A Boring Post

For the one or two of you who get antsy when I don't write anything, here are some random notes on recent days. I've only had 3 days off this month, so there hasn't been a lot interesting to talk about. Deer Hill politics aren't that interesting, and that's what my life has been full of. I'm gearing up for a backpacking trip Friday & Saturday, though! Not many days off left! I don't think New Mexico is going to happen, which is unfortunate since I just remembered seeing a Nature program about a guy there who keeps skunks. I have 3 weeks left here! Besides going back to Ouray and hiking near there, I intend to hike around Hovenweep, go to New Mexico if I can, and if there are any other days, skate in Durango or hike near Telluride. Maybe get a 14er, but I'm not feeling that driven about it.

After I blogged the other day, I went to Mesa Verde and did the 8-mile Prater Ridge Trail (started at 4pm, which sounds nuts, but it worked), then stayed for the ranger program at 9. I should have been doing this sooner. They have a different one for each day of the week, so I need to go 5 more times (I went Saturday, too). It's only recently occurred to me that I can do stuff in the evening. I feel too tired, but if I get out of here, I get more energy. My Parks pass means I can go to Mesa Verde and hang out (or skate in the amphitheater parking lot!) without it costing anything. Tonight I finally hiked up toward Flint Rock (but not all the way to the top), and saw a killer sunset from a high point in the Deer Hill universe. There was a pretty large animal track up there, but we're having a hard time identifying it. The difference between a mountain lion and a bear is not much in soft dirt.

I need to remember this in Korea. It's taken me 4-6 weeks to feel comfortable here, and to feel at home enough to start reaching out, branching out. I need to keep that in mind when I'm feeling out of sorts at the beginning of my time in Seoul. Eventually I will come into my own again and rediscover volition. Only 3 weeks left here, and I'm just getting in front of the beat enough to initiate projects. But it doesn't matter any more. At least in Korea, I'll have enough time to settle in. At least in Korea I'll have weekends.

All the groups are in the field now (ok, all but 1), so days at basecamp either involve shuttles or real behind-the-scenes work. Yesterday, I got to drive to Vallecito again to drop off rations for one of our groups--I left the stuff at a horse corral, where they will strap it to horses and ride in to meet the group tomorrow. Vallecito is a reservoir big enough for boating, with a quiet, resorty feel. It's cute, quiet, and mountainous. I like it a lot. Like a Rocky Mountain Adirondacks. Today, I used a scythe in the hot sun, then took my blisters to the shade to stain picnic tables. Tomorrow, I'm taking the last group to Utah to put canoes in north of Moab. I can't wait. I hope I get a few more shuttles before I go.

Each night, I plan what I'll be doing a month from today. Tonight I need to look up Mt. St. Helens.

Not much time to read here. I'm so tired at night and it's always not long until morning again. I'm slogging through Bill Bryson's A Brief History of Everything (or whatever it's called). It's my 2nd attempt and it's going only slightly better than the first. I started it July 1, and thought I could absolutely finish by August. I just passed page 100 (out of almost 500). I'm probably going to have to send it home unfinished. Maybe I'll aim for halfway. Had planned to read The Time Machine, and something by T.C. Boyle this summer, but it's not looking good. Which is ok I guess because the library in Cortez doesn't have them anyway. I wonder if they have Alexander McCall Smith in Korea.