Sunset

Blog and journal both suffer some when things of import go on. It is that tendency of mine to neglect the recording of the thing in favor of the living of the thing. Cognitively I know that the two are not mutually exclusive, in fact by acting as a sounding board and forum, either public or private respectively, writing can complement living. But knowing the path and walking the path, they are two different things, now ain’t they?

The wedding of Melissa and Jarrett was, well it was the sort of thing that might cause a weak minded soul to neglect his writing because he didn’t know how to express himself properly in words. I suppose tears of many origins are normal when a best friend gets married, and I was no exception. Still forming words to attend the images and memories. A wise counselor once advised me to keep for myself only some few precious memories, to not be too quick to give away all my treasures and be ever planning how to tell the story.

A friend of mine died recently. I considered keeping this one quiet too, but concluded that her story is not mine to hoard, nor is the grieving, nor is the celebration of her life. Kristen Yoder and her brother Dustin, along with a third climbing partner died a little over a week ago when they fell into a crevasse climbing in the Peruvian Andes. They were good climbers all, experienced and safe, and possessed of good judgment. That much is certain. In such a incident it is common to jump to conclusions about what may have led to the accident, and I say this to defend their memory against those who might, in jumping to conclusions slander those who can no longer defend themselves. Kristen was a ray of sunshine, always quick to smile and always a joy to be around. She will be missed, along with her brother, both decent people who made the world around them better.

I’m in Lander right now, preparing for a NOLS course, tomorrow I’ll be briefed and meet my co-leads and learn the route. Glad to be going into the field again, I’m ashamed to say I haven’t been on a multi-day trip since my last course a year ago. The drive to get here has been long, but quite pretty. Arizona to New Mexico, north through Colorado and into Nebraska to visit family and the ranch, then west through Wyoming. Missed the New Belgium brewery in Ft. Collins, but maybe on the way home. Did stop at the Sierra Trading Post outlet store in Cheyenne and had a case of gear-envy at all the shiny new outdoor gear at ridiculous prices.

I guess I’ll stop there for now. Maybe I’ll get another post up before I hit the field for a month, maybe I won’t. For now I’m going up on the roof to watch the sun set.