The pack walks upward; surveys the valley below.

Thank god for dirt and water. We walked through a canyon and got to the top of a rock. Wind reached us when the trees became sparse. Kristin opted for being fully submerged in chest deep water, as Judy dove in after many sticks. My feet got dirty, and my skin was slightly burned. We arrived back at the van thankful and practically asleep.

I bought some books at a thrift store, and some lucky finds reminded me that the threshold to survive is not so high.