बेक इन थे हाई लाइफ अगं

headed to LA. fuck this trail.
some observations:

1. 45 pounds on back? NO. ending base-weight: 25 lbs. next time: 15 lbs. when I cut 1/4 of my packweight, I literally doubled my speed, and perhaps more importantly, the Joy of Movement.

2. 20 miles per day? perhaps, once the baseweight slims down to 15. I did 3 or 4 twenty mile days, and they were all fairly brutal. Did one 28 mile day, which was actually quite fun, since I was gunning for the goal. hiked til midnight that night.

3. the trail is NOTHING like I imagined it. It was far more of a struggle (very mental), and much less of a vacation. My body got hardened. And so did my willpower. Having to actually *get* somewhere really changes the nature of a hike.

Thousands of photos. In process of editing. Will post to flickr when done in next month or so.

re-entry to civilisation and society is a slow process. I'm spending lots of times in the outdoor air, and working out the plan for: what comes next.

stay tuned :)