JMT Chapter 2 - Days 6 through 11

Back again?  Good, glad to know I have piqued your interest!  A few words about my fellow hikers.  Ron, as you know, started out with me from Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley because he, like me, wanted to complete the full, official John Muir Trail.  On the evening of Day 5, we met up with the rest of the SYMG (Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides) hikers - Russ and Karen from Washington St., Midge, also from Washington State, Sarah from Georgia, David from Vancouver, Dave from Sonoma, Bill from Illinois, Younga from NYC, and Steve from Houston.  With Mike Nix, Ron, and me - that made 12 hikers and 2 guides.  Quick story about Steve from Houston - he's a corporate attorney there and married to a very successful doctor who is a department head at the University of Texas Medical Center.....so as we were chatting, I told him that I had been a patient at MD Anderson (which is part of the UT medical system)...he asked who my doctor there was and I said "Michael Keating".....he chuckled and looked down - then said to me "you're kidding.....Michael Keating is one of my best friends".  Some say "small world"....I say "God's world".

On Day 6 we set out very early - the SYMG guys put out effort to come and get us at our posh accommodations at the lodge and picked us up at 5:30 am....we were driven down to the campsite and had breakfast before setting out at about 7:30 am.  The above photo of our motley crew was taken that morning as we hiked up Lyell Canyon towards Donahue Pass, which is on the border of Yosemite National Park.  Most of the day was pleasant enough but the weather turned nasty late in the afternoon. By the time we got to our campsite at about 9,500 feet, there was some rain and a lot of wind.  We got our tents secured and in the evening the wind abated enough for me to get some fishing done in the glacial tarn that was near our camp - pictured below:

I took 5 or 6 fish out of that little pond - my best session to that point.  It was cool because I had a little audience - 3 or 4 fellow backpackers, who appreciated the beauty of fly fishing.  The next day (Day 7) we crossed over Donahue pass and out of Yosemite, into the Ansel Adams Wilderness.  One close friend told me after my trip was over that she thought that we were in Yosemite the whole time - we actually passed through the heart of Yosemite, then the aforementioned wilderness, the Sierra National Forest, the Inyo National Forest, the Devil's Postpile National Monument, the John Muir Wilderness, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, and finally the Golden Trout Wilderness.  But - back to Day 7 - here I am on the pass:

The JMT is all about mountain passes - there are at least 10 major passes on the trail, from a low of about 10,800 feet to a high of 13,200 feet.  And they tend to get higher as you go from north to south.  Each pass involves crossing from one 'drainage' into another - so when you crest the pass, you see a new landscape unfold before you - it's very dramatic - and since you have to work so hard to climb up there, it's very rewarding.  I think this photo captures it well.



Day 7 turned out to be a very, very difficult day.  We passed by one of the most beautiful peaks along the trail - Banner Peak, which sits above the gorgeous Thousand Island Lake - as the weather deteriorated.  No rain just yet, but black clouds were gathering towards the south, our direction of travel.  This is something like what we were seeing:

It would get much worse.  Compounding the weather problem, we had a hiker in the group who could not keep up, so we had to stop repeatedly and wait for this individual to catch up - sometimes it would take 10 minutes, and at times it took 30.  This slowed us down so much that we were not able to make our intended campsite - the thunderstorm broke upon us 2 miles short of our destination, so we had to find an emergency camp.  We got into our tents at around 4:30 PM as a 5-hour thunderstorm boomed and flashed overhead.  Our guides prepared a hearty soup somehow during this storm and brought a hot bowl to each of our tents around 6:30 pm.  I cannot tell you how much that soup was appreciated!  It stopped storming around 10 pm and by morning the skies were clear - but instead of a 13 mile hike the next day, we had 15....which was going to be a challenge.

Day 8  - on the way to Red's Meadow

Our destination on Day 8 was a place called Red's Meadow, which is a campground that is accessible by car from interstate 395 (plus some backroads).  After a long, 15 mile day of hiking, we arrived at around 4:00 pm.  We were able to get showers ($9 with soap and towel!), an adult beverage, and SYMG put on a great dinner, as one of their staff drove in to meet us.  While the group was less than thrilled to have a 15 mile "death march", as someone dubbed it, the creature comforts eased the agitation.  Unfortunately, Steve, Dr. Keating's pal, had to hang it up because of the trouble his knee was giving him (no, he was not that one who could not keep up).  So our group went from 12 to 11.  I "bought" Steve's tent from him - as it was a couple of cuts above the one I had borrowed from SYMG.

The morning of Day 9 was cloudy and drippy - after the storms of Day 7, my mood was about as low as it got.  One of the reasons I always come back to the Sierra Nevada and to Yosemite is that the weather is almost always perfect.  I was having trouble dealing with this wet stuff - I figure if I want wet weather, I can get it in my own state of North Carolina.  So I went off on the trail that day grumbling and trying to talk myself into a better mood.  This is a great picture of that - low, heavy clouds but with a rainbow.


Day 9 turned out to be uneventful - no bad weather, no major issues.  We camped at Duck Creek.  The next morning, Day 10, however, there were some issues - "Terri" got us up at 4 am so that we would get to our camp, Chief Lake, before afternoon storms had a chance to build.  Fine - so we were on the trail at something like 6 am - and we arrived at Chief Lake at about 1:30 - fine again - but the winds were going at 30 mph strong, gusting to 40.  It was extremely difficult to set up tents in that wind.  Also, our campsite was very high on the ridge and very exposed, so some of us were thinking - "we have hours of daylight and we could get lower on the mountain and get out of this wind"....but we submitted to the wisdom of the leaders.  I fished in the wind and landed 8 or so nice trout.  I would wait for a pause in the gusts and then fire a cast into the lake - and the fishing was good - 8 fish in an hour!

Chief Lake was our last night before coming to the second and last campground, which is called the Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR).  Very unfortunately, that evening, after dinner at Chief Lake, 3 or 4 of our company got very ill, sick to their stomachs.  When we set out for VVR on the morning of Day 11, Bill and Sarah were devastated with digestive issues, and Russ was also in trouble.  We had a 9 mile hike to what we were led to believe was going to be a boat ride (across Lake Edison - 6 miles long) the rest of the way to VVR.  When we reached the 9 mile mark - the boat landing - there was no boat.  "Terri" calmly announced that we would have another 6.2 miles to walk to the campground.  This did not go over well!  Many questions were asked about how the boats were scheduled, who had committed that we would have a boat, what actually happened, etc. etc., to no avail.  We marched along Lake Edison, on a trail that was very poorly constructed, going up and down the mountain, for 3 more hot hours, arriving at VVR around 4 pm.

VVR is a great facility, very rustic but with laundry and showers, a restaurant, camping shop and a lot of nice folks.  However, there was a lot of grumbling in our company.  To Carlos' credit, he stopped us along the trail before we arrived and made an impassioned apology for the incoherence and inconvenience of the boat issue and the awful 6.2 mile trail along the lake....while "Terri" stood with her head down, 50 yards behind the group, which clearly indicated to me that something was very wrong.  Well, I am going on here, but.....I'll try to get to the point.  We had a great evening at VVR including a steak dinner.  The next morning at about 6 am, "Terri" approached several of us individually and said she was leaving the trip and leaving SYMG, effective immediately, and that Alex Steiner would be taking over leadership of the trip, also effective immediately.  In addition to that dramatic news, 4 members of our group decided that VVR would be their exit point (Bill and Sarah due to stomach issues, David due to general misery, and Younga due to her inability to carry the required weight).  So we lost another 4 hikers and a lead guide!!

Early morning on Day 11,  enroute to VVR - just over Silver Pass

There was good news, however - I knew Alex from many conversations I had with him prior to the hike (he mans the SYMG office in Oakhurst, CA and guides 1-2 trips per year).  As a son of the great state of Wisconsin I had grudging respect for Alex ;-), and I actually felt great that SYMG was bringing an all-star off the bench to lead our trip.  In addition to this strong staffing decision that was made, the president of the company, Ian Elman, and his #2 man, Colby Brokvist, made the 3 hour drive out to VVR from Oakhurst at 4 am to apologize to us, to affirm their commitment that the trip would continue and exceed our expectations, and to explain what would happen next.  As they say, every company messes up;  what distinguishes one company from another is how they handle their mess-ups.  I was very impressed  with how Ian handled this situation.

As for "Terri" - she came to a place where she did not feel like she was where she should be - that she did not want to be guiding trips in the Sierra Nevada.  She took abrupt action and fortunately Ian and SYMG were able to recover, and strongly.  She is a young lady with many talents and I wish her all the best in whatever she decides to do.  Her whole life lies ahead, and my prayers are with her and she seeks the path God wants for her.

Too many words, not enough pictures - but this was the "GREAT DRAMA" of our trip.  So, on Day 12, 7 hikers and 2 guides - Alex and Carlos - set off from VVR to take on the final, very rugged, no way out, extremely remote, final 15 days of the JMT.  Don't miss the next chapter!

This was taken at Chief Lake - early morning on Day 11, Orion rising before dawn....

John Muir Trail, Chapter 1

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Hello everyone, I am back at home after completing the JMT!!  I arrived home on Monday, the 10th of September and returned to work on the 12th.  I have 703 pictures to sort through....I've been thinking about how to document the trip and of course I'll "blog" everything, but I've decided to do it in "chapters" of approximately 5 days each.  So, here goes on Chapter 1.

I love to fly over the Sierra Nevada and try to recognize features - lakes, peaks, etc - it's unusual when I do and this time, I didn't recognize anything as we descended into Fresno on August 12th.  The mountains, forests, and lakes seem to go on forever - I was thinking, "tomorrow, I'll be down there, starting the big WALK".

This photo was taken by Jeff Williams, the 4th member of our initial party, just after we hit the trail on Day 1.  Ron Maier is on the left and that's Mike Nix on the right.  Mike, Ron, and I were all in for the full JMT, while Jeff was able to join us for the first 3 days, including a major summit of Half Dome.  We all started from Happy Isles, which is the official beginning of the trail.  The guiding company, Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides, starts their JMT trip from Tuolumne Meadows, which is 23 miles up the trail.  They do this for 2 reasons - one, it's very difficult to get permits for large groups coming out of Happy Isles, which is the most popular trailhead in Yosemite and probably the entire Sierra, and two, from Happy Isles you have to climb over 4,500 feet in 3 days - a brutal opening stretch, even if you could get the permits.  But - we were sure we were up for it!  So, back to the photo - the last item on the list on the sign is "Mt. Whitney via the John Muir Trail - 211 miles"!!

This is a precious picture of Jeff and I on top of Half Dome on day 2.  We camped at "Little Yosemite Valley" on our first night after climbing about 1700 feet from Yosemite Valley's floor.  This day, we had to gain another 2700 feet to the top of Half Dome - with the help of the cables you see below.  The slope gets as high as 48 degrees on the final pitch to the top - it's dizzyingly steep, and hard to capture that sense of the slope on film.  Anyway, when I was in the throes of chemotherapy and getting ready for the transplant, Jeff said "Dan, you will get through this, and you and I will stand together on top of Half Dome again".  (Jeff and I had climbed Half Dome once before, in 2000).  I was game but unsure.  What a great moment with a great friend.  I can't tell you how encouraging and supportive Jeff was throughout my ordeal.  That's what friends are for!  

The 4 of us out on Half Dome's "diving board", with the valley 4,000 feet below.

 This is Mike, descending Half Dome with the assistance of the cables.  I thought this photo gave the best perspective on what a 48 degree slope looks like.  Yes, it's THAT STEEP.  On day 3, the next day, we had to say goodbye to Jeff, and he headed back down the trail and to pressing matters at work.  We were now the 3 musketeers (or something) until we connected with the guiding company a few more days up the trail.





Below you will see a sunset photo taken at our next camping spot, the Sunrise High Sierra Camp.  The hike that day was a "butt-kicker", 9 miles and 3200 feet of elevation gain with the last 1500 feet coming over just 2 miles of trail.  The camp is at 9400 feet, and features a dining room, very small store, about 25 'tent cabins', and a backpacker camp.  We stayed in the backpacker camp (natch), but we were able to invite ourselves to dinner for a mere $30 bucks a head.  The dining room luckily had a few extra seats so we dined on roast pork with cherries, polenta and mixed vegetables, plus salad, soup and a lovely pineapple upside-down cake for dessert.  A fantastic feast compared to the "trail gorp" we brought with us.

 Mike and I the next day (day 4) on our way to Cathedral Lakes.  Cathedral is one of the most picturesque areas in Yosemite so we wanted to give ourselves some time there.  Our hike that day was only about 4 miles, so we arrived at our campsite at around noon, giving us plenty of time to enjoy our surroundings.  This photo was taken on the trail enroute to Cathedral Lakes.  The peak on the left side of the photo is Cathedral Peak.  John Muir was the first person to summit.  I have not and will not - it's way steeper than Half Dome!

Here Mike is setting up his prayer flags.  Mike is a Buddhist and also brought along the elements needed to set up a small altar.  Not my cup of tea, but it did add a spiritual dimension to our spectacular surroundings.

I spent a good part of the afternoon fly fishing.  I brought the hand-made fly rod that my brother-in-law's brother, Keith McElrath, made for me, and many of the hand-tied flies that Dan Lofaro made for me.  Unfortunately the fish did not cooperate on this afternoon - but what a setting, with Cathedral Peak as a backdrop!!

The next day, day 5, we hiked into Tuolumne meadows to meet up with our guiding company and new fellow backpackers.  We had about 7 miles to go so we took our time.  We arrived at the Tuolumne lodge, which resembles a High Sierra Camp, at about 2 pm and checked in (Ron had secured us a reservation just a week prior to our trip, so we were going to sleep in beds that night), and had a cold beer.  After sorting through our gear and deciding what we could live without, we headed down to the meeting place.  Not too much to report, except we met our guides, "Terri" (not her real name), the lead guide, and Carlos, the number two.  Carlos was full of personality and jocularity, while "Terri" was more serious, but she seemed competent.  I had asked about how many times they had guided the full JMT and the answer was that "Terri" had guided it once for SYMG and this would be Carlos' first time guiding the full trail, but he had done many shorter trips on and around the JMT.   Hmm.....did they have enough experience??  We shall see.....I will continue with Day 6 soon....stay tuned......

T-minus 6 days....

Hello everyone, if you're still out there :-)

Today is Monday and I have been meaning to get this post out for a week - this may be the last before I fly out next Monday for Fresno and the High Sierra....to say that I am excited about this trip is a huge understatement.  I'm not sure what the right words would be...a combination of elation, trepidation, anticipation, all at about 10,000 volts.....There's a lot to update you on, so let me get started.

Renee's finger and hand are getting better, but very slowly.  This bite has put a huge damper on Renee's summer, to say the least.  The doc still cannot rule out surgery or some loss of motion and strength.  Here's the latest pic:

 So, physical therapy daily and doctor visits every 2 weeks continue.

On the hike front, I am making almost daily jaunts out to REI for last-minute supplies and gear additions and changes.  I think I will be tweaking things until the last minute.  Physically all systems seem to be on "go", as I had my last routine checkup with Dr. Kritz today and my counts were strong again.  Thanks be to God for that!

Our fundraising progress stands at just about $70,000, though we are still a hair short and there's an opportunity for someone to push us over that milestone!  Donate here

I wanted to share a video with you that tells a little more about the 8 year old girl who was miraculously cured by a team of doctors in Pennsylvania - I think I posted a link to a Wall St Journal article about her  which was published last December.  This video is just amazing.

Fire with Fire Video

My sister Jill is organizing a prayer strategy that will cover me in prayer for all 28 days of my journey.  If you want to get involved in this, email her at jilldicicco@gmail.com.  Obviously you can pray for me anytime you are led....and it will be deeply appreciated.  The main things that I will be praying for will be (a) health and safety for me and for Renee and the kids while I am gone, (b) physical stamina, (c) fellowship with my fellow adventurers and (d) spiritual insights and revelation.

Sunburst at St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, June 22

As a reminder, the key dates for my trip are:

-  depart August 12
-  enter Yosemite wilderness Aug 13
-  Arrive Tuolumne Meadows Aug 16
-  meet up with Southern Yosemite mountain guides - Aug 17
-  leave Toulumne Meadows Aug 18 with SYMG
-  exit wilderness at Lone Pine, CA Sept 7
-  Shuttle back to Fresno Sept 8
-  Fly back home Sept 9

I will have no access to a cell phone between August 18 and September 8.  I hope to put up a brief post from Tuolumne Meadows on the 16th or 17th of August but that will be about it until the end of the hike.  Thank you all so much for your support!!!  God is good!! I could not have made it without Him - as Jesus said, "apart from me you can do nothing".

Countdown to the JMT

We are getting really close - 20 days now until I fly to Fresno, CA for the big hike.  I have been feeling great after my recent 'clean bill of health' from Dr. Kritz and doing a lot of training - cycling, stairmaster, and of course, hiking with weight on my back (40 lbs is typical).  I wish I had better news on Renee's hand.  While she is definitely improving, it is very slow - her hand remains swollen and she cannot make a fist.  She sees the doc every other week now but does physical therapy many times a day, which is very painful.  Poor thing!

With my sisters and Shirley and Don Skinner

On the 4th of July I traveled to Los Angeles to attend my cousin John (Skinner's) wedding - he's the youngest of Shirley and Don's 5 kids, the 5th wedding out there - I've been to all 5 - the first was cousing Joan's in 1988.  Laure and Jill were there too, none of us had spouses or kids with us so we had a unique 'sibling time' together - a great blessing.  My parents would have been there but my father took a little spill on the tuesday before the wedding so could not fly.  Still, it was a great time.  I played a round of golf with cousin Jim at the Riviera CC and shot one of my best scores of the year, 78.  Jim is an outstanding player and he carded a 72.  But the best part was just being able to walk the gorgeous golf course catching up with Jim on all the happenings with the Skinner bunch.

With Jim Skinner at the 6th hole, Riviera CC

From California I went straight to Emerald Isle where Renee's family was already ensconced in an 8 bedroom beach mansion - there were 26 family members in the house!  We had a nice time there but back to work last Monday.  The changes at work have been great - I am much more at peace, with time to do my early morning bible study and prayer time, my workouts, and help with dinner - while still putting in a "full" day at the office.  And of course my health and well being is much better.

I am making final equipment choices and checking and re-checking flights, shuttles, and other logistics for the trip out west.  I've really enjoyed reading "My First Summer in the Sierra" by John Muir along with his biography.  What an incredible life - his love for nature seemed to be God-given - no one really "inspired" him, he just was born with a craving for solitude and natural beauty - and his influence on the development of the national park and national forest system will endure for generations.  I will be thinking about this a lot while I am on the trail.  

My sister Jill is creating a 'prayer strategy' for my hike.  Of course anyone can pray anytime they are led and I hope you will, but just to make sure that I'm covered in prayer every day, we will have 4 prayer leaders each take a specific week, then assign days within that week to their friends and family.  My two sisters, plus my parents are each taking a week and I will have a week to assign out to my friends.  

More on that next week....gotta run now....remember - nothing comes to you which does not go through the Father first - for all your trials, He is there and wants to redeem them for His and your future sanctification and glory.  Trust Him, for He loves you.

18 Months, Cancer-free!!

St. Peter's Basilica, Saturday, June 22

Hello friends, family, followers, and everyone....the last few weeks have been tumultuous but I feel like we have some through the rapids into (hopefully) some calm waters. I returned from Italy last Sunday and was reunited with Renee.  We went to the doctor together on Monday - she had been to this doc 5 times, each time with a different caregiver - and when I introduced myself to the doc as "the husband", he said "well, it's about time".  Fair enough!  Renee's hand is improving.  The heinous blister popped and the swelling is down considerably.  She keeps it bandaged now because of the exposed and broken skin, and she is working hard on physical therapy to restore the full range of motion in the finger.  I owe a big thank you to Rachel and Kenyon, Bob and Vaun, and Laurie and Mamie for taking such great care of Renee while I was on duty in Italy.

Renee's finger, 2 days after the bite.  It would get much worse.

Friday was a big day for us because I had my follow-up CT scan on Thursday morning.  You may recall that 6 weeks ago my re-staging CT scan showed a 'little something' in my lung, hence the need to re-scan this past week to see if it was still there.  IT WAS GONE.  Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!!  That means that I am now 18 months (plus a few days) post-transplant and continuing to be cancer-free.  Still is amazing to me.  In addition to the clear CT scan last week, I also registered the best blood count numbers in a couple of years - platelets, hemoglobin, neutrophils, and immunoglobulin all registered highs.

Last week also marked the transition at work from VP of supply chain transformation to procurement strategist and project leader.  Everything in my life comes from the hand of the Lord - my "success" at work included.  I felt clearly the Lord leading me to step down from VP life, at least for the foreseeable future, as a result of my various health issues over the past several months.  I continue to trust Him in all things.

The Villa Laura, Cortona, Toscana

In what seemed like an affirmation of my decision (with my doctors) to alter my work responsibilities, I was asked to be the speaker at a fund-raising dinner for the MD Anderson Chaplaincy department on October 24th.  I want to develop a selection of "talks" that I can give at hospitals, survivor organizations, churches, etc....as a ministry - so this was a really timely request for me.  I will be in Houston that week for my next restaging, which will include CT and PET scans plus a bone marrow biopsy.

The next event comes quickly - I'm going to Santa Monica (near LA) for my cousin John Skinner's wedding - leaving on the 4th of July.  I'm looking forward to playing a little golf with John's brother, Jim, who was an elite collegiate golfer at SMU "back in the day".  

Also, of course, the big trek is coming closer - less than 45 days now.  Preparations are getting more intense, both physically and in terms of equipment, logistics, and reading.  I'll provide more details in my next post.  Key links:

Link to TNT Fundraising site

Link to my blog on The Muir Project site
(scroll down to June 3 entry)

God bless all of you!!  Happy fourth of July!!

Under the Tuscan Sun Times One

Buongiorno!

I am in a small Tuscan town called Cortona, helping Jeff and Melissa Williams celebrate their 50th birthdays with some close friends and family.  Sadly, Renee had to pull out of the trip after she was bitten by a snake - a copperhead - a week ago today.  She was pruning rhododendron in our front yard when a tiny (2-ft) snake bit her right little finger.  Not knowing exactly what kind of snake it was at that moment, I drove Renee to the hospital in a mad rush.  Based on what the doctors were telling us initially, we thought we could both make the trip to Italy, but by late Wednesday, it was clear that Renee was not going to be in any state to travel.  Renee encouraged me to go and celebrate with Jeff and Melissa, who have been our dear friends since before either us us had children - as adults, we 'grew up' together.  Renee is in good hands, with Rachel and Kenyon on duty, plus Bob and Vaun, plus Laurie and Mamie....so I am on social/recreational duty here in Italy.  

Florence from Ponte Vecchio - Arno River 

This is a very active vacation, typical of the kind J&M enjoy - we have hiked, cycled, and done museum and walking tours so far and today is another hiking day.  This is actually a great training experience, in addition to being an absolutely heavenly setting.  J&M have put on a great program here at the "Villa Laura" in Cortona.  I appreciate your prayers for Renee.  I would publish a picture of her finger but it's really awful.  Love to all....Dan and Renee

The quaint Tuscan town of Gioiella, photo taken during our day of cycling through the Tuscan countryside

At the monastery that St. Francis of Assissi founded and where he lived many years, outside Cortona

June Update

Hello family, friends, colleagues.....

Self portrait on Falls Lake Trail today

It's Sunday evening, June 9th and I am sore-footed and -shouldered after a 9-mile training hike today.  I did this one solo because Mike was tied up with graduation festivities for his youngest son.  I'm trying to make sure I get "out" at least once a week now, and soon I will have to make it two.  On the fund-raising front, we've just nosed over $64,000 raised!!  Pretty phenomenal, and I am so thankful for everyone's participation and generosity.  Many of you donors have recently received a super-cool refrigerator magnet to thank you, remind you of my trip and (maybe) to pray for me.  Those magnets were a gift of a good friend from Wheaton, Brian Baird, whose company (Magnetstreet) creates a range of announcement and invitation products, primarily for weddings, graduations, and other major events.  Thanks again Brian!

Here's a link to the JMT Fundraising site:

John Muir Trail Website - Team in Training

Donation of the month goes to another family member, Jill (Rooker) DiCicco, who got her class and Aurora Christian School to do a fund raising drive for me - the kids raised over $100 for my cause.  You have to see this short video of her class:

Jill's Class Project - Dan the Walking Man

Very precious.....

On the medical front....nothing horrible, but I did come down with a fever and a mild pneumonia, which resulted in spending the afternoon of Mother's Day in the emergency room (routine precaution for transplant patients).  Given the track record I've had over the past 7 months, with infections, fevers, and liver issues, I've been able to arrange a different role at IBM that should reduce the toll that work is taking on my body and immune system.  Honestly, I need to be consistently healthy over the next two months if I am really going to go off into the wilderness for 26 days.  And, apart from the hike, I just need to find an equilibrium with work that results in strong health and no infections.  I'm very thankful that IBM has been so supportive.

Oh, I think this is really exciting....the Muir Project, a team of film-makers who are just now releasing a documentary on the John Muir Trail, have a promotional website at "themuirproject.com", and they have posted a guest blog entry that I wrote with help from my daughter Rachel:

http://themuirproject.com/journal/

That's my guest blog entry!  I encourage you to explore their site, it will be a great documentary, I am 100% confident.  I hope to get a copy of it before I make my trip.  Please check it out.

Renee and I will be doing a little traveling coming up, to Italy for a week of R&R with some very dear friends who are celebrating their 50th birthdays this summer.  Ah, the rolling hills of Tuscany await!

When I get home, I will be re-scanned to make sure that the "little thing" in my lung three weeks ago was just that touch of pneumonia and nothing else.  Appreciate your prayers in all these things - and please - let me know if I can help you or anyone you know deal with cancer diagnoses, treatments, or anyone that just needs encouragement - that's why I am here.  With love - Dan