The last two months off the trail has been great. November 5th I became a grandfather. My daughter Ashley gave birth to Marina Lyn Dooley. They are beautiful!
Many were there for the excitement, what an incredible experience.
We also learned that my oldest daughter, Kari, is expecting in May. Marina will have a cousin!
Aunt Kari and Aunt Staci joined Marina in Ashley's hospital bed.
The plan was for me to stay in shape after finishing the PCT so the Kilimanjaro hike would be easier. My feet did not cooperate. They seemed to hurt even worse after the PCT. I finally went to the Doctor, got some exercises (rolling tennis balls under my feet, stretches, etc.) and I could finally hike again.
I went on a couple of hikes with Pokemon and his daughter's dog, Cedar. One hike was on the PCT near Etna Summit. It was familiar territory.
Friends and family donated over $3500 to The Painted Turtle! Thank you for your generous support!!!
I wasn't able to put the videos on the blog. You all know I'm not the most techno-savy person. Just getting a new phone almost ruined my ability to post this final blog.
The backpack explosion is happening again. Tomorrow (11/20) Staci and I head down to Los Angeles. We will fly from there to Mombasa, Kenya and she will hike about 500 miles. I will hike some and provide support. The plan is for the two of us to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania sometime around January 17.
For the climb (not the hike) I will have a porter to carry about 30 pounds of my gear. The PCT would have been infinitely easier had a porter been carrying my gear!
Thank you all again for all your love and support.
We're unsure about how often we'll be able to update Staci's blog due to sketchy WiFi in Kenya. As often as we can update, we will. Our first day hiking is scheduled to be November 25.
Follow Staci on her blog at hiketoclimb.com
TORTUGA
