Here I am again, sitting in front of a computer on a cool Tucson night...
Its been a while since I've pushed the keys of a keyboard, observing words as they appear and float into the seemingly unfamiliar world of the internet. For some reason I find this amusing, though for you it may be routine as it once was for me. I know most aren't interested in hearing about how I forgot how spell and use my smartphone so I'll move on to more interesting topics.
Today is Tuesday, April 14, approximately ten days after my twentieth birthday, about 40 days into the semester. 11:39pm mountain time, current song playing on my phone speaker as I write this: Sufjan stevens' "Concerning the UFO Sighting..." If I do curl up in my sleeping bag tonight, right now, I'll sleep for a couple hours and then get ready for our 3:30 departure for the Phoenix airport. Then we'll take a direct flight to Seattle Washington. But before I get ahead of myself, let me take you back to the backcountry...
The Gila Wilderness NM, a serene canvas of desert plateau, winding rivers, and mountains upon
mountains of blackened pine forest. It was a wild place. Untamable in nature, and there I was crossing it. Traversing mesas and navigating deep canyons. Fighting off Cat's Claw and the constant discomfort of soggy boots, my team and I trekked nearly 100 miles through the Gila wilderness, National Forest, and Continental Divide Trail. For two and a half weeks we pooped in holes, slept in sub freezing temperatures, treated bubbling blisters, and trudged up and down switchback trails. It was as awful as it sounds and I truly enjoyed every moment of it.*
When we arrived at our pickup point at the trailhead of the CDT we were starting to smell and feel like a herd of Gila cows so our transport quickly drove us to the Silver City KOA where we had a chance to shower and clean gear. I tried to write to you then, but it seems that reliable internet is as scarce as water out here in the desert. So, in a futile effort to amuse myself, I attempted to wash the permanent stench and stain from my wilderness wardrobe. (to no avail)
The equinox