From the first day of this trek I have without fail known our location on a map. In fact, my map-reading and compass skills have never failed me. In 1982 while elk hunting I took five hours to piece together a puzzle that would get me back to my vehicle. I learned a lot from that experience and have never repeated it. My navigations skills have been tried on land and sea. They are very good.
Challenges always arise when maps are missing roads or when roads do not go where they are indicated on a map. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know where I am. It simply means that getting on the right road poses a temporary puzzle. I have yet to fail when faced with one of these puzzles - this trek included.
Yet one trek team member consistently challenges my decisions. I could understand some level of skepticism had I screwed up somewhere on the route but I haven’t.
The flare-ups - and they are flare-ups - generally occur when the day has been long or tedious. Sometimes they just seemed to occur.
Today was a nightmare.
I say all this because my ability to connect with the land on which we travel is negatively affected by the pressure I feel from my teammate. I am no fan of complainers, whiners or “constant comfort adjusters” so I apologize if I sound like I’m complaining. I struggle to find ways to manage the adversity. Perhaps I’ll simply decide to cope with it.
Whatever occurs on the trail does not affect my focus on getting the team from point A to B safely and without incident.
My secondary focus also will not be compromised. I will guide the team across public land without ever stepping on private land.
Today I am taking a break from writing about a connection to public land. I am mentally fried from the volatile outbreak that occurred on the trail. I lashed back, of which I am not proud. My hope for our team to coalesce and become finely tuned has suffered an erosive blow. Physically I am okay but ancy - too many days on wheels.
This day shall pass, and so will another and another, and we will accomplish our goals of spreading the good word and traveling from Mexico to Salt Lake City exclusively on public lands.