I happened across this a few minutes ago, and am, a bit belatedly, stunned by the finality.

North America’s premier female high altitude alpinist, Christine Boskoff, has summitted six of the world’s highest 8000-meter peaks. Her ascents include Mt. Everest (29,028 feet), Lhotse (27,940 feet), Cho Oyu (26,898 feet), Broad Peak (26,400 feet), Shishapangma (26,397 feet), and Gasherbrum II (26,360 feet).

I knew Christine in the vaguest of ways; she was my “patient” once during a WFR recert simulation in Moab years ago. Quiet, unassuming physically or socially, she looked to all the world like a soccer mom in a fleece jacket, with an unusual profusion of wrinkles around her eyes.

That’s all.

It feeds into general existential questions I’ve been pondering of late. I don’t do well without a purpose in life, I’ve never been content to merely have a job for the purpose of generating an income. As frustrating upon occasion (for example, now) as my job teaching is, I never for a second question the worth of my hours. This isn’t because of the impact I may or may not be having on individuals, plenty of our students face impossible situations to which they must return, but rather the impact I have on myself. I’m becoming a better person every day here, therefore my life is for the moment justified. Perhaps my zen is not sufficient to find similar fulfillment serving coffee somewhere, which should in theory be possible. Perhaps after 13 months of this I’m ready to try the route of more mundane enployment. It would be a scary experiment.

And a necessary one. If we (M and I) are ever to do something like move to Silverton, CO this is the year. Grad school is an inevitability, and the ensuing complications represent a concrete limiting of my life. So, today it is.

To quote the bard of Concord (who above all else found enlightenment in the mundane, squeezed abundant juice from a few small trips afield, and refused to join Muir in Yosemite): “It is true, we are but faint-hearted crusaders, even the walkers, nowadays, who undertake no perservering, never-ending enterprises.”

One of the more succinct explanations for endurance racing of which I’m aware. You can find the full, 145th anniversary text here.

One of my favorite pieces of literature, period. One good thought leads to all sorts of intellectual circumambulations. The sign of a good day.

As an afterthought: the Lev should come today. I say should because yesterday the UPS truck pulled into our drive, and the driver spent nearly 10 minutes chatting with the driver of another truck before pulling away and delivering nothing. The infernal waiting game; slave that I am to my own passions.

Alas.

Go forth and carpe diem, little people.