Loose ends and impressions

A few random thoughts about the Sierra/aviation project:

-- One long-time friend told me there was not enough of Cyndee and me in the newspaper over the 18 days of the series. He wanted to see more about the journey to Mendel, as well.

Well, we had seven consecutive days of my blogs in the newspaper. Sometimes, I wrote three times a day. Cyndee blogged as well, and her work found its way into the newspaper.

-- Another friend asked why the bylines sometimes had Cyndee's name first and sometimes my name first.

The first name in the byline was the lead writer on the story, though I must say I leaned pretty heavily on Cyndee in my stories. In fact, she made a huge difference in the last story. So, think of Lenon and McCartney, and you'll be pretty close to the relationship.

-- Someone asked if we had injuries from the backpack. It was a pretty intense hike.

My knees both hurt afterward, mainly because of osteoarthritis. But not a big deal. The bigger injury was whatever happened to my left hand. I think I banged it against a rock when we were boulder scrambling. It is still puffy, though it doesn't really hurt. Actually, for a guy who turns 55 next month, I came out pretty unscathed.

-- One other person asked how my family reacted to the trip and the danger.

As with all my treks, my wife followed closely and was most relieved when I came home. My Mom, two sisters, three children and assorted other relatives by marriage? Absolutely no response. I'm fairly certain they had no idea what I was doing. And, just as in the past, I can write about it in unflinching terms here because nobody in my family reads this or anything else I write. No sour grapes, actually. I might not read any of it myself if I hadn't written it.