Box on the Pacific Crest Trail (Journal Entry #11)
In my last entry, I mentioned a reading/writing challenge that I am undertaking for the year focused on the concept of a journey. This challenge got me thinking about other mediums where hiking and camping is the focus. As a cinephile, I started digging around the internet for a comprehensive list of the best movies on the subject. It didn’t take long before I landed on the list below. As I work my way through the films, I am curious to see how it will impact my writing, thinking, and preparation for the trail.
Cinephile No. 583 “The Paradise Suite”
Do you remember how you felt the first time you saw the movie, "Crash?" Do you remember the sense of helplessness? Remember wondering if we were really all that connected? "The Paradise Suite" takes those feelings and turns them up to eleven with scenes that are both gut-wrenching, violent, and hard to watch. Yet, as scenes of rape, human trafficking, and compromised parents played out before me, I found myself unable to turn away. I kept telling myself that what I was watching was important and is happening all over the world. I knew by the end of the film I would be a more informed person. I left the theatre a more compassionate person. I don't know if we can ask film to do more than that.
Box on the Pacific Crest Trail (Journal Entry #10)
2 Years in Los Angeles
This is my second and final letter written as a citizen of Los Angeles. If all goes according to plan, I should begin hiking the Pacific Crest trail at the US/Mexican border in April of next year and be back in Seattle by early October. The next eight months will be both exhilarating and filled with anxiety. I will be exploring that topic more in the future. Instead, I would like to use this annual letter to reflect on my time in the City of Angels.
An Annual Letter to the Graduates of Frederick High School (2019)
“Flyover country.” It is a term you hear a lot when living on either the East or West coasts of the United States. It is meant as a deriding comment; just one more way to look down on a group of people not living in the vacuums of attention that is New York and Los Angeles. In a lot of ways, it speaks to the elitism that people assume just because they live in massive port cities.
An Annual Letter to My Fellow Rotarians (2019)
I joined Rotary by becoming a member of the Rotary Club of Kent, WA in 2011. As someone new to the area and his profession, I was looking to grow my circle of friends, colleagues, and potential business partners. I was selfishly drawn to Rotary. What convinced me to stay was the selflessness of the club and the organization itself.
Song of the Moment (January 2019)
An Annual Letter to the Men of Pike (2018)
Since the fall of 2002, I have been involved in some capacity with the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Over the course of 16 years, my roles have been varied. I have been another face in the room. I have undertaken positions without much fanfare. I have led a chapter. I have advised a chapter. No matter the role, when my fraternity asked for my participation, I stepped forward.
Point B: Seattle
As I head to the airport, I can see the towers of glass and steel that define downtown Los Angeles in the rearview mirror. With each mile, they become smaller and fainter. This trip is just for the weekend, but it is a precursor of things to come. In less than 300 days, I will enter downtown for the last time to go to work. Everything I own will begin making its way back to Seattle. I will head the opposite direction toward the US/Mexican border and begin a 5-month journey toward home via the Pacific Crest Trail. Very soon, my whole life will change.
Captured
To view the gallery, click HERE.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
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