and so.....

And so I found myself on a large boat known as the Kingston/Edmonds ferry.
I went up to the deck and looked out over the water, but the sky was so black I could only make out the sea by the sound and the smell of it. Oh yes..... that's right it was a new moon.
The new moon is a great time for renewal. The night before I had burned sage in my room.... particularly in one corner where a pocket of the previous tenants energy had become trapped. I had left it there for a long time because it was comforting to me. But his presance mixed with his absence was unbearable at times, and I knew I needed to move on. I burned the smudge stick, salted the windows, and wished the presance a peaceful escape from the room. I haven't felt him there in my sleep since then, but the memories created in that space are still with me.

I arrived in Port Angeles around nine o'clock. Played some pool at a local tavern and conversed with a group of boys who were too young to be there legally. When I woke up in my hotel the next morning, I had the familiar sensation of not having any idea where I was. In a hotel room there are few ques to bring you mentally to where you are physically. I took me longer than usual to become oriented. After some breakfast, I headed west again to the olympic hotsprings.
Bathing oneself in the earths waters is, in my view, an essential element to any renewal process. In the past I have done this by going surfing, but I was recovering from a cold, and felt that the warmth and stillness would be better than cold and rough water for this particular cleansing.
Having had no real idea of where I was going when I set out on my journey, I hadn't prepared well for the hike. I had no money to pay the parks entrance fee, no water, and only a single pear for food. Luckily for me, the hitchiker I picked up in the park had a pass, plenty of water, and a lunch that he didn't mind sharing with my measly little appetite. We hiked together to my destination (which was a little out of his way) and shared the kind of conversation you can only have with a complete stranger when your away from home. I was looking for solitude, but found his company so enjoyable that it didn't make sense to send him away. We relaxed in the spring together, had a nice picnic, and shared stories of our traveling adventures. In the car, and on the trail, I hadn't looked at his face much. But now sitting accross from him, I realized that he had an amazing resemblance to Harrison Ford. I thought about asking..... but decided that if I were him, and I were a celebrity, I would really be enjoying having a real moment with a real person who had no idea who I was. I left it at that. Soon it was time to say our goodbyes and go our seperate ways. I enjoyed the return hike at my own pace.... limping slightly from the blisters forming on the bottoms of my feet. Just when I felt I couldn't walk much further, I turned the bend and found my horseless chariot awaiting me.