JUMP

20 Oct

“No. Seriously. Jump. What’s wrong with you?! I’m going in. I don’t care that it’s raining or overcast. Ric doesn’t know it yet, but he’s going in (just remember to cover you ears when he goes in so his shrill high pitched screams don’t blow out your eardrums). I can’t smell, but I know just from looking at you that your odor is such that it brings tears to the eyes of those poor souls who must pass us on the trail. Exactly. You’re disgusting. When will you ever have the opportunity to do this again?!”

This last thought is perhaps the most compelling when it comes to deciding whether or not to take the fateful plunge. 3 months removed from the trail and my fondest memories of the hike are still the (almost daily) icy cold embrace of the crystal clear water of the Sierra’s…just barely beating out the care package I received from my younger brother halfway thru the hike which contained assorted chocolated nonsense and the most beautiful bottle of bourbon I have ever laid eyes on….I cannot stress enough how much a mid-trek care package can bring your spirits up, especially when it is addressed to “The Captain” in large black electrical tape and comes care of “Ogre”, but I digress…as I tend to do incessantly.

Almost 10 years ago, after moving to Los Angeles, good friends of mine introduced me to this god awful, yet exceptionally brilliant idea. No matter the circumstances, if you stop at a body of water, you must jump in it. It sounds crazy, I know, but truly the line between brilliance and insanity is a fine one. This idea has become my backpacking mantra and I encourage/enforce this thru time honored, psychological, peer pressure. What can I say? I’m essentially a grown up child sometimes. Sure, after resting for a few minutes and cooling down, that 45 degree snow melt lake doesn’t look quite as appealing as it did half an hour ago when you were sweating uncontrollably and begging any god who would listen for the slightest gust of refreshingly cool breeze, but this is a once in a lifetime experience. I have never had anyone backpacking with me who has regretted the experience in retrospect. How could you? It serves as both a bitterly refreshing bath and a truly soul shocking reminder that you are both alive and experiencing a place as few others do. Over the course of the John Muir Trail, a truly amazing journey, we jumped, dipped, dunked, and gracefully dove (not so much) into countless lakes, rivers, ponds, and creeks. It was remarkable.

I did not go in everyday, and for that I am regretful. Live without regrets and succeed where I have failed. I implore you all to jump into that pristine body of frigid water that you encounter next. I know. It’s cold outside and you’d rather just cook up that sodium brimming, dehydrated, masterpiece of a meal, but if you do it, I promise that you will not regret the experience…3 months removed.