Shannon went into Kanab yesterday to run errands and pick up a package. The package was delayed and she ended up spending the night there. So tomorrow is officially the day we head into the North Rim. She picked up a few things for me: heavy cream, Crystal Light packets, chicken seasoning. I moved her bike and OneWheel over by my stuff and put the game camera on them overnight. Just moths and some joggers at 7:15am. I'm liking this camera. Old tech, big and clunky, but it works. The night vision is decent and I like how it stamps the time, date, and temperature on the video.
We've been here a week. It's been a great spot and it's served us well. I'll be ready to roll tomorrow.
The video work is still feeling stuck in the mud. My mind wants it to be a neat, tidy, perfectly framed slice of experience, but it's rarely that out here. It's got all the chaos and incoming variables that this life contains. I just need repetition, constant repetition and iteration. I'm doing that, it's just going slowly. This week I've been pulled more toward music. A lot cooking in that department too, and it needs the same consistency and iteration. That's the name of the game for the rest of the year. Do all the things, do them consistently, keep refining the systems and the skills. Put in the time.
Today I'll pack up and prep the van for travel. Firewood has been so plentiful here that I'll be carrying the excess forward into the Grand Canyon. To our best knowledge campfires are still allowed there, in which case we'll be grateful for it. I don't know what to expect out there but I expect an adventure. I expect to be there until the beginning of June.
The electrolyte potion keeps evolving. The Crystal Light is making it taste good enough that I decided to add another ingredient: 5g of creatine. Twice a day puts me at 10g, which is supposed to provide noticeable cognitive and energetic benefits. The cognitive case for slightly higher doses seems to have emerged recently, several studies, plenty of influencers on YouTube. The problem has always been that creatine tastes terrible and I don't excel at taking bad tasting things twice a day. But folded into this potion I think I can manage it. I could use more brainpower and energy. Bring it on.
Yesterday Shannon messaged to tell me it was her saying my name on the walkie talkie yesterday morning. That had never crossed my mind. She was checking if I was awake to go watch the Route 67 gate open. I heard it in my dream and thought it was part of the dream. I had a good chuckle when I heard that.
Back at our group camp in Utah a month or so ago, I spent some time with a 78 year old nomad I'll call G. We had some great talks. He was forthcoming and earnest in his reflections on his life. He'd been married three times, described himself as a lifelong functional alcoholic, said the alcohol wasn't a problem so much as it made him make bad decisions. I asked him how he felt about approaching the end of his time here. He said he feels ok about it, that he'll feel content. The reason, he said, is these past five or six years living as a nomad, feeling this kind of freedom, experiencing life this way.
This resonated for me. In many ways I feel like my life began when I discovered this life. I continue to feel so grateful to be here and have the privilege of living it. When it's time for me to go, let it be known that I found my peace. I found my happiness. And it's out here on the road in the van. Particularly in the wild places.