Arrived in Kathmandu! Completely spent from the trip. City is more trashed than I remember it. Smog is thick. Traffic is insane. But I will only be here for a couple of days. Guide met me at the airport. Already checked in to the hote. Just sitting at a table in the garden. Already dark at 7:00 PM.
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I am currently working on a project in Los Alamos, NM. I decided to spend the weekend testing out my refurbished cardiovascular system at high elevations.  The trail I chose in southern CO climbed continuously from the trailhead at 9,000 ft to my campsite at 13,000 ft. I am pleased with the result.  I no longer look up at switchbacks with as much dread.  I am now confident that my heart will not explode when I get off the plane in Juphal. 

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The Hardest Part 07/24/2010
 
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I have been preparing both physically and mentally for what will probably be one of the most difficult treks of my life.  However, the hardest part will not be the strenuous hiking in high altitudes or the lack of creature comforts; it will be the feeling of missing my son for 34 days.

My favorite picture is shown on the left.  My mom took the photo and did the artwork around the border.  It says “Some may own castles on the banks of the Rhine and hire an orchestra every evening at nine, but richer than I they will never be… I have a dad who spends time with me”.

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Why Go Alone? 07/08/2010
 
Going into the wilderness has a healing effect.  When I was little, I would go into the woods when I had a problem (I spent a lot of time in the woods).  There I could think more clearly and find answers more easily.  As I got older, I would spend my valuable vacations days alone in some remote place.  I look forward to these trips as a way to recharge my batteries and reevaluate the direction of my life.  It’s more than a vacation.

Most of the time I do this alone.  It’s not that I don’t like people.  In fact, some of my best friends are people.  But spending time alone in the wilderness can change you.  I can almost measure the changes brought on by some sort of paradigm shift.  Within the first few days, I still think a lot about work and what I should be doing there.  After about seven days, I look back at that person as if he was someone else.  Priorities seem to change.  I think about things that feel far more important.  I think more often about my family and people that have influenced me.  I see the bigger picture.  I am surprised by childhood memories that I hadn’t thought about in years.  The brain quiets down and it seems like only the important thoughts remain. 

When you are alone in the wilderness, you are more concerned about basic needs, like what you are going to eat and where you are going to sleep.  You may be faced with challenges that test your survival instincts.  These things have a way of boiling life down to the basics.  Sometimes it feels like I am on the verge of realizing something big -- a new way of seeing things -- like in the movie “The Sixth Sense” when Bruce Willis’ character suddenly becomes aware of his reality.  Only, in my case, I hope to discover I am truly alive.

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I installed a pop-up share menu and Twitter badge to the site.  Now I can tweet to the badge on my blog.  Did I just say that?  Man… am I a geek!  I really am having fun with the programming.  I like the interconnectivity between the website and different social networks.  It’s too bad it probably won’t get much use after the charm wears off.  We’ll see. 
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I added a Facebook plugin to the website over the weekend.  I installed a few Like Buttons.  I had a Facebook Activity Feed but it seemed only to accentuate the obvious lack of “Likes”.  Perhaps installing a “Dislike” button would increase activity.  I’m working on it. 
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Who would have thought that good nutrition and exercise would have this unusual result?  Why didn’t anyone ever tell me about this?
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I published my Facebook page today.  All you have to do is click a button and you get friends almost instantly.  That wasn't so hard.  I fear keeping them may be another matter.
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He got several awards too... including one for making honor roll every semester, and another Presidential Award for academic excellence.  I am very proud!
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Went out for the exercise and to start breaking in new boots on the steep routes of the Appalachian Trail on both the north and south sides of Port Clinton, PA.  It is getting much easier now since my cardio is improved but I still have a lot of work to do. 

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