The backpacking trip to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness was really good for me. I went from feeling trapped and panicky to feeling empowered. Part of that was because of trials and tribulations that I encountered and overcame. I got a flat tire on a single lane dirt road in the middle of nowhere on the way to Big Creek and I changed over to my spare all by myself. The first three days of backpacking were really good weather, if a bit chilly. The fourth day was stormy, and I out-hiked the storm. The fifth day was rainy, and I proved I can handle two wet days in a row. I even turned down a ride back to the lodge in favor of another night in the woods.
Back at the lodge, I found that they were not able to repair my tire because the repair bulged. I got the experience of using a much better jack to change my spare tire from the front to the rear to make it a bit safer to drive (and easier for people on the highway to see that I wasn’t driving slower than the speed limit for fun). I went so slow, but I made it to the McCall Les Schwab and bought new tires about 45 minutes before closing on Labor Day weekend.
The week of Labor Day was a busy one for me. On Tuesday, I drove out to Boise to spend the night with my friend. Wednesday, I went to work for a breakfast. It wasn’t mandatory, but the retreat the following day was, so I figured I’d do both. I actually worked on campus for most of Wednesday, which I haven’t done in years. Then the office retreat on Thursday, which was a long day of people-ing. I got to the highway before 4, but the traffic was already thick. I didn’t get home until after 7, though, to be fair, I made a number of stops, including at Kelly Orchards where I got a giant peach among other things.
I got a migraine on Friday. The first one since I had a revelation on the backpacking trip that I have been storing the fear of Ambrose’s death in my left neck and shoulder. On the trip, I talked to my muscles about letting that tension go because the worst has already happen. He’s dead. So it’s time to let go. I kind of hoped I wouldn’t have any more migraines after that. But I’ve been clenching those muscles since 2020 when I first dreamed about Ambrose dying in the hospital on a respirator. It’s going to take time to release it all.
My friend I stay with was starting to get sick on Thursday morning, so I was expecting I might come down with something between that and spending two days on campus. Today, that expectation bore fruit. Well, technically I started feeling ill yesterday, but I didn’t realize I was feeling ill. I was just wondering why I was randomly dizzy. Now I’ve got congestion and muscle aches in addition to the dizzies. Tomorrow may be worse.
I was going to hike today, but I decided against it when I realized I was getting sick. I did some home chores today instead. And I finally did breakfast prep for the first time in months. Well, the oats. I didn’t get eggs to hard boil. And I made a very veggie full dinner, with a lot of fresh vegetables from my neighbors. That will last four more days, and then I’ll try to do another big veggie noodle thing which will last me through next Tuesday when I head back to Boise.
The plan was a Canada visit via Chicago, but some personal issues are at play and the Canada portion of the trip has been canceled. So now I’m just visiting Chicago, which will be nice to do when it’s not frozen. If I didn’t have to work, I’d probably visit Chicago in the spring and fall by preference.
The deck is coming along nicely. I don’t know when it will be done, but my contractor has been working most days. The stairs are in now, and the framework. I’m excited about having a nice deck. I can’t wait to sleep out on it. I’m going to flatten the ground between the ramp and the solar panel to make a good spot to pitch my car camping tent. Maybe I’ll even leave some stakes in place for it.