how will this change me? And perhaps that is the wrong question to wonder. Perhaps my occlusion is lifted without me knowing. This isn't a magic hot spring in which I immerse myself, it is a fog that is slowly lifted. But, do I notice when I see through the cloud? So far, in this respect, the trek has been a dissapointment, a shortcoming. I can't see how this is supposed to change anything, except for the accumulation of memories and knowledge and images in my camera and my mind. And maybe that's how it goes. And so it goes.

This is even-keeled and endurance and the slow creep of the untamed and the unplanned. Nature endures and so do I each 20 mile day. There are no epiphanies here. No light bulbs. Sadly, I better get ok with that.




For now, the wildlife are active this evening, the wind is roughing up the trees (storm on the way), and I need to get some sleep so I can catch my friends tomorrow.

Honorable Mention

Allman Brothers "Midnight Rider"