January 12th, 2016

Lately, since love had seemed an impossibility, I had steeled myself against it. But I held Claire, and that was that forever. Something was sealed. Desire abides. It is all people have that stands proof against time. Everything else rots. Charles Frazier

Morning y'all,

It's a beautiful, moody morning up top. The high yesterday reached 18 degrees. The overnight low was 7 degrees, recorded early yesterday morning. It was 13 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation and there is still an inch of snow remaining on the ground. I would definitely recommend Microspikes if you intend to reach the summit. There is black ice lurking beneath the snow, waiting to ruin your day. Be careful out there!

I spent yesterday going out on whatever whimsical micro adventure captured my imagination in that moment. There are some days where it feels alright to curl up with a good book or do some writing, but yesterday was just too alluring. At times I worry that my attention span is dwindling, but then I rationalize it to myself - there is just so much to see. There is no harm in curiosity, only a quiet private joy. I don't feel quite as bad for leaving my books and notepad behind after I jump through these imaginary hoops. There is so much to learn and transmit, but at the core of all that is experience. We all live to live and I have tracked my stealthy bobcat friend and watched the pure golden sunset and strolled through the forest primeval. I always feel like a rich man afterwards.