Welcome to
A newsletter of happenings
A ramble of thoughts and ideas
A collection of what I see as beautiful
A goal of practicing consistency (in a writing-sense and otherwise)
A catalog of life scraps that may one day be worth re-reading, like a dusty expedition journal lifted from a box of sepia colored photographs and items long forgotten with the passing of too much time
To romanticize —
Driving over the bridge, out of the city feels like a wonderful escape. Not from life in the city but just the city itself. I love it in the same way a visitor does— I can have so much fun and enjoy every bit of it, marvel at the vast outdoor spaces (Golden Gate Park) and delis with good turkey sandwiches and love the novelty of turning down a new street and the people who are so kind and welcoming but, at the same time, it feels like somewhere away from home.
Home is much more of the feeling I am getting now as I drive away from it and instead see nothing but thick green forests on either side of the road. Up the 101, towards Humboldt Redwoods State Park, a place I have never lived or called home before yet the feeling of home exists in whispers through the trees and along the banks of the river I cruise by— the Eel. I feel like I am in a getaway car, escaping the city and finding refuge in the forest as a Wanted thief. Becoming more joyous by the mile.
Madison celebrates her half marathon along the Avenue of the Giants with a cold half shower in the river. I cheer on the runners, admiring their grit and determination to do something hard.
If thru hiking has taught me anything, it is that that which is worthwhile is usually uncomfortable, and that which is comfortable is usually not worthwhile.
There is so much growth in discomfort I wonder why it's so hard for us to accept this instead we seek comfort and deprive ourselves of growth
Watching these runners makes me want to be more consistent with my running again. At one point a few years ago I would feel like my day was missing something if I didn’t complete a 3 mile run and I’d like to get back to that. Now it seems I do not crave it the way I did before when I was doing it consistently— I have gotten too comfortable.
Once I return to the city, the San Francisco chapter is almost over. We pack our stuff in just two days and move out of the furnished rental we had been living in. I’ll miss the newness of city life but there is summer to be had. And the best place for summer— the mountains.
My mom celebrates her birthday and mother’s day in Tahoe, speaking of mountains. We meet up with Rach and Scott and hike in the snow.
I hope we can get a place around Tahoe for a month or two this summer. We swim in the lake and it feels so many degrees warmer than it did just a few weeks ago.
I need to make grad school plans. For now, backpacking trips are to be guided this summer! Species are on the list to be found! Hopes are high for a good one!
“—This is the Great Knowing, this is the Awakening, this is Voidness— So shut up, live, travel, adventure, bless and dont be sorry—”
“All I have to do is wait 30 long days to get down from the rock and see sweet life again—knowing it’s neither sweet nor bitter but just what it is, and so it is—”
- Jack Kerouac, Desolation Angels