So, I was invited to Denise’s (”Sas’) cabin in the Shasta Trinity area. I pondered the options:

1. Continue hiking solo, 20 plus miles a day

2. Go to a cabin for a week vacation taking in some boating and rest and relaxation with two great people I met on the trail.

Hmmm, not a tough choice there. Rest and relaxation it is.

Or so I thought. I was warned it might be debaucherous…guess i did not heed that warning. These two are keeping me quite entertained, and the cows don’t seem to be coming home anytime soon.

Out in this fine place I am treated to drinks aplenty (9am - 2am), fine food (steak, burgers, etc.), and boating in the beautiful lake during the hot hours of the day.

I am quite enjoying my vacation from the trail. I have however gotten a little beat up. While knee boarding for the first time, i spun a 360. Feeling cocky, i tried again and managed to eloquently plow into the water sending the kneeboard flying at a ludicrous speed toward my face, managing to bloody my lip and bruise my eyebrow.

Scratch the knee board…lets try something simple, an intertube pulled behind a boat. It was fun until “Sas” had the bright idea to try and throw me off it. From then on, i held tightly with a look of sheer terror pleading her to slow down a bit. Being whipped from side to side at mach 12 speeds, the water turned to concrete eagerly looking forward to swallowing me alive. Getting rug burns from the tube and bruising my thighs from the heavy persistant beating, i could hold tight no longer. Skipping like a flat stone across water I went flailing off the tube, legs, arms, feet, and hands wildly splashing across the waters surface. Tired of the ferocious beating, i decided to give the tube a rest.

Scratch the knee board and the intertube…lets stick to what i know. The next day, on water skis, i was masterfully jumping wake after wake, doing sharp cuts on the glassy surface, all in all making the art of skiing look like childs play. Then….I went up over a wake, caught some air, and my ski fell off. I brilliantly landed on the ski while plunging face first into the water. Coming up with burning eyes, I looked around and saw three skis…or rather one ski and one broken ski which i had snapped over my knee.

Now “Boone” and “Sas” want to take me out and get me up on the wake board. Lets see how well I can maim myself on that.

I will be here a couple more days, and then off to my family reunion.
After that, I will finally return to the trail. Where, I know not. For this hike is a hike of flipping and flopping. I am out to have fun, hike for 5-6 months and maybe cover all the distance between Mexico and Canada. Sure the continuity is definately broken, but the experience is incredible.

Happy Trails, Inner Peace, & Harmony