A long post I begin by asserting that I have nothing to say

I'm afraid you all should just expect the posting to become even more sparse and even less pithy over the next few days, and through the new year. I'm trying to finish up some work before we leave for Montana, and really [looks furtively around and whispers] there's nothing going on anyway. Well, other than my amusing efforts at a lower-carbon Christmas, which mostly involve competing with Full Moon over who can produce the coolest gift wraps with reused materials. (She always wins.) Well, I did have twelve people I don't know at my house Saturday night to watch An Inconvenient Truth, but that's all.

Of course, now that I've asserted that nothing's going on, something will happen and I'll be back to posting again. But barring that, my inner sloth is taking over. Oh, something may catch my eye or I might disgorge an interesting quote or two, but if you're looking for amusement, you'd better go to Disneyworld because you probably won't find it here.

Hopefully something interesting (other than a car crash or other imperiling event) will occur in Montana that I can relate to you, like the time I saw the Volkswagen bus with a goat in it at the grocery store, or the bobcat I forgot to tell you I saw over Thanksgiving. (We saw it at the dump. What an undignified place to have a wildlife encounter. On the other hand, I've decided that's where I'm going from now on to get my wildlife photographs.)

We did have dinner with friend and hiking partner EJ and his family last night. We were in the middle of our usual euchre game when EJ put his cards down. I saw it coming. "So, I was thinking," was all he got out before I began to laugh.

EJ and his daughter came off the trail last July shortly after I did. I still haven't figured out why I got off; at the time I vaguely attributed it to a mismatch in goals and paces, though that wasn't really it. Ultimately, I'm glad I did get off. If I hadn't, I would have taken Boo along, and she obviously would have died along the trail, and I would no doubt have attempted to carry her out as she lost energy. I can't begin to contemplate the ugliness of that scenario, so I'm glad to have been spared it.

But back to the point. EJ figures we can easily finish the 74-mile Sky Lakes wilderness section next year in 7-10 days. Once we get past that section, the hiking is close enough to home to be accomplished in short sections.

"Oh, okay," I said. "If we must." Laughter all around.

I'm thinking we'll finish up the section between where we left off and where EJ quit last year over the July 4 weekend, then we'll do the Sky Lakes section in August, barring any interference from forest fires.

I looked over their photo album of the trip last night. It was a nice reminder that, while backpacking, I really do look like ass in a can. Ass in a can, people, ass in a can. Whew, that is some grim stuff right there. Eh, whatever.

This lady, on the other hand, managed to maintain a cool loveliness during the trip. Perhaps I should begin wallowing in the mud on the trail as well.