Doubletop Snowshoeing

I try things most people don't. I hiked with a meetup group in central SNP on 2/15/2014 in 2 feet snow without snowshoes for 6 miles with 1000 feets gain. It was brutal and fun, but I will never do that again.

There were five of us in the hike. All the other four had snowshoes to break the trail about 1 foot deep, then my boots with crampons only dug another foot to reach the trail surface. It was very tiring. My body sunk in some spots with snow to my waist and could hardly get out by myself, and I was even forced to crawl on the snow to get more surface to support my weight. I actually cried a few times, which reminded me when I cried from crawling on my elbows for 45 minutes in tiny tunnels in the Mammoth Cave.  Fortunately, the snow was powdery and I wore gaiters and Goretex pants, so I did not get too wet.

I chat with a friend about international traveling this morning, and asked him what to do after he visits all the countries in the world. He suggested space travel. I told him it is too expensive. I watched a 3D movie “Gravity” tonight. Space trip can be very scary. 

I recently started spiritual/emotional tourism within myself, i.e., touring internally with fresh perspectives and curiosity like a tourist. I have been amazed by what I found.  The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes." But my spiritual/emotional tourism can last forever as I keep evolving.