HikerTrash: Sordid tales from a dirty hiker

From my notion template

The Book in 3 Sentences

A lovely relaxing memoir written by a good friend of mine. I’ve known the author for decades now and our personalities and tastes have always contrasted and complimented each other quite well. In the past I’ve mentioned to him that he is using his “singlehood” (for lack of a better term) the best of anyone I know. This is his memoir of leaving compressed modern life and walking the continent. He remains the friend who always has the best answer to “So, what have you been up to since we last saw each other?”

How I Discovered It

The author told me, more authors should do that.

Who Should Read It?

People who spend too much time contemplating their compressed modern lives and wonder what something different would look like.

Highlights

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” M. Aurelius.

Technically, this was a safer choice than biking solo across the country. But to call it safe would be a stretch. This is far more involved and tedious. Yeah, it was just a walk through nature, but it was still fraught with peril.

Ever consider how much time is actually invested in just owning shit?

One I surely would not survive if not for the Whippet. A hybrid trekking pole/ice axe that I carry. (a tool I recommend every hiker carry)

Named the “Lost Coast” after depopulation in the 1930s, its name remains due to its inaccessibility, sparse population and rugged geographical features. The first night we spent there was in a little town called Shelter Cove.

The Redwood Forest is an extraordinary place. Thousands of 350 ft trees towering over you, blocking out much of the daylight.

For the following hour and a half, I’d attempt, successfully, to capture this indescribable spectacle in a photograph.

Snow is just frozen water why not use that? Why? 1. Because it doesn’t melt as quickly as you’d think. Nor does it provide much water. What looks like a lot of snow, once melted produces very little water. You could use your stove to melt it but then you’re wasting gas. Good in an emergency but only as a last resort. 2. Snow is just frozen, naturally distilled; water and distilled water is bereft of the minerals needed to absorb said water. It’s better than nothing but melted snow alone does not hydrate you sufficiently.

At an average of 18 inches wide it is quite difficult to find once separated from it.

As matter of fact, after only 6 months of meeting Karen I was able to quit my job cooking and make a living off the band income alone.

Previously, as a musician, most of my life I just played the drums. Contributing very little in the creative process. It wasn’t till I had hiked 1000 miles that I had the confidence to do what I did with Karen and the others. I managed, directed, created, wrote music and played the drums. All these things I found came very naturally. This was the first time I voluntarily took the leadership role in a creative endeavor. Then for it turn out highly successful made losing it quite painful.

Megadens, was a television show that remodeled private residences for the DIY network. One I had the privilege of working on from 2011 till 2016.

My theory is this. We as humans were born with an inherent ability to perceive multiple dimensions. And over time lose it. Perhaps because of diet or vaccines, air pollution, chemicals in the water or even television programming. Maybe radio waves or radar waves, microwaves, LED lights, WIFI, Bluetooth, 4g, 5g. Take your pick. It’s well documented that many children seem to be able to see spirits, apparitions or they have invisible friends. Watch or read any true stories about the paranormal and see for yourself. Animals sense them as well. You can see this in countless videos and testimonies. Cats, dogs, horses, even deer.

We’re not necessarily gifted the virtue of patience only opportunities to practice it.

Within days she was gone. Sept 11th 2021. She experienced no pain or fear. Which I am thankful for. She didn’t suffer like dad. We were told it was C19.

Meditation is mandatory. Quiet the mind. And then creative ideas rise to the top. Like wax in a lava lamp.

“It is the creative potential itself, in human beings, that is the image of God” Mary Daly

I don’t believe in coincidences anymore. I believe in omens. I call such curious encounters “landmarks” on a spiritual journey.

It seems the more one sheds the need for material possessions and desires, the more life’s journey plays out more on a spiritual level and less a physical one. And often it is rife with oddly synchronistic events.

The higher you climb in elevation, the cooler the air gets. About 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit every 1000 ft of elevation. But the air also gets thinner (less oxygen). Effecting your pace negatively. So, there’s some give and take.

In early 2010, prior to my divorce, I came down with a thing called diverticulitis. A potentially lethal condition. Small pockets in the digestive tract called diverticula become enflamed when eating certain foods or too much food in my case. These can potentially burst, leading to sepsis and a slow torturous decoupling from this plane of existence.

Practically harmless to humans, there are a variety of species of tarantulas native to Arizona.

I’ve yet to encounter a place with forests so dense. As beautiful as it is here, it feels prehistoric. Almost supernatural. The forests seem to be a separate world from the surrounding area. Once you set foot in them, under their thick dense canopy, It’s like entering another dimension.

You could spend your life thinking it’s all just a series of problems and curses. Brought on to you by society or your mom or dad or religion, government, gen x, gen z, or boomers. But it is you who is responsible for how your life unfolds. The mainstream media will have you convinced otherwise. They are wrong.

After months of hiking through the mountains and desert I’m learning more and more to be present in the moment.