The view from Bald was... cloudy.
So was my mind. My best friend from high school died 8 years ago today. I remember it vividly. My fiancee Cammie Oxley and I worked at the local hospital, and friends called her with the news at home. She called me on my shift. An accident -- Russ was kayaking in upstate NY and didn't escape a rapid in the Moose River. Died doing exactly what he loved. It sounds a little morbid, but we all should be so lucky. I miss him -- he added a great deal to the planet.
Short hike today - 10 miles. As with the hike to Hogback Mtn. S., getting to Bald Mtn. was cold and rainy. Less windy was a plus -- but this kind of damp cold goes through the gear and into ones bones. The view from Bald was -- cloudy. Lots of thoughts and contemplations on friends with whom I've lost touch over the years. Burning bridges, or just dusty and decayed through neglect. I count those relationships, even the ones that ended poorly, to be the best part of being human. And out here, I'm going slow enough to regain an appreciation for humanity -- our humanity.