Day 1405: Trek

Over the last two evenings, we watched the movie Trek for the third time.  It's the story of four young men who backpacked the entire Appalachian Trail back in 2001.  They filmed as they hiked and then edited after completion.  We wanted to review it to see if it's appropriate to share with the eighth graders in Cassadaga.  Kelly is looking for ways to keep the kids interested and I think this will help. It's thoughtfully made and the guys are engaging and funny.  Language is surprisingly clean.  It does a great job depicting the trials they faced and the pain they endured.

It's so intriguing and I am enthralled with the prospect of hiking the trail.  Not the whole 2100 miles, but a portion of it.  The main things I worry about is access to clean water and excessive heat.  We've been discussing the possibility of doing a longer expedition on our own.  Something really adventurous, but we have many doubts.

Our friend John H.  is planning to hike the St. James Trail from Spain to France next September and asked if we wanted to go.   He's done a lot of research and is very excited.  One of the issues with that  trail is how crowded it is.  Thousands of people complete that pilgrimage each year.  And it's very hot!  You don't have to carry a tent because there are hostels and restaurants all along the way.  Lots of fresh potable water is available, but there's no where to pee because there aren't many trees for coverage.   With so much thought given to backpacking lately, I hiked all night in my sleep.

We took another long walk and then I worked on cleaning up the pots on the patio.  With 75 degree temperatures, I just had to be outside.  So, I have not gotten much work done on the book in two days.  That's ok.  There will be plenty of nasty days to keep me inside.  I'm very tired and hope I sleep better tonight.

A golden ginkgo

Creek asters