Journal Update 7 May 2000

I'm on the Southwest Chief in the middle of Colorado -- the southeastern
corner, according to Ben, a senior in electrical engineering at Clarkson
who lives in New Mexico.  It is flat, flat, flat, like all of the land
we've traversed since leaving Chicago.  I wonder if the Continental
Divide Trail passes through here, or further West.  The topography is
starting to remind me of parts of the PCT that I've hiked in S.
California.
I am meeting all kinds of people; this train ride might be a good part of
a anyone's vacation.  When people ask me if I'm on vacation, I'm not sure
what to answer.  It's just part of my life.  A "vacation" doesn't require
this much sacrifice and dedication.

I have received the first part of Peter Haskell's journal directly from
him.  It sounds as though he's doing really well.  We trained and
prepared together in Houston and walked many miles on the Lone Star
Trail, where he saw more than one demonstration of my head-over-heels
technique of dealing with rocks and roots on the trail. He is much more
high-tech than I am and actually has a website: www.onthecrest.com.

I still have occasional twinges of pain in my right foot that are
associated with sesamoiditis.  I had a bout with this inflammation in
Houston.  Hopefully it will not flare up on the trail. 

[later]
We're now in New Mexico, and the land is breaking up.  The terrain now
looks just like the southern PCT -- red soil, sagebrush, pines, dry
streambeds, juniper shrubs.  I can fell the excitement building in the
pit of my stomach.

-- Dave


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