As promised here are several pictures from the recent Havasupai backpack trip. The twelve hour drive to AZ was really not that bad, but the twelve coming back were not nearly as tolerable. I'm glad Josh was able to spell me some of the time because my hip was locking up from the limited motion in the car after all the hiking we had done. The last time we were in the Supai, I thought I was in better shape, but we actually improved on our time coming out and Josh cut nearly half an hour off the final mile of ascending switchbacks, so kudos to him. I did end up with a couple blisters, which are healing fine and should not be an issue when I run the Bay to Breakers in a couple Sundays.
And several more. Just click to embiggenate: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15
The trip itself was great. I got to meet a number of new, interesting people and the setting was just as gorgeous as I remember, with the added bonus of blooming FLOWERS, which were definitely not present in the fall. We ended up with doing 32+ miles, most of that with full packs, but these trips always leave me more energized than tired, and it was definitely worth the aforementioned 24 hours of driving. I borrowed my brother's camera and did not realize until I got home that it was date-stamping all the pictures (maybe that doesn't annoy anyone else, but it does get on my nerves - I'll get over it).
I'm sure everyone has heard of the cyclone in Myanmar by now, and the exponential death toll calculations - from 350 to 4000 to now 40,000 plus dead and a million homeless. My cousin is married to a Burmese girl and at first I did not think too much about it since her family lives quite a ways inland, but the damage was not simply contained at the shores. I feel the need to check with them to see if everyone is okay. It is sad that the regime in control there is unwilling to accept help in situations like this because they think it makes them look weak and maybe this will help change that, but I don't count on it. I would love to visit Myanmar and hopefully someday I'll get a chance. Not on this upcoming trip though. Something for the future.
Finally, here is a brief interesting article on the real cost of health care. "If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free." There is also some interesting coverage in US News & World Report's latest issue on "medical tourism", where people are traveling to places like Thailand and India to have major operations done rather than deal with the health care system here in the US. Just food for thought.
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