love is all there is.

By taking off my shoes and digging my toes in the sand I made contact with the larger world - an exhilarating feeling that leads to equanimity. Certainly I was still by myself, so to speak - there were no other people around and there still are none - but in the midst of such a grand tableau it was impossible to give full and serious consideration to Albuquerque. All that is human melted with the sky and faded out beyond the mountains and I felt, as I feel - is it a paradox? - that a man can never find or need better companionship than that of himself. Edward Abbey

Morning,

It was another mild day yesterday. The high was 40. It was very sunny for the majority of the day. The low was 25. It was 26 and hazy at observation. It looks like we'll have a clear night for New Years' stargazing. I am hoping to make it at least to hiker midnight - 9pm!

I spent the majority of yesterday inside to recover from my 2 big days. It was a very leisurely day. I finished a book, took a nap and talked to a few dayhikers. Special thanks to those who packed me in some oranges, apples, bananas, peppers and a NY Times! It is greatly appreciated. There are few greater pleasures than being comfortably tired after a big hike and curling up with a newspaper.

Be careful on the slopes today. There was quite a bit of ice on my hike last night. As I've mentioned before, Kahtoola Microspikes are the most effective means of walking along the ice. You can find them at the NOC just outside the park. They are worth every penny, as having confidence in your traction is a great relief in these tricky conditions. It's so nice to be able to take in the views without worrying about every foothold.