Got a new job at a place where I might like to stay for awhile. “Awhile” meaning perhaps more than a year, throwing my previous idea about heading back east this summer into already obvious disarray. It’s a company here in Lynden that makes organic herbs and oils, similar to the company in Eugene that I courted a few months ago. And it is within walking distance of Classic Mike’s house, which is wildly improbable. Nothing is walking distance in Lynden. I’m maybe the only person in this town who walks to work in the morning.

So, I’m doing that. I’m still a temp worker and on a week-to-week contract, but chances are good that I’ll land a permanent gig at this business, which would mean finding a more permanent place to live in Lynden as well. Since doing that is going to signify, if not a 180, at least an abrupt 90 degree turn from where I’d been planning to go just two weeks ago, I’m keeping somewhat quiet on it until the Jenga tower stops swaying on this one.

Other news: The case fan in my Thinkpad is starting to go out. It’s not something I want to tinker with right now, and that means I’m only able to use my own laptop for brief bursts, moving around and off-loading files before its innards begin threatening to overheat. Considering the big extent that I rely on that thing as a communications tool, this coming month might be a quiet one for me.

Still wanting to get back into the routine of sending physical mail, still haven’t yet. This includes birthday & holiday thank-you cards, now 6 or 7 weeks delayed. Maybe less time on the machine will free up more time at the writing desk. Makes sense, but I’m surrounded all the time by such fun distractions that it’s not a sure thing. I just need to make time for it, and I will. Just needing to find my balance here.

I still haven’t mailed out thank-you cards for some very kind gifts my family sent to me in December; I worry that they consider me ingrateful.

I say all this as a preface to an apology. I’m sorry for not taking the time to communicate better. I would still love to hear more about what’s been going on in your lives. If you’re reading this there’s a great chance that I miss spending time with you, having conversations, playing games, and maybe even figuring out new things that we can work together towards.

I still don’t have the time and energy tonight to write everything I’d like to, but let me blurt a few things out before I head off to bed:

#1: I don’t particularly like this job I’m doing now, but it’s temporary. I’m doing it purely for the income. I’m saving money towards at least three different projects already: a food preservation business (which is my primary idea for that future “serious business” I announced last month and plan to found in 2017), a cohousing/goat-herding collective (Laurel’s current brainstorm, more of an uncertainty but something I’d truly love to see happen) and, though I’ve been debating for months now, I still want to buy a van.

#2: I’ll be leaving the West Coast this year (but not, by any means, forever). I’m planning to leave Washington by mid-May, spend another month doing temp-work in Oregon, then take a meandering road-trip in July, leaving from L.A. shortly after Independence Day and ending up in Maryland around August 5th for my friend Emily’s wedding.

#3: If I’m able– in other words, if I can find another temporary job– I’d like to return to Michigan from there and spend the next few months in my old ‘hood [the rural/suburban sprawl of Oakland County, north of Detroit].

#4: In December, I’d like to head down to Florida and visit my family. Not sure for how long exactly– December is the extent of my itinerary so far– but I’d like to spend at least a month there.

All told, my ambition is to visit 20 states this year– with the important caveat that I intend not to go broke doing it. I am in fact hoping to continue adding to my savings accounts each month in 2012, even while travelling, by living lightly and continuing to do temp work. As I keep promising, I have more I’d like to write about this. Soon.

I was hoping to have some thoughts well-enough put together to write a full update today, but no dice. Need to get to bed so that I can start my day at 5am tomorrow. I’ll try for Monday instead.

(No worries, by the way. I’m a little grouchy about this specific work schedule, but generally relieved to be working again. This year is off to a decent start.)

The best part about turning 30 in a couple weeks is that I get to make a new, only-second-ever Five-Year Plan.

It also means I can officially end my first 5-year plan, finally– made on the 15th of December 2006, the day I turned 25. That one, looking back, was all about finding a solid path & becoming a fully independent adult, e.g. choosing an enjoyable lifestyle, forging a confident personal identity, and paying back the money I’d owed to my family.

Funny thing is, in terms of the specific goals I’d laid down for myself, I failed spectacularly.

(My original 5-year goals as stated were: #1 Pay off all debt to zero. #2 Finish my Bachelor’s degree and become a professional scientist. #3 Get married. Start a family. #4 Buy a sailboat and learn how to sail it. #5 Thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail.)

At age 25– alone, living in the snow-buried wilderness of [Coles Corner, WA] and working for the ski area at Stevens Pass, having just moved north from Arizona– I was at a place in my life where I needed to convince myself that awesome times were still ahead. So I dreamed big and aimed high.

Around mid-2008, getting comfortable in Bellingham, I started to let those goals slide away. I conceded that I didn’t have the income potential to own a sailboat, nor any true desire to be a husband & father. I discovered that completing two more years of college would’ve required 30 years of student loans, and even the few quarters I attended before I bailed have put me farther into debt than when I started. (I did pay-off all the money I owed to my family, though. Still pretty proud about it.)

In hindsight, any one of those goals could’ve taken 5 years to accomplish on its own. Naming five was over-ambitious. Hiking the PCT was the one goal I was still working towards right up into 2011. Tried to make it happen this summer, but turns out I wasn’t quite ready.

Bigger picture, though: I think these last five years have been a great success. I’ve gotten involved with the organic foods movement; it’s set me on a new path in life that I enjoy. I’ve met a bunch of new friends that have become completely indispensable to me. I’ve just straight-up had a ton of fun. These last 5 have been the best years of my life. That’s the real beauty of a five-year plan. Even if you fall short, your life still ends up better.

So you’re probably wondering: what’s next? I’ve learned my lesson my first go-round and decided to focus on only one goal instead of five. Here it is:

GOAL: By age 35, I will found a business.

An organic foods business, specifically. Being a miller’s assistant at Fairhaven Mill was the best job I’ve had. I now know a lot about how to make flour. I know a little about tending a greenhouse and little bit about making almond butter. What I don’t know enough about is how to start and run a company. That’s what’s next.

Bellingham is well ahead of the curve when it comes to local organic food, but even this community is going to need many more businesses like Fairhaven Flour if it’s going to survive and thrive through the rocky, post-Peak-Oil decades to come. Not just more flour mills– I wouldn’t want to directly compete with Fairhaven anyway– but independent businesses of all kinds. Who is going to found them if not passionate, naive thirty-somethings like me?

I still want to continue towards getting myself off-grid, too. I still want to pay my debts, and learn to sail, and hike the PCT. But I’m willing to wait on all of those things or move them to the background while I focus on getting a business off the ground.

I’ve now got some huge, unknown numbers of further decisions and plans ahead of me. Five years to figure it out.

Cross your fingers. Let’s go.

I’ve been pushing on with my fall-back plans, searching around Medford for a suitable automobile that’d allow me to carry on here in Ashland, but at this point I’m not sure if I truly want to carry on w/ it.

Things in Ashland just are not working out. My job is numbing and tedious. The spot where I live is just a mile or two beyond a practical, enjoyable bike-commuting distance. I’ve made a few acquaintances here, but no real friendships as yet. And getting *anywhere* from Ashland without a car, even 15mi north to Medford, is proving to be annoyingly challenging.

The temperature’s hovering in the mid-30s today. I spent it pacing the short length of my RV or huddling besides my electric radiator, watching the wind blow the last leaves off the oak trees and considering my options.

I could buy a car, go deeper into debt, and continue on here in Ashland, trying to make things work. I’ve been trying to convince myself for weeks that this is the safest bet. Stay put, nose down, grow where you’re planted. “Yes it sucks but you got yourself into this mess and there are a lot of people worse off out there than you so just keep your head down and deal with it, kid.” That’s my Midwestern work-ethic talking. It’s not a voice I always trust, not in this instance. I’m at a point where nothing & no one is dependent on me. The only debts I owe are to faceless institutions. I’m willing to accept some risk and hardship by jumping into the unknown again rather than stick with a boring, frustrating known-quantity…

Option #2 I could fall forward towards California or somewhere else warm, keep looking for a place in the sun as I’d originally wanted to. I have friends in the Bay Area and LA. I have family in Florida and Phoenix. But Florida and Cali are foreign territory for me, and Phoenix is high on my list of places where I don’t want live again. Unless I was extremely lucky I’d likely go broke before I could set-up a new job & home, and I don’t want to be a burden on anyone…

Option #3 I could fall back to a place that’s familiar ground, regroup, and make another go of it next year…

Pace, pace… pace, pace…

I’m liking the sound of Option #3 more and more. I think it is time that I cut my loses and return to Bellingham for the winter.

Thanksgiving is coming up and Robert T will be driving my old Honda down from B’ham to visit our mutual friends in Eugene for the holiday. Our initial plan was for him to ferry the few boxes I still have in Bellingham down to me. Thinking about it more, it occurred to me that I could instead ask him to ferry me to the boxes. Back north to Washington, to my second home, the City of Subdued Excitement. (reminder: still my favorite city anywhere.)

This isn’t the definitive announcement. Just sharing a thought process here, more or less as it comes to me. I still want to sleep on this decision tonight. Tomorrow, if I’m still feeling it, I’ll need to start in on all the phone calls and logistics. As much as I love Bellingham, turning back after I’ve put so much effort into leaving is a hard, hard decision to make, and it brings along a whole jar of mixed emotions.

And a footnote to friends in Michigan: I really really miss you all too, and when I said “familiar ground” a return to the Midwest was also on my mind. It is soooo much farther away from me though, with far dicier prospects of finding suitable work & a place to live right away, that I had to cross it off the list for now. I’ll be back, hopefully for an extended stay, just as soon as I’m able.

Back-tracking is not the same as giving up.

~MWK/RP

The last couple months have been very work-in-progress. Generally I dislike talking about works-in-progress; rather, I’ve learned to distrust the impulse. It’s far too tempting to flesh out all the details of a plan and then take credit for having a good idea without actually accomplishing anything.

Let’s backtrack though. Before I get to where I’m going, here’s very briefly where I’ve been: Spent about 10 days in Leavenworth WA all told, hiking & camping, getting a feel for the town again. You may recall that one of my ideas for the winter was to work another season at Stevens Pass Ski Area near Leavenworth. I decided against it; I was only in Leavenworth a few days before it’s tourist-focused culture and fake-German shtick began to irritate me all over again.

I spent a fun weekend in Seattle. Saw the Nirvana and BSG exhibits at the EMP. Played Galaxy Truckers at Cafe Mox with Kelly O’Hara. Took in a block party w/ Ariel & Lambert and their pleasant neighbors. Had a pint of stout with Jack C before he took off for Black Rock City.

Caught a train to Portland and spent most of a week there, camping out in the back garden at Saladhouse and catching up with friends. Met baby Chase and Lettie Jane, hung-out with Riley Starr for the first time in years. Got a tour of the new Monster Palace. Rode the MAX to Hillsboro on a lark. Strolled the Last Thursday Alberta street-fair with Laurel hauling a satchel of sweet corn, on our way to Lettie’s [Best Summer Ever] art-opening/barbecue. Many small meetings, many good conversations.

Spent another couple weeks in Eugene, visiting Jen & Steve, exploring the town as a potential place to relocate and house-sitting while they were away in New York. Saw their daughter Caitlin off on her first day of kindergarten; that was pretty rad. This was late August/early September. My savings and the summer weather were both receding faster than I would’ve liked, and I was getting anxious to end the vacation portion of the summer and get back to work somewhere.

I took the Greyhound to Ashland in mid-September, planning to camp out in the Siskiyou National Forest near Mt Ashland while exploring the town. This was the one big, show-stopping goof of the summer: I didn’t discover until I got there that camping wasn’t allowed anywhere in the Ashland watershed– an 8-mile radius swath around and above town. Fortunately, I also discovered that I liked the place generally, so I abruptly changed plans, checked myself into a motel, and started looking for a job. Two weeks later, I got offered a production spot at [MaraNatha Natural Foods] in Ashland, makers of my favorite organic peanut butter.

This is where the work-in-progress problem starts to kick in. Things aren’t going as well as I’d like in Ashland. It’s taken a lot of focus and conviction not to get stuck in a work-in-progress morass. The job is easy enough, but it’s often dull. The studio I was renting is very cool but too expensive and a little too far from town (3-4 miles) for easy bike-commuting. I’ve since convinced the owner of the studio to let me move into her RV on the same five-acre property (a kind of upscale hobby-farm in the beautiful rolling hills outside of town, with 11 sheep, 2 horses, some chickens, dogs, etc). This is working out fine, but the RV has it’s own quirks and mechanical faults and that commute is still not ideal.

October has been a challenging month because of all this, working full-time at a new job, in an unfamiliar place, with little money. Trying to stay organized and keep moving forward while fighting down a daily to-do list of little miscues and glitches. There was also a [Horace Phair] in there too– which was great from start to finish and a nice break from the new grind. Folks at Horace Phair mentioned that it seemed as if my summer of vagabonding ended pretty abruptly, and it did, and all of this is why.

Fortunately– and I don’t ever use the word “fortunately” lightly; I am endlessly sickeningly thankful for the incredible run of good fortune I’ve had in this life– fortunately, I have been staying organized and moving forward, so I have some options. I’ll be going up to Eugene tomorrow. I have a job interview on Monday with an organic herb & tea distributor there called [Mountain Rose Herbs]. Excited about it, because it seems like a great company, and moving to Eugene would give me another chance to shift gears and take another pass at making this work.

The “this” in that sentence, the work-in-progress dream that I’ve been working towards, is to embrace the spirit of minimalism that I’m always preaching and get myself off the grid. Take the travel-light approach of this summer– “my continuing life of untrammeled adventure”, to claim Jenn’s adroit phrase– and carry it through the winter months. For that, I’m going to need a space that’s big enough to lie down in and insulated enough to heat. I could also use a long-distance winter vehicle, something that burns biodiesel maybe. Put the two together, and you’ve got a diesel van. I’ve had my eye on a [Volkswagen MV] for quite awhile now. Now that I’ll be working full-time for at least 6 months of so, in Ashland or Eugene– but hopefully in Eugene– there’s not much stopping me. Like Captain Mal, I’ve even got a name all picked out.

I’m hoping to get all of this wrapped-up and underway by Thanksgiving, and I’ll tell you all about it then. In fact, I was hoping to have all of this settled by the end of October, but it’s been quite an October.

‘Til then, [updates on Twitter] per usual, and occasional photos on [Flickr] (I haven’t been using my camera this fall as much as I’d like either). Also, now that I have my laptop back (thank you again, Rolo) I’ve been getting massive use out of the free music-on-demand service Spotify, and recently started up a Tumblr stream devoted to the once-declining art of listening-to-the-whole-album. Those updates go up late at night Mon-Fri, check it out if you’d like: [iwillnowsellfivecopiesof.tumblr.com]

~MK

There was still a bit too much snow up in the Mt Baker National Forest, so a couple days ago I took the Amtrak over Stevens Pass to Leavenworth WA, where it’s hot and dry. I’m at the Leavenworth Library right now, but right after I post this I’ll be heading west out of town on a 5-day solo hike along Icicle Ridge into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

The hike will be a classic out-and-back up the Icicle Ridge trail to Lake Augusta, starting at the Icicle Ridge trailhead and staying on the same trail (Trail 1570) for the duration. Here’s my itinerary:

Fri, Aug 12. Destination: the top of Steep Creek (5200′ elevation)

This will be the big climbing day. I don’t want to push it too hard the first day out, so I’ll be looking for a place to camp as soon as I reach the top of Icicle Ridge. It looks like the area above Steep Creek is where the trail begins to level out.

Sat, Aug 13. Destination: Cabin Creek (5000′ elev)

It’s about 11 miles NW along the ridge to Cabin Creek. About 3 miles into that is the high-point at 7029′, then the rest of the day will be a gradual downhill.

Sun, Aug 14. Destination: Lake Augusta (6854′) and back again

Lake Augusta is another 3 or 4 miles up the trail, in the shadow of Big Jim Mountain. The latest ranger report says that the trail is clear but there are still banks of melting snow around.

Depending on the conditions I’ll either camp there for a night or hike back down to Cabin Creek in the afternoon.

Mon, Aug 15. Destination: the top of Fourth of July Creek (6800′ elev)

Still on Icicle Ridge, headed back SE towards town.

There appears to be an alpine meadow at the top of Trail 1579 above Fourth of July Creek. That seems like a nice place to spend my last night on the ridge.

Tues, Aug 16. Destination: back to Icicle Ridge trailhead (1200′ elev)

About 8 miles east, all downhill, back to the spot where I started just outside of town.

I haven’t hiked in this area before and I’m unsure if there will be cellular coverage, so I wanted to make sure I posted this all in advance. I’ll have food for 6 days, so if I don’t check in on Twitter until Wednesday Aug 15, don’t worry; I’m just taking my time.

(If you still haven’t heard from me by Thus Aug 16, then please alert the Ranger Station, but I think that will be very unlikely. The 5-day weather forecast is completely clear, with lowland temps in the 80s, cooling down to high-70s next week.)

See ya Tuesday!

Tomorrow will be my final day at the flour mill. In less than 24 hours I’ll be handing over the lonely last key on my keychain to Trevor. Then things will really get rolling. I’ll be driving down to Sea-Tac the following day, Friday, to pick-up my dad & sister for a week long introductory (for them) / farewell (for me) tour of Whatcom. And then…. a lot of blank space on my calendar, frankly. I’ll have nothing but time.

I’ve been saying that a lot lately. “I’ll have nothing but time.” It’s a pretty powerful thing to say.

I keep changing my mind about what do with that time, though, and where to head next. In the past six weeks I’ve gone through four full iterations of the basic plan. My original Plan A was a stuff-of-legends hike down the Pacific Crest Trail to Oregon… but a cold, wet summer following a cold, wet winter has left the high mountain trails still choked with snow. I’m already tired of fighting the weather here in the lowlands, so no go there. Plan B was to shift the route westward to the coast and follow the 101 along the beaches to Oregon… but, on further study of the maps, there doesn’t seem to be much public land in that area, and I don’t have much of a taste for trespassing on lumber claims, especially alone.

Plan C was one I just devised a few days ago: Instead of hiking towards someplace warm, why not *go* someplace warm, and then hike? I could take the Amtrak directly down to Northern California, then kick around in Shasta, Klamath, Winema, and Tahoe while looking for a winter job. I think that sounds lovely, but I’m scrapping that one too, because I think it runs a bit counter to what I’d started out to do this summer; namely, to do a lot of backpacking and pure, honest foot travel. Plus, I think it was largely driven by the impending freak-out about employment and money, now that my last day as a miller is looming large. I need to relax and trust my budget. My savings will hold out for the summer, and I have some available credit if that happens to run thin.

So then, Plan D, the new, new, new, new plan: Spend a couple weeks in August hiking around in the Mt Baker National Forest, then apply for & land a job at Stevens Pass Ski Area (I’m 99% confident that they’ll hire me back on the spot, since I spent a season there in ‘06-’07, and if anything I’m a better candidate now than then). After that, it’s just a matter of traveling around in September and October, waiting for the snow to start falling and the call-up to the mountain. Explore. Read a few books. Hike a couple sections of the PCT around Skykomish maybe. Head down to Portland in October for Horace Phair. Just relax. I’ll have nothing but time.

I like this plan best because it harkens back to my original intentions for this summer– i.e. leaving town on a long walk south, albeit only a few counties south– and it seems like much more of a surefire win. So that’s what I’m going with… Unless I change my mind. Klamath Falls seems reaaaally nice this time of year. I also glanced at Eugene OR’s Craigslist today and saw a part-time job posting at an organic food company that seemed tailor-made for my CV…. hrmmm…. you see my dilemma here, right? So many cool things happening everywhere. Shall I call that Plan E? ….

By the way, if you’re interested in knowing where I’m *actually* going in the long pauses between updates here, consider also following my Twitter feed: [twitter.com/mwkelley] . Dashing off quick updates to Twitter has been seductively easy so far, and since I can do it via text message, it works on the trail in even the most marginal of cellphone coverage areas.

On the homestretch towards the rest of a new best summer and beyond. Nearly levitating with excitement here, folks.

~ Mike

Our final move-out inspection from our house (”the Satellite of Love” on Maryland St) is set for Wednesday of this week. My backpacking trip officially begins in four days(!), on Friday. I’m ready for it all, but my housemates aren’t yet, so I imagine I’ll be spending my last few official days in Bellingham helping them to scrabble around, get the house clean, and hench their stuff over to other parts of town (both Hunter & James will be remaining in Bellingham, just moving to different houses).

I keep saying “officially” because, while I’ll be living out of my backpack starting July 1 as planned, I won’t be leaving the Bellingham/Skagit area for another month now. Kevin convinced me to stay on at the mill through July, and so my last day as a miller won’t be until July 28th, just before my dad & sister arrive for a week-long visit on the 29th.

Making all of that work is going to require a fair bit of improvisation, but I feel that I’m equal to it. So many loose ends still remain untied, though, that I haven’t even had the spare mental capacity to get excited about this final countdown, let alone write about it here. This month has evaporated out from in front of me in a swirl of spreadsheets and checklists. I’m very glad that I’ll have another month or so to ease into a new routine. A new way of life, really.

I’ll try to fill in the details for you here just as soon as I can. Introspection is still tough tonight; it’ll be easier by the weekend, once I’m under way.

D-4 days and counting down.

For instance: I have a 1L Nalgene water bottle and a 3L pack reservoir. How much does 4L of water weigh? Yes, Canadian friends, I actually typed that query into Google, because I am a dumb-ass American. As I imagine any small child in most parts of the world knows: 4 liters of water weighs 4 kilograms, because 1L = 1kg, because metric units are actually based on the dimensions of something sensible.

How many pounds is 4kg? At this point, I don’t even care. Fill up that bag and the bottle all the way, and then lift them up. That’s what lifting 4 kilograms feels like. It’s like lifting four full Nalgene bottles. I lift a Nalgene bottle to my lips a hundred times a day. My hands know what a kilo weighs better than my mind does.

After a week of meticulously weighing bits of backpacking gear with my kitchen scale and plunking them into a spreadsheet, I’m already better at guessing weights in grams than I ever was with ounces. This watch? 20 grams. a light rain jacket? 300g. a heavy rain jacket? 600g. a pair of boots? about a kilogram. my backpack, empty? 1800g. (Bonus round: all of my gear put together, not counting food & water? About 16 kg.)

Later on, I was wondering what that 1L Nalgene would weigh if I filled it with methylated alcohol fuel instead of water, since alcohol is lighter. A quick web search revealed that methyl alcohol has a density of 785 kg/cubic meter. “Huh,” I said, “I wonder what that is in grams/liter? Let’s see, a kg is 1000g, and the volume of a cubic meter is… 1000 liters exactly?… so… divide both sides by 1000 and…” ::facepalm:: It’s 785 g/L.

So, okay, I’m learning. Just… slowly.

Anyway! It’s been beautiful and sunny all week, which of course meant that the weather immediately went back to being cold and gloomtastic again this weekend. Third weekend in a row that NW Washington has pulled that crap on me, but summer is in the air.

Tonight I’m packing and repacking, shaving excess grams off the [gear list]. Tomorrow I’m going out for an overnighter in the Chuckanuts, rain or no rain. Only forty days until July– forty??– but I’m finally starting to feel prepared.