Month: March 2021

Woke up to snow and the sound of crashing branches. Two other hikes in camp where going to take a zero as they did not want to walk in the snow.

Looks like the snow level came down over night. I am grateful for the Wednesday Night hikes to prepare for days like today.

Sun, hail, snow, rainbows, repeat.

Was very windy today. Had to be intentional about the habit turning into a sail. Storm moving in. Forecast is rain or snow tomorrow.

A couple where having lunch when I arrived. Shamrock showed up about an hour later when I was getting water. He had some blisters and thought about camping for the night, but continued onward. Log book had 8 or 9 entries for the day. There are others out here even I do not see them.

The birds started their songs.

Last night a south bound section hiker came into camp after I was already in my tent. This morning we had a conversation while packing up.

He is from Israel and Jewish. After his birth he can to America. When he returns to the Holy Lands from Pilgrimages he get harassed because he never did the military service that is typical of citizens.

He summarized the current unrest as bad actors on all sides. Also the Middle East is not the only place Western Powers drew lines on maps resulting in conflicts in many places that still need peace.

Both a hole in hand and habit.

First long water carry. After 27 miles or so this was nice to see.

Saturday and lots of people on the trail. Few section hikers but most are just out for the day. Many conversations and gave out most of my bracelets. I should have made bracelets with the blog url since many want to follow along. The bracelets I have are what I pass out frequently in Seattle and have the url to the Order of Saint Francis.

Mary, my wife, claims to have used all our data for the month on our celluar phones. Tried to upload a few pictures but they all timed out. No connection at tonight’s spot.

There is something about going in one direction. Training was a loop or out and back. Wednesday nights was always up, feast, and back down the same trail. Looking backwards feel different. Unsure there more to say about it now.

I wonder how many miles Brother Francis walked? All over Europe and to the Middle East.

Today is the first day I did not see or hear a helicopter. The wall is ugly and more about a watchful eye then a physical barrier. Every hour, twenty four hours a helicopter goes by. First few nights I would wake up when they flew directly overhead. Someday it will not be needed and there is much work ahead to make that so. Maybe there will be one day I do not hear a jet flying over. They only seem to fly every few hours.

First hole in my habit today. Also have one in my palm. I will need many more to catch Brother Francis’s habit. Going to have fabric tape sent to patch it. Hopefully it does not get caught on branches and gets bigger.

Reminds me of my pilgrimages to the Holy Lands. River Jordan site has warning sights about landmines and not to stray.

First box from Mount Laguna. Now my pack is heavy.

Woken up by the sound of turkeys.

Low 40° and rain. I hope other hikers are prepared. Heard a story about spending the night in the restroom to get out of the rain and wind, was high 40° inside the handicap stall.