Without

As of yesterday the clan lead by Seven reached the top of the continental US, for a side trip no less. On the U.S. Forest Service's map, Mount Whitney is 14,495 feet tall. On the U.S. Geological Survey map, it is 14,491 feet tall. And, in the National Geodetic Survey's records, Whitney is 14,497 feet tall. We still don't know the exact one. But what's six feet in the grand scheme of things. For bragging rights pick the tallest of the three. Whatever you do, keep in mind that Seven and crew are hiking over 2600 miles of PCT plus a side trip to the top of the US. Bag a hike like that in one summer and sore feet are merely penance for having such a great walk, free of today's economy.

While undergoing long walks of near solitude and serene quietness, one discovers certain qualities about oneself. Living with only the necessities survival requires teaches us about what we can do without. I am certain by this time in their journey, the PCT troupe, en route to Canada, is not feeling the effects of a depressed economy or hurried life. I am certain they are not scrambling to get the latest iPhony or the longest lasting Blue Toothed ear bud for the impending cell phone law about to roll into effect. They are living in a world of limits set by their surroundings. They have chosen to live "without" for a small period of their lives. This five month stint in a new reality will change their very being. It will effect the core of who they are. Forever will they remember this trip and those they met. Life will always have a more simple side.

They will reintegrate into their "real" surroundings once again. But everything will be measured against their thru-hike. They will know, that no matter how bad it gets, they can always return to a time with less, "without" and live peacefully.

Seven's last post had him and his crew blasting up and over Kearsarge Pass and down into Independence for a food stop before pushing northward to Vermilion Valley Resort.