Easy day today. We spent some time on the phone with loved ones. Its really hard to convey the experience over the phone. The amount of time I’ve been gone already seems like eternity to me. I’m sure it is but a brief moment to those left behind. Strange accelerated time perception. We walked a…

It was a long hot day. I am now sitting with my back against a large cottonwood tree canopying our camp. Trees need water to grow. That, though it is a simple truth struck me hard as we made the last couple miles with these trees in sight. We made it in short time. As…

There is something psychologically unsettling about trudging headstrong into 40 miles of terrain that isn’t meant to, and doesn’t, support human life. We woke up two frost cakes. A thin veneer of stiff white over our sleeping bags. Walking, and the rising sun, warmed up the land. A wrong turn that, initially, didn’t matter dropped…

Day 1: First day. Night rather. I have my head lamp on in order to write this. We’re camped in a small, ten by ten, clearing twenty yards from the trail. The sand is accommodating. We are hidden by a thicket of virtually impenetrable brush called “Chemise.” A mere hour after farewells at the border,…

Forward: My mom and I walked into the C&R Clothiers on Clairmont Mesa Boulevard in San Diego. I was a Sophomore in College and she was down visiting. In addition to the usual meaningful conversations, walks on the beach, and graciously accepted fancy meals, she was to intervene on my naive student life in a…