Hardening of the opinions

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,--
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
                        Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson

Cary and I met our goal of 23 miles in two days, not three. We survived hail, rain, wind, wolves, narrow bridges, defective camp stoves, slippery trails, and a damned cold night. We carried 40-50 pound packs to the highest point of the trail. Heroic hearts, indeed.

I have almost recovered.

Aging fellows like me need a good physical challenge now and again. More so now really than when youth had its horns out and went looking for some territory to defend or some mate to impress. It is simply about proving to oneself that one yet harbors a small ember of the strength and, perhaps, promise of youth. That the muscles still serve - though they take longer to warm up. That the lungs still work - perhaps harder than ever. But perhaps the best thing to know is that the brain still functions - enough anyway to read a map, talk politics and women, and survive a day or two in the wild. That we are foolish enough to take on the trail, but smart enough not to hurt ourselves too much in the process.

Yet it's not really a hardening of the arteries, I fear, but hardening of the opinions. A malady that seems endemic among people my age (and younger). How do I keep from becoming one of the old grumps in the teachers' lounge who counters every change advanced with, "Yeah, we tried it that way twenty years ago. It didn't work then and it won't work now."

It's tougher to stay mentally flexible than physically fit. What can you do to make sure you can still touch your intellectual toes?

Or as Tennyson might put it:

To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

 _______________________________________________

Other trail photos can be found here. 

 

A break at the Jackson Creek campsite - just before the rain began. Doug Johnson, May 2008

 
Beaver pond near Carlson Lake. Doug Johnson, May 2008

 

Our hike started at the northern most point - a few yards from the Canadian border and took us to just
outside the Magney State Park. We have a ways to go. Map from SHT website.

On trail, off line

I am at two with nature. Woody Allen

Up to 200 people each year take three weeks "through hiking" the 200 mile long Superior Hiking Trail, starting at one of the trail that stretches from the Canadian border to Two Harbors, MN.

My friend Cary and I will not be among them.

But we are tackling the route in sections that fit our stamina and ability to be gone from our jobs. We're hoping to hike about 25 miles over three days this weekend. It's a start. Rather than our usual meandering annual jaunt, this year we have A PLAN. We are starting on the north end of the trail and walking south until we get to Duluth. We estimate it will take 10 years unless both get fired and have little else to do with our lives.

Cary Griffith is an expert on being lost. I am not sure I find that a comfort. His book Lost in the Wild (a classic in the survival genre) is a fantastic read and should be in every middle and high school library on the planet, especially for reluctant male readers. If they weren't reluctant readers before they started the book, they will be afterward. (That's a joke.) Even if I wasn't Cary's friend and even I wasn't given prominence - OK, mention - in the acknowledgements, I would still recommend this compelling story.

If you would like a sample of Mr. Griffith's prose, try "Surviving Cascade," a re-telling of the manly adventures of the author, his friend Doug, and their boys - Nick, Noah and Brady. It recounts the hike our sons still lovingly refer to as "The Death March." (See, boys, didn't we tell you that you really don't need all your toes?)

Here is part of the trail's description from its official website:

The Trail is routed principally along the ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior. At its lowest point, the Trail goes along the lakeshore, which is 602 feet above sea level. At its highest point the Trail is 1750 feet above sea level and more than 1000 feet above Lake Superior. The Trail is characterized by ascents to rock outcroppings and cliffs, and descents into numerous river and creek valleys crossed by attractive and functional bridges. Panoramic overlooks of Lake Superior, the Sawtooth Mountains and inland woodlands, lakes and rivers are abundant along the length of the Trail. At many points, the Trail follows rivers and creeks, often for distances of a mile or more, show-casing waterfalls and rapids, bends and deep gorges where thousands of years of rushing water has cut into layers of ancient volcanic rock.

I can attest to the region's beauty and ruggedness. It will be an awesome hike. Oh, the last website update from May 17th indicated there was still snow in areas along the trail. I'm packing my long johns. And the LWW suggested I bring aspirin for mornings after sleeping on the ground.

Anyway the Blue Skunk will be off line for a few days. Enjoy the respite.

Brady on Pink

My 22-year-old son Brady's take on Daniel Pink's latest book, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko:

Hi Dad,
 
I thought Johnny Bunko was fantastic, it was a very relevant kind of motivation for young adults today. The art style and the characters are a fantastic way to get a message across that kids normally wouldn't even be receptive to. It almost works as kind of a gateway to this kind of thinking, and makes me want to read more of these kinds of books. I wish I had something like this before I started college to put me in the right mindset for the real world. I'm keeping this book and these lessons on hand for a long time as a reminder of what I really want to get out of life.
 
 Looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. Do you think we can squeeze in Indiana Jones?
 
 Love,
 
 Brady

(A scan of his college tuition bill was attached.)

 I sent Brady's review to Mr. Pink, and he responded:

Doug --

Thanks for this.  You (and he) made my day. Brady has kept me in the writing business for at least a few more weeks!  

Thanks again.

Cheers,
Dan

Pretty cool, I thought.

Looking for a great graduation gift this spring?

I have to say that Brady is a pretty cool kid. He's the one that draws the skunks for my blog's heading, did the art work of Machines Are the Easy Part, and still is willing to have the occasional lunch or dinner with his old man. Check the latest custom art work:

A sacred cow.

 

A gardening skunk

 

Picnicking skunks.

 And of course the rollerblading skunk in the header of the blog (at least today).

It's wonderful to have children of whom one can be proud, and LWW and I are four for four.

The grandsons look promising as well.