It is amazing how 2014 is almost over.

I haven't posted in a while because I have been so busy.  I was going to finish my "July" hike in August, but life got in the way.  Our extended home remodel zapped my time and I needed to help my wife with one of her projects.

My wife is involved with the Assistance League (Sacramento Chapter) and they recently purchased a new building.  Homeless persons were getting on the roof and destroying sky lights, HVAC, and electrical systems.  I took on the job of installing barbed wire along a low roof line to keep the homeless off the roof.  Then my time was needed to help draft a contract to rehabilitate the building...

Barbed wire is an ugly business.  I kept thinking about the trail and how beautiful it was.  In retrospect I think I would have been happier staying on the trail and finishing what I had started in spite of the lightning. Hindsight really is 20/20 vision.

Eric installing barbed wire

I finally got around to joining the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA).  I did it with some hesitation.  I support the PCTA because they seem to be politically capable at this point in time of keeping mountain bikes off the PCT and are doing a wonderful job of promoting the trail.  I have deep concerns about unfettered use of horses and mules on the trail.  I think I'll create a separate page on this blog to expand on the politics of the PCT.

Assuming my health holds out another year, I plan on hiking the John Muir Trail (JMT) in the summer of 2015.  At this point in time I'm looking at starting the hike at Horse Shoe Meadows Trail head.  From there the PCT is a few miles west, then I can pickup the JMT to Whitney, then trek north to Yosemite (and beyond).