WARNING: The following verbal upchuck contains disjointed artifacts of rambling nonsense that is best paired with a visit to the WC or upon waking from a root canal. When the temp hit 70 degrees and camping in Evergreen became a reality, my brain began to awake.

It was 2:44 PM on Tuesday, May 14th when Evergreen officially broke 70° for the first time this year. If you weren't directly aware of it you likely sensed a surge in The Force as the collective spirit of an entire state prepares to shirk responsibilities and abide with nature for the next 4 months. I was walking around Elk Meadow, sorting through a headful of life and probably muttering to myself when this magic mark of 70° registered. It struck my attention with the flood of happiness it carries; that extended deep-wilderness excursions are just around the corner.

There are all kinds of wilderness wanderers and I'm of the "solo sabbatical, off the grid, days deep, let's test fate" variety. Anyone who has ventured out for a week or more at a time is familiar with the axiom, "It takes 3 days." What that means is that after 3 days you have fallen into your routine. You're no longer feeling anxious. The racket in your head has stopped and you've settled into "SERENITY NOW!" [visualizes George from Seinfeld]

I'm the proud father of 2 teenagers both born and raised here in Evergreen. One 14-year-old girl going on 30 and a 17-year-old boy going on 10. When I was about their age, in a fit of domestic insanity, my parents once cursed me, "I hope you have kids just like yourself one day!" So here we are some 31 years later and the circus is in full effect. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade it for anything but I am very much looking forward to the grounding opportunity summer represents.

Note: The winter enthusiasts may read this as an affront to their seasonal orientation citing the beauty of winter camping in Evergreen and all that nonsense but the truth is, while I like to test fate that is different than inviting it in to spoon.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, so back to the self-imposed, temperature-dependent stipulations of these restore and regroup excursions (dang Winterists!) - The changing of seasons this year feels especially welcomed. Between raising teenagers, the political tensions dividing humanity and the general undercurrent of society's malcontent the baggage has gotten a little heavy this off-season.

Guided by the wisdom of age and experience I am facing this Evergreen camping season with a slightly more honest approach towards solitude and introspection. This year I'm facing it head on knowing I'm racing into the woods to forgo thinking while pushing myself to the brink of exhaustion. Forget the lofty ambitions of improving the world let alone solving even one of my own problems. Nope, I'm willfully aiming to exist slightly above the thought capacity of a cricket where only instinct and lack of know-better guide my will to carry on. Lao Tzu said, "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." It is in that space that solutions materialize on behalf of my work as Evergreen Web Design.

I've been looking forward to this all year and that 70° moment was the starting pistol signaling it's here. Game on!

As an avid hiker I'm likely to meet you on the Evergreen hiking trails eventually. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime however for an existential discussion on nothingness at EvergreenBob.com or to discover your online vision through www.EvergreenWebDesign.com - or call (303) WEBSITE