I
climbed Spruce Mountain for the first time in what may be almost two years, which is wild -- I used to hike it so often, and to have missed it all last year beggars belief.
While just starting my descent from the summit, I started to imagine the adventures that John and I would get into. I have a son, an eldest son; I started thinking about hiking trips, just the two of us, and rites of passage to build his character and confidence. I'm a father right now, but it's something of a one-way street; my son is not yet fully a son, he has no reason to bring to bear, nor responsibility to take for his actions. I've been spending a lot of time lately trying to get inside his head, understand his expressions and wails so we might be able to cooperate better, and it's going fairly well, like a game we're playing together. But I'm looking very much forward to being in a true social relationship with him, a fully reciprocal one. I've only seen a fraction of who he is, and I'm very excited to see more.