Hello from South Dakota

Here we are, hundreds of miles from the PCT, in Brookings, SD, attending the annual American Society of Mammalogists Meetings. Gerry will be giving his talk on social calls in white winged vampire bats tomorrow morning, as one of the recipients of an ASM award. South Dakota reminds me of Pennsylvania but flatter and with more cowboy hats. Being here is strange in so many ways. It's not just staying in a dorm room and holding it for the flush toilets and making numerous trips to the fresh fruit platter at the opening day social for pineapple! and strawberries! It's also the incredible feeling of laziness that I've had all day; the slow struggle to walk the .2 miles all the way from the dorm to the Performing Arts Center. What!? How did I just walk 760 miles? The trail is a mile-crunching machine. It eats miles for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 4 snacks a day. It elates and motivates and moves you to just walk, just keep going! Even though your feet and legs are aching and you're just too hungry and tired. The scenery is beautiful and the activity so elemental.

There is so much disposable stuff in the world of airports and college campuses. The waste is overwhelming. The convenience and lack of dirty dishes are sweet of course, but mental images of bags of trash hauled off to mammoth landfills, and of all the resources plugged into the production of these disposable goods, burden more than the convenience helps.
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Yes, it's true, we didn't leave the desert entirely after my last post in Tehachapi; the long, hot and thirsty days that followed were a suitable reward for my cockiness. After Kennedy Meadows, though, we truly did enter the high sierra. Mt. Whitney was stunning, and we managed a ride into Lone Pine easily, with two climbing guides from Washington. The next day, we were lucky enough to get scooped up by Chuck Norris and Tigger's (two fellow hikers/angels), who gave us a ride to Bishop. Sadly, they were also driving Warner Springs Monty (amiable PCT veteran) to the hospital, as he had fallen and badly hurt his leg. Hope he's feeling better by now! He seemed to have such a good attitude about the whole thing. We are incredibly lucky to be healthy.

Love to everyone,
Michelle

PS This is old news, but Gerry gave me a wonderful haircut at the Saufley's. He is now my official hairdresser.