Friday, July 16, 2010

Day 197: Our Spare Room and the Muir/Jesus Method


With a visitor due in tonight, this will be my home for the next three weeks. It has been reported to me that we have an aggressive mountain lion in the vicinity displaying some highly unusual behaviors. I'm normally quite the defender of the mountain lion, but this one has been (so I'm told) charging people. I'm always skeptical of such reports, but seeing as people all around us have been reporting mountain lion activity--well, caution is advised.

Best not to have the visitors be eaten, so I will give up our bed and move to the tent. I'm not as appetizing.

Hot today. I took a walk with Angel in the heat. Sweating. Still sweating as I type this. Last night Joni and I were up at 3:00 am enjoying the cool night air. Listening for mountain lions.

And one week from today, a Therapist, an Abbot and a Psychiatric RN will leave on our 46.5 mile hike through the ugliest section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Once again, I'm not in shape for it; will suffer, no doubt.

The Abbot states he is going to take minimal provisions with him: 7 items. We call this sort of backpacking the "Muir/Jesus Method". John Muir went on his rambles taking only a loaf of bread with him. Jesus told his disciples to not carry a knapsack or a staff on their journeys. The minimalist approach.

3 comments:

greentangle said...

Hope you don't get eaten--I'm looking forward to reading about this hike!

Zeal said...

Hopefully a nice bottle of scotch is part of the minimal provisions!

Good luck with the mountain lion. This reminds me of when you were alone with jaguar's nearby from your hike earlier this year.

Allan Stellar said...

I didn't get eaten...but it is a little anxiety provoking sleeping in a tent with an active, unpredictable lion running about. Made me feel like a nice tasty snack in a wrapper...

As for scotch? Probably will be Jim Beam Black... :)