Date: 2003-04-24
To: Tucson, Arizona
Miles today: 0.0

¢Take a little trip, take a little trip with me¢¦ take a little trip, take a little trip and see¢¦ now who wants to take a trip¢¦ sit back enjoy the ride, as we take a little trip through the Arizona side¢ by Nastyboy Klick Tucson, Arizona -- a business trip brings me to this neck of the woods. And a pretty neck it is too. So exactly opposite of anything I¢ve seen on the AT. I can feel my original dream of the Pacific Crest Trail coming back to me as I fly over and then stop off in desert country. It really is pretty country ¢ the desert and mountains combined. Since I¢m a major water baby (Hawaii 20 years) I¢ve been pleasantly surprised at just how much I love the mountains ¢¦ and desert. I guess if you think about it ¢ it¢s all good!While out here I¢ve had the opportunity, or took the time, to finally read my journal of ¢01. It¢s kind of strange but for the most part, the people I know that kept an on-line journal in ¢01 have yet to read those journals. Some have of course but the majority haven¢t. I was one of the ¢have-nots¢. I can¢t tell you why I haven¢t read it until now because I really don¢t know why. It¢s not that I didn¢t try because I did. I attempted on numerous occasions but for whatever reason I could never get past the first week. Possible reasons why range from still being touchy about having to leave the trail, emotionally hard to read, boring bedtime reading, the mind proofreads it vice reads it, lack of time, etc., etc. There¢s just no telling why a person doesn¢t read the journal that they put so much time and energy into but they don¢t -- until they¢re ready.I guess I¢m ready. I¢ve now read 98% of it. Boy do I owe my former readers a big thank you. You put up with some horrendous typing. Major editing is needed all over the place! I had my pencil and highlighter going full time while reading. I felt like a high school English teacher! Bless ¢em! It¢s been definitively decided that upon my return from my Grand Adventure Part II, not only will I edit my most recent journal but also my former one. Gotta! I hesitate to edit it as much as I¢m planning but have decided that as long as I don¢t change the context it¢ll be okay. I¢m just going to correct and add to it. Correcting grammar, punctuation, spelling, and such is mandatory. After some internal debate I¢ve also decided to add parts that the general reader didn¢t get to see/read.While on the trail in 01 I wrote two journals. I wrote the part that you¢ll find online and then I wrote a second part to me only. Some of that, very little, will stay private but the majority will be posted. Most particularly, the sections I like to call ¢Moans and Groans¢ and ¢Aches and Pains. I was asked on numerous occasions about never having a bad day, an ¢ache, pain, moan or groan¢. Don¢t I wish! I had them all! I just never thought anyone wanted to hear about them.   Why dwell on the negatives? Well it turns out that others do want to hear exactly those type things. Especially anyone in my age and gender group planning their own Grand Adventure. I don¢t know why I didn¢t think others would want to know that kind of stuff. I certainly did when I was in the beginning stages.   It was silly of me to think otherwise. Duh! So, I will go back and ¢unhide¢ those paragraphs. Fair is fair and if it helps someone in the future then all the better.As for this year¢s journal, I¢ll put everything, well almost everything, in for all to read. The whole blood, sweat and tears drama. I¢m giving you fair warning here. Bloody blisters and all -- you¢re going to hear about it if it happens. Now aren¢t you thrilled? When it comes to editing though¢¦ all good things come in time. Aloha!Ann 2001 Journal readers ¢ you poor things! Thank you!