Hiker killed by lightning on Cabin Loop yesterday

[chumley]

The storm that a few have reported on in triplogs here took the life of a 24-year old female hiking in a group of 8 people.

They sheltered under trees, and the tree was struck. Several of the group were injured.

Read more details:
( dead link removed )
http://www.azfamily.com/story/29427036/ ... gollon-rim
( dead link removed )

[Orange]

Those of you who know me already know this side of me. I am passionate about all things wild. I am passionate about speaking out against the bastardization and sometimes downright raping of the land that so often transpires (I drove through Morenci, AZ last month...I nearly cried). I am passionate about speaking out and raising awareness of the water crisis throughout the land, but as always, predominately in California. I am passionate about bringing people back to the land, reconnecting them with it, and through that process, reconnecting them with themselves.

It is that last part that I feel is the absolute most critical -reconnecting people with the land. I want people to be aware that their water doesn't come from the tap, rather it starts out sometimes hundreds of miles away, several thousand feet above sea level. Through bringing thought into the foreground, active thought and engaging conversations, we can accomplish this.

My personal mission statement - "I aim to give voice to the mountains." That's it. That is what I want to do. I do not believe that any of our current advocacy organizations are doing what they should be -they have gotten off point. I do not believe we have any true modern-day John Muirs...no modern-day Aldo Leopolds...no modern-day warriors whom devote much of their very beings to advocate for the land. BUT...but we do have me. We do have me.

I have always said that I would be happy if I could reconnect just one person, just one single person with the land, then I would be content. Through this group, I have done that...several times...and I love it. There is a 'click' that happens in the person - something you can see in their eyes. I truly enjoy sharing these moments with people.

Now is the time to ramp this up a little bit. That bolt of lightning was the universe telling me "NOW!" There has been quite a bit of recovery time associated with that sign, but some things are really starting to fall into place. In the trauma therapy for example, we are working on and addressing all of the traumas, all of the fears, all of the failures, and pretty much anything and everything we can identify as targets. Bottom-line here is that I am going to be much more solid than I had ever been...and that's a good thing -I'm going to need it for what's coming up.

What's coming up...oh yes, how could I not say this first! It is a decision I made just days ago. It is a decision that I have now committed to...and something I am going to have to work very hard towards achieving. It is a decision that will change life as I know it.

In just roughly 18 months I am going to set out on the Great Western Loop. The Great Western Loop, or GWL as I'll refer to it is a hike of truly Epic proportions. At a staggering distance of ~6,875 miles, well, it's simply huge.The GWL is a dream of mine, it is what I want to do, it is my Everest.

I believe that if I do this, and I do it right, I can help jump-start a conversation about the land itself. If only to talk about why some bearded hippy dude is going to backpack nearly 7,000 miles, well, the conversation ultimately ends with the land. If only to talk about a man who was struck down and nearly killed by lightning, and why the hell he would ever go outside again, well, that conversation also ends with the land.

I had been working towards it over a year ago, and I was going to set-off in April of this year. Life, as it so often does, had a few things it wanted to throw at me first...and the trip did not materialize. I had lost my job prior than I was anticipating, and then the funding simply was not there -there was no trip. This next time, I am going to be doing the trip as a self-funded venture.

Even if I don't complete this...even if it's a bust only half-way in, well that is just damned fine by me because it is still a victory -an incredible, miraculous victory. I died twice up there on the mountain that day I was struck by lightning, I had the whole out-of-body experiences, the life flashing before my eyes, all of it...and I had to do it twice.

Most people have to do this once in their lifetimes, and when they do, they do not have to reconcile it...because they have passed. With me, I had to experience this incredible, beautiful, terrifying, peaceful event twice...and I came back from it...twice. That's what I was left with and is a lot of what I am working through in my therapy.

So if I can set out on the GWL and complete it, less than 2 years from when our group was struck by lightning, hell, even if I can only complete part of it, then it is a victory. It's already a miracle that I am still here...now I need to hike my path.

Back to the trip...The GWL has been hiked once, back in 2006 by Andrew Skurka. When he did it, he was doing an astonishing pace of 34 miles per day and completed the hike in 7.5 months. That isn't going to be possible with me. I am simply not that fast, nor do I desire to move that fast. The pace I am planning on working up to averaging is 22 miles per day (so still no cakewalk). At that rate the hike will take me approximately 10.5 months.

I'm going to need help. People that want to be part of this... People who want to work towards starting an actual organization destined to change the world -at least our part of the world... I need your help. I am not talking about money or anything like that, but people who would be willing to help...I need you. I will make that clear right now, from the very beginning. I cannot do this trip without support...even if it is just mental support. I need you. If this is going to happen, I need your help.

Thank you so much for reading! It's time to chase dreams. It's time to bring attention to the land. It's time to move.

-Poochie