'Murica Weekend

Dear Internet (and Kent), 

This is Independence Day weekend, and today I managed to do many American things to continue the celebration: I got together with a group of friends, went hiking in a Minnesota state park along the river bluffs of the Mississippi, ate American food (a grilled cheese sandwich/hamburger - I've definitely developed a taste for this combo), indulged in an American tradition (DQ blizzard - the blizzard of the month is a lemon meringue pie version, and though it sounded like it could go either way, it turned out to be pretty good), and listened to Cher and country music on the drive back to the cities.  

And amidst all of this hiking, I'm reading this book this weekend:

Suffice it to say, I'm glad I merely went hiking on the river bluffs on one 90 degree day because this woman's tale of hiking in hot deserts and snow (and so far nothing in between) for months make me not want to wander too far away from civilization for long periods of time.  

This woman.  Seriously.  It's been an interesting book so far - not exactly what I expected.  (Not sure what I expected, but a lot of it hasn't exactly been this...)  Some of it seems reasonable (her toenails turn black and fall off, which for a lot of hikers is normal especially if their boots are too small...an obsession with beverages - such as Snapple - when it's hot and you're exerting yourself) and some of it just feels completely out of left field (well, you'll have to read the book...but I'm not even sure that I'm recommending the book...her mother's death wasn't shocking, but the part where she has to put down her mother's horse is kind of surprisingly graphic.  Oh, and then there's the part about cheating on her husband.  And then when the obsession with Snapple seems to grow to infinite proportions...And the part where she starts taking heroin...that was definitely unexpected, and not really what I thought the book was going to be about...and then when Snapple becomes her new "drug" of choice on the trail, can't say that I was expecting that part).  

And now as I get ready to go to sleep, I'm at the part where she wakes up one night with an army of frogs tramping across her body.  I'm going to have nightmares...  

Though come to think of it, I've never hiked in the desert, I've never hiked in the snow like she did, I have never lost any toenails (thank you very much, the people at REI were very helpful when I bought my first real pair when I went hiking in the Alps...and come to think of it, in 1995, I probably shopped at the same REI location that she did, which is really weird to think about), and I've never had frogs crawl across me (that I know of...but I've had all sorts of other creepy crawly bugs and insects decide I made a nice pathway to where they wanted to go, or even a nice snack for them, which definitely happened during today's hike).  

But then since all of the residents of the Twin Cities are still illegally shooting off fireworks (really good ones, too!  Yay, USA!), I'm sure I'll be awakened shortly by some booming and banging outside my window to put me out of my weird desert/frog/toenails-falling-off nightmare misery, albeit possibly only temporarily.  

And this post is just for you, Kent.  Enjoy!  (See?  If you complain overly much about my lack of writing anything lately because I'm too busy out enjoying summer, well, this is what you'll get!)  =)  

~Minny LinnEy


***7.7.2013 Update:

I finished reading the book.  To be honest, I found most of it rather depressing, probably because my own faith is what anchors me in life and the author never seems to find anything to anchor her in life and the whole thing just floats by her.  Also, the most shocking thing I read in the book was what she did with her mother's cremated remains.  (Sorry, but you'll have to read the book if you're dying to know because I'm not going to say it here.)  Anyway, I find it impressive that she hiked as much of the trail as she did (and also foolhardy the way she went about it so blindly for the vast majority of it), and happy that she made it through.  But her whole method of grieving and philosophy of how to live a life  and lack of faith in general are so far removed from my own life and way of thinking, I had a hard time with the book though it's a very easy read.  There you have it: my two cents.  Read it if you wish.

p.s. For any of my old fellow homeschoolers out there, I was pretty surprised to see a mention of "Basic Life Principles" in chapter 14, as she was describing a couple of people she came across on the trail.  Extremely random.