[pct-l] Re: camera

[ROYROBIN@aol.com (ROYROBIN@aol.com)]

 > > In one of his books, Colin Fletcher recounted the
 > > great freedom he discovered
 > > the trip his camera broke and he could just enjoy
 > > the moment without attempting
 > > to record it.

However, he INTENDED to take pictures.  He included the camera in his pack.
 
Memory is a strange thing.  We remember all that we remember, sometimes even, 
as time passes, a few things that never happened.  And we remember nothing 
that we have forgotten, by definition.  

Take out the worn maps from your long hike and find the spots you've marked 
on them where you camped each night.  You will remember every evening there 
on the trail, the campsite itself, the weather, the friends, much of the day 
that brought you to that spot.  Leaf through the photo album (or CD) and 
relive the progression of days, the beauty of the changing scenery.  Without 
these things, you would still remember it was a great hike.  But you will 
have forgotten, after a time, the joy of that noontime siesta in a spot of 
shade while crossing the Anza-Borrego Desert. 

Make this effort to write in your log, mark your maps and shoot your 
pictures, not for someone else but for yourself.  You will soon be climbing 
out of Stehekin, knowing that you will be in Manning Park in a couple days 
and there will be no more trail to follow.  The peaks and valleys of the 
Pasayten Wilderness are a fitting end to your spectacular journey and you'll 
feel a wrenching sadness that you may never pass this way again.  As this 
summer ends, or other summers down the line, you'll be thankful you preserved 
these memories.