Numbers for our weekend: Bruce turned 39, our marriage turned 18, we hiked 25 miles, gained 4520 feet in elevation, endured 100 or more stream crossings, 4 thunderstorms, 50 fallen trees, and carried 80 pounds of food, equipment, and water. We reached our limit halfway through yesterday, but marriage is continuous–we chose the loop trail just like we chose each other 18 years ago. And we’ll keep hiking, helping each other cross streams, build shelters, cook meals, and climb mountains, till the last limit of our lives. Happy anniversary!
travel
Backpacker’s Dream/Dilemma
we strike the trail late
met by an abundant blue
(clouds can keep secrets)

lunch is disrupted
by stream-crossing detours
(till we see our fault)

then comes rain and pain
realizing we were tricked
(the trail is longer)

camp set up quickly
dinner wolfed, shoes soaked by grass
(thunder moving in)
hours in the tent
thinking, how could it, why now?
(tests of our marriage)

but the bag is warm
and we have love and shelter
(all a marriage needs)
For Your 39th: Solitude
celebrating us
with a long walk in the woods
(away from it all)

silence is golden
when resting feet at sunset
(your birthday present)

the breeze reminds me:
i drove twenty-one hours
to find this beauty

better than the beach:
that grin on your face; these views;
hard-earned sore muscles

thank you for crazy–
(the long drive, the longer walk,
another “us” year)








































