[1]Powered By People





Dear John,

Like you, I’ve been doing my best to work and fight through the challenges
before us. The growing authoritarianism, the attacks on civil liberties
and the constitution… and in Texas, our fight to defend free speech and
the right to participate in our politics.

It’s the most important, most urgent thing we could be doing. But because
it’s so important and at times all-consuming, you’ve got to force yourself
to take a moment to rest and recharge every now and then.

Saturday morning I jumped in the truck with the dogs and headed into the
Black Range of the Gila Wilderness. Door-to-trailhead is just under three
hours, so by midday Artemis, Ziggy, Freya and I were walking into the
mountain and away from civilization, politics, cellphones and the
internet.

After a couple of miles I put down my backpack at a small clearing where
two canyon streams come together and the dogs and I continued up one of
the canyons. They were in heaven, bounding through the forest, chasing
squirrels, sniffing all the new smells and just running free. I felt
pretty good too, lucky to be able to do this, in awe of the giant
wilderness before us, the life all around me (including the huge pile of
bear scat we came across in one of the side canyons), the clean air I was
breathing, the way my mind was free to roam without being interrupted by a
text message, a phone call or a meeting.

I got back to where I’d left my pack, put up my tent, ate a snack, poured
myself a bit of whisky and then made a fire and boiled some water to add
to my freeze-dried pasta (yuck). I read my book until the light faded and
then just sat with the dogs under the stars, finishing dinner in front of
the fire before getting into my sleeping bag. The ground was wet from rain
earlier in the day, and when I woke up in the middle of the night I could
see the dogs shivering so I invited them into the tent and we tossed and
turned together until the sun broke.

One more little hike before heading back down the trail to the truck, and
I started to get my head around the week to come and the way I wanted to
approach the challenges ahead. The drive home was peaceful, the dogs
knocked out in the backseat.

Well, that’s my report from the mountain. I hope you are taking some time
whenever you can, to get a little distance and perspective on the work
that we’re all doing. We need each other today and for the long haul as
well.

Beto

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