It’s been four months since my last entry. It feels longer, a lot longer.

Flashback to an incredible start of summer. A week in Park City visiting friends and hiking new trails. Then off to Montana, where a friend invited me to be his guest at his beautiful home overlooking Big Arm Lake. Al’s place was a great base from which to explore the west side of Glacier National Park. After a few days, I drove over the Continental Divide and stayed at the Many Glacier Hotel, where I hiked up to see one of the park’s namesake glaciers.

After an all too brief time in Glacier, I drove to Oregon, then caught a flight home to visit my wife before returning to Cascade Locks for PCT Days. Following PCT Days, a new book about Oregon’s old-growth forests was put to good use before showing up at my cousin’s in Portland.

Within twenty-four hours of arriving in Portland, I was sitting in the emergency room. The hospital would be my home for the next four nights. Upon being discharged, I stayed several more days with my cousin Jo before my wife flew up to be with me. She drove the car home while I hopped on a plane. I was in no condition to sit in a car for the trip back to Southern California, much less drive it myself.

The doctors in Portland hoped this was a one-time event, but a flare-up in September did not bode well. By the time I had a third episode in October, it was obvious surgery was required. There were complications less than a week before my scheduled surgery date, which required it being postponed; now, it looks like I won’t be operated on until December (unless things take a turn for the worse before then.)

Dealing with the health issues have taken almost all of my time and energy, and have kept me homebound. Fall trips to Banff and Maui were canceled. Plans for the winter never got off the ground, and everything for next year is on hold until after my surgery and recovery.

While not the way I wanted to spend a good part of the year, every day is still a bonus day. I’ve had time to reflect on what is truly important (family and friends), and what role I want adventure to play in my overall life when I’m healthy again.

In the meantime, I’m hoping to get my writing back on track, eliminate clutter, spending time with family and friends, taking advantage of doing what I can (no adventure is too small), and remembering how blessed my life is.