It is sad when one confronts a truly evil thing and that individual/s cannot comprehend why it is.

I walked to Schmitz Park today and hiked its 1.7 mile trail system. From there I walked to Alki where i bought some vanilla rooibos tea and watched the sun set. From there I walked past the lighthouse then back up Admiral Way and finally on California to my house. Total distance was around 9 miles. It was my second long distance walk with a 10 pound weighted day pack. My neck is a little sore but beyond that I'm fine. I will definitely being doing this walk on a regular basis. The sunsets can really be stellar on Alki.

I've been coaching at a freestyle club in WC and am happy to say there is some talented young wrestlers in the making. After Monday's practice when most of the kids left, an ex-wife and mother to one of the wrestlers stormed in screaming her head off. It was completely inappropriate. I hope it doesn't happen again. There were some kids behind her, and this is at 8 pm. A lot of the kids who go there may be coming from difficult situations at home and I would hate to see them have to deal with it there as well..

 I will be walking 8 miles tonight again. I'm still a bit sore from sunday but should be ok.

I just walked 8 miles in 3 hours. I walked along california to sw admiral way. From there all the way down sw admiral way to 64th. Then to alki and all the way on alki/harbor ave to west Seattle;e bridge and up avalon way to my house.

  I apologize for not having posted for a while. Between looking for my internship, bad weather, and other things going on I haven't had much time to do anything. On the 29th of January I did go on a hike on Cougar Mountain. There was snow, ice and downed trees/limbs everywhere. Hiking that portion was no problem. But it was also nasty weather with the wind and rain. The route we chose was inaccessible because of low powerlines, so we just ended up walking about 2 miles. I did discover that I am indeed starting to develop hiking endurance, of which I am quite happy for. However I need more actual elevation hikes to train. There is a possibility I will be hiking this weekend on Tiger Mountain. I Will let you know if I am able to get out there to hike it.

  January is a rough month for me. Usually it marks the end of the regular wrestling season and heading into the league, regional and state championships. This is my first year not coaching in a long time and i must say I'm part happy and relieved not to have that kind of stress. The other part is I do miss it and I feel I still have a lot to accomplish in wrestling. I don't know what will happen.I do know there are a lot of places I would love to travel to. Florida being chief among of places... south Florida to be exact. I want to see white sandy beaches with warmer aqua colored waters.

  On January 12th I turned 34, and yes I do feel my age at times. I look around me, and see all my friends with families and careers and I don't have any. It's sad in so many different ways. The most prevailing emotion is a sense of loneliness that at times can be hard to move forward with. I have my own reasons for why I have no family, most of which I feel are too private to share with anyone.

On January 13th the day after my birthday 2008 my uncle passed away. He had been a cancer survivor for 16 years. the chemo treatment when his disease came back completely destroyed his immune system. What I can remember is he started becoming sick again before the summer of 2007 and spent the majority of that time in the hospital. The week prior and leading up to to my birthday because of my insomnia I was the most logical choice to stay with him overnight. It was very mentally draining. And the one day I asked for not to he passed away.

  My uncle Vern was someone who had a specialness about him. He did not have much in his life. Never married, and no kids. He was someone that had a different aura.  He could relate to younger kids better then he could with adults. Some of my most profound experiences are because of Vern. He was a gifted person with patience. And somehow he was able to see into dark water and spot fish. He may not have gone to college, but he had that deep knowledge of fishing that many people fail to grasp in all their lifetimes. I can remember my first time catching a trout was with Vern. I even go to go sockeye fishing on Lake Wenatchee and my great grandfather Henry. Not many people can ever say they've been able to do that. Because of my uncle Vern I got to know my great grandfather. Fishing was his gift, and in his own way he gave me that legacy. Like Him I found I had a singular talent that was very powerful and in each of our own ways I hope to make just as a lasting powerful impact on someone like he did with me. His fishing and my wrestling. When he passed away in his will... Vern left me his fishing poles.

  So when people ask me Why I want to hike the Appalachian Trail I can honestly say there's a legacy waiting for me.