May 11

I have been left with a glowing confidence and optimisim about friendship after visiting with Josh Macknick. Both us meeting from points of deep transition, emerging from worlds of strangeness. For him, Thailand. For me, the mountains. To reunite, easily. Beer in Julian, drunk on wine outside the Warner Springs ranch, acres of prefab housing in Temecula, the mall, dinner and banter with Judy and Norm. He dropped me off back at the trail this afternoon.

Climbed along a charging stream for 5 miles, into the highlands, the water hanging like a necklace down the mountain, the trail criss-crossing the stream until a panorama was reached of a sea of rock outcrops and cloudless sky and horizon of silhouetted peaks.