Posted on April 16, 2010 - by Phil
Nothing Is Lost…
… it’s only frozen in frost… and then opened in time.
It’s been a long and cold Winter here in Massachusetts. On second thought – long and bitterly cold would probably be a much more accurate description. Over the past several months, massive low pressure systems have made a habit of meandered their way across New England – often preventing the temperature from getting much above freezing once you factor in the wind-chill.
Don’t get me wrong, the Northeast has always had a reputation for fierce Winter weather, but this year it seemed to be especially brutal. And while the local news stations were spending most of their time profiling weary New Englanders cursing the arctic temperatures, I honestly couldn’t do anything but smile. I’ve always loved the cold.
Today, we’re already into our second week of April and the weather of course is shifting. The snow has receded and the ground has almost fully thawed. Despite the constant warming trend though, the temperatures still get quite chilly here in the late night and early morning hours. Sometimes I find myself lying awake in bed – long before the sun has come over the eastern edge of Loland Oaks. Through the picture window in our living room, I can catch a veiled glimpse of the Walker’s house – smoke spiraling slowly from their chimney, up into the gray cloud-cover. This, no doubt, is a true testimate as to how tight of a grasp the Winter can have on this part of the country and how unwilling it is to simply “let go.”
Anyway… enough beating around the bush. It’s been a while – it’s been a long while.
Every time that I actually post an update here on FINDING PHILIP, I never anticipate such a lengthy estrangement to follow. It’s so interesting to me – over the years I’ve seen countless friends and family members create and manage online journals with ease – posting every day or every other day. This style of writing doesn’t quite resonate with me. I try to update this blog only when I feel genuinely driven to do so. Sometimes that is once a week, sometimes that is once a month. I’ve always been much more impressed with quality rather than quantity… but of course each person has his or her own preference when it comes to how often they share the candid details of their day-to-day existence.
Regardless, this morning as I drove the back-roads into work, I realized that this is probably an appropriate time to update my site and let all of you in on some of the plans that I have for myself in 2010.
In less than one week, I will board a plane in Boston headed for San Diego. My good friend and adventure-partnerAndrew Boneshas been living and playing music in the Southern California area for the better part of the Winter and he has agreed to scoop me up and give me a place to lay my head for a few days while I attempt to get my bearings on the West Coast.
Early on the morning of April 25th, Bones and I will travel approximately 50 miles south to the Mexican border town of Campo and start what we hope will be a 4.5 month walk along thePacific Crest Trail. Just for some clarification here, the Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance hiking and equestrian footpath that travels 2,650 miles from the US border with Mexico to the US border with Canada – traveling through California, Oregon, and Washington State. The PCT (as it is often known) follows the highest portions of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, as well as a much lower, 700-mile route through the Mojave Desert. To say that this is going to be a challenge would be a vast understatement. Between the 100+ degree heat and 30+ mile waterless stretches of the desert, the sun-cupped snow and high altitude passes of the Sierra Nevada (which includes the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48), and the rugged and remote mountain expanses of the Pacific Northwest, there’s no doubt about it – I’ll have my work cut out for me.
Many people don’t realize this, but the Pacific Crest Trail, coupled with the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail comprise what is known as the “Triple Crown” of long-distance backpacking. It is said that more people have climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest than have completed every mile of the Triple Crown – and walking all three trails has been a dream of mine ever since I started living this pseudo-nomadic lifestyle three years ago. Having already hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2008 – setting out on the Pacific Crest Trail now seems to be the next logical step in my attempt to traverse all three remarkable footpaths.
Last year, just before leaving Massachusetts to walk across Colorado, I remember writing about my plans for the Summer being two-fold. This year – I’m going to write the same thing.
After finishing my walk along the Pacific Crest Trail, my plan is to take a flight from Vancouver up to Alaska, first landing in Anchorage and then hitch-hiking up to Fairbanks shortly thereafter. My hope and dream for this leg of the journey is to walk 415 miles along theDalton Highway- also known as the Haul Road. Again, some clarification is needed. Beginning just outside of the town of Livengood and ending approximately 8 miles south of the Arctic Ocean, the Haul Road is easily one of the most desolate roads in all of North America. More than 2/3 of it’s length is above the Arctic Circle and for the hearty souls who attempt to drive or cycle this expanse in a one continuous trip – there are no grocery stores, no medical facilities, and no cell phone reception. It is a great and empty part of the country – home to muskox, caribou, snowy owl, black bear, grizzly bear, and of course – polar bear.
To the best of my knowledge, the road has never been traversed entirely by foot – so in many ways I am stepping into unknown territory with this walk. What I do know is that I will need to travel approximately 30 miles per day along road in order to reach the Arctic Ocean before the heavy snows of Winter set in. That being said – I figure if long-distance hiker and pioneerAndrew Skurkacan walk through the Alaska Range in early April, I can probably walk the Haul Road in late September without too much trouble.
All of this of course depends on my monetary well-being after walking from Mexico to Canada. By the time I finish my first hike, it may not be financially possible for me to spend an extra 3 weeks out on the road. Only time will tell – and I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted as the second part of my journey gets closer.
So there it is. I’ve been waiting to put this post together for some time – to let people in on my personal direction for 2010.
I can feel it now, as I have for some time – the difference in energy between myself and virtually everyone else in my life. It’s not a “speed” thing. I’m not moving any faster or any slower than the next person. It’s more about spirit – the way that I can no longer fall asleep at night – the way that I can no longer stay asleep in the morning. It’s about me – living a life that I am excited to be living – one that keeps me surprised, keeps me forever wondering what is over the next hill – the next mountain.
Just as I was getting ready to publish this entry,Chris Pureka’snew album (which I stayed up until midnight last night to buy) started playing on iTunes. I’ve mentioned Pureka several times here on FINDING PHILIP and in the past two years, this woman has slowly transitioned from just another indie/folk musician on my iPod to quite possibly my favorite singer/song-writer of all time.
Pureka’s opening track “Wrecking Ball” is an immediate departure from the smooth, finger-style guitar playing that I’d grown accustomed to on her previous 3 albums. Regardless - for me, this is a welcome and celebrated change in musical direction.
As the song enters its bare-bones, acoustic guitar-driven bridge, Pureka whispers a line that is as dramatic as it is metaphoric.
“I’m remembering the sunlight coming down in shades of blue, the sorrow of the aftermath tightening the noose. I’m thinking of the night that all the lights went out and how I learned to see in the dark, in the dark, in the dark…”
Cheers and Happy Trails!
I’ll be in touch…
-p-
PHOTOS: All of the photos in this post were taken last Summer – either along the Colorado Trail or along my 3,000 mile hitch-hike from Montana to Alaska. I never got around to posting “official” trip reports for these adventures – but I would still like to do so at some point. With my next long walk just around the corner, I don’t know that this will happen before I leave but nevertheless, they will come – and probably when you least expect it. Isn’t that the way it always is? 
PS: My plan for keeping this site up to date while I am on the road is simple: a short text, photo, and/or video post will come about once a week. Before leaving for Colorado last Summer, I had the grand vision that I would be writing these kind of long, elaborate entries while out on the trail. Unfortunately, between the high daily mileages and the remoteness of the area I was traveling through – this was next to impossible. So this time around, I’ve set a more realistic goal – something I feel I can commit to. Of course I’ll be leaving more “regular” updates on my FACEBOOK PAGE, so if you’re looking to stay REALLY informed as to my whereabouts – shoot me a friend request.
PPS: For any of you who have made it this far down the page, I’d also like to mention that this Summer’s adventures are taking place in part to raise awareness for the National Down Syndrome Society. This organization is especially near and dear to my heart, as my rugged little newphew Baylee was born with a case of Downs almost 5 years ago. My informal goal is to raise approximately $1 for every mile that I walk this Summer – which will be close to 3,000. After holding an *amazing* benefit concert in downtown Worcester last weekend, I’ve got almost a third of that goal already in the bank. If you are interested in supporting my cause – please click on the “Down Syndrome” link on the right side of the page. This will direct you to my personal fundraising website. Please do what you can! All transactions are secure and 100% tax deductible.
