ohmigod, i'm sinkin'. it's breakin' my heart, but i'm working hard to seperate war from beauty.

Reflecting thus, I walked on and on. Yes, even without the chamber music and friend. How foolish to wear oneself out in vain longing for warmth! Solitude is independence. It had been my wish and with the years I had attained it. It was cold. Oh, cold enough! But it was also still, wonderfully still and vast like the cold stillness of space in which the stars revolve. Hermann Hesse

_Happy December!

It was yet another ridiculously nice day yesterday. I'm getting a little too used to sandals-and-no-shirt hiking lately. It feels like I'm back in Vermont... in September. The high reached 47 degrees. The overnight low was 33 degrees and it was 34 degrees and clear at 7am observation. It looks like it'll be another great day on the trails.

I had a pleasant walk down to Arch Rock yesterday. I spent an hour soaking in the rays at Alum Cave. I can't emphasize it enough - it really has been absurdly pleasant lately. I was working on my tan for my January visit to San Diego. If this weather keeps up, I should be set.

Good luck to all my friends running the Tecumseh Trail Marathon this year! It's one of the few events that makes me wish I weren't on the mountain. Next year...