“Anarchism is democracy taken seriously.”

— edward paul abbey

—

October 2022: The Smith Boys’ last trip to Big Bend. Sure, one of us was traveling in a cigar box, but that couldn’t stop him.

That was always our favorite place on the planet. Still is. Rick’s ashes were scattered into the wind there. I just took for granted that it would always be protected.

Despair can be deeper than the biggest canyon.

I guess a cigar box of memories will have to do.

How many times can you read The Monkey Wrench Gang and do nothing?

—

I ran at 7 p.m. today to see what the start of the race will be like. As it turns out, it will be dark. That’s EXACTLY why you have to do these simulation runs.

The late start caused another first in the Fit PA Fancy Pants Training Plan©: Coach Bruce Denton wrote early in the afternoon to scream at me about missing my run. I got a message asking if I was:

A. A lazy piece of cow poop.
B. Finally giving up and what took you so long.
C. Dead. Hope you bought that black suit.

The other people out on the Smoocha Mucha Lucha Lasso course tried not to stare at the elderly gentleman shuffling around in circles in the fading light while openly weeping. Oh, well. Canyons of despair and all that.

Much tapering ahead for the week. Let the goofing off begin, if running at 8,000 feet elevation can be considered goofing off. And I’m going to pretend that it can be. Maybe Coach Bruce Denton won’t notice. Bracing for another admonishment …

The iPhone takes fantastic photos of the moon if by “fantastic photo” you mean a barely noticeable smudge where a brilliant crescent otherwise would be.