[ Friday, February 28, 2003 ]
Day 1 to Day 6
Everest base camp. 03:30 hours. I'm just waking up. Svetlana, Ulrich, and the rest of the team left two days ago to begin another summit attempt. I'll try again today if the weather holds. Down to my last Cocoa Crispy power square, half a bag of gummi bears, and a few ounces of water I've managed to collect from the condensation in the tent. Important decisions to make today - bring the bottle of Knob Creek or an extra oxygen cannister? Could be crucial up in the death zone, don't have room for both. Will try to leave for the ascent before 04:30 hours. Must . . . find . . . sugar . . .
Greetings from Monterrey Bay National Seashore Park and Monument. Camped here the first night out, couldn't afford the fancy sites by the ocean, so set up camp here in the overflow parking/superfund area. $1 a night.
The views from my campsite on the coast. Been camping in the Los Padres National Forest the past five nights, started out around Carmel Valley, moved to another site on the ocean just below Big Sur, and spent last night in the hills north of Santa Barbara. Hwy 1 is pretty awesome.
Having a good time out in the forest alone, but most of the first couple days has been consumed by various "equipment assimilation and education" tasks, getting used to the routine, a routine, creating a routine, for camping and living out of my van alone. Trying also to avoid routine. Camping is actually a lot easier than I recollected and anticipated, I guess because most of my recent camping experience has been at B-Man, and because now I'm not standing in the desert in a 60 m.p.h. wind storm covered in sand or soaking wet all fucked up on **** trying for two hours to light the stove to make a cup-a-soup, all the while watching all my camping gear blowing away.
Reading a VERY disturbing and serious book, but also accessible and quite readable, about the racism, power, and hatred in American culture and throughout capitalist societies, called The Culture of Make Believe (Derrick Jenson, Context Books, 2002).
On my way down to LA tonight to re-connect with some law school friends, excited about that, and about having a shower and a break from camping. Miss all y'all a lot. The Bad F*cker highway fuckin' rocks so far. [2/28/2003]
PAY ATTENTION BLACK ROCK CITY
