By John Biggs 
Good heavens. It’s been a wonderful couple of weeks. This weekend I went to Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth, and we must have seen over 100 elephants, along with bushpig, warthog, red hartebeest, and zebra. It was beautiful to see these animals in their natural environment. The bush is very thick here - such a diversity of plant and animal life. It was a great backdrop, to have these images in thought during the drive back to the farm the next day, as we talked about the current (and possible future) state of affairs in South Africa politically, socially, and economically. (more…)
All day long we had been seeing Border Patrol vehicles, National Guard observation posts, discarded migrant water jugs painted black, humanitarian aid stations, and brushed out tracks. We knew the US/Mexican line was getting close, but then dropping down off the Florida Mountains into the Chihuahua desert at dusk yesterday evening we could see the lights of Palomas Mexico twinkling south of us. 
Suddenly the border, and then end of this trip felt so immanent. It was a long, 30+ mile day, and we had time as we walked through the twilight to reflect together on things we’ve loved and the things we’ll miss most about this journey.
I’ll miss the simplicity of days on the trail together, and not having to ask the girls at the end of the day, “how was your day?” because we were together. I’ll miss the distinct feeling of teamwork in the family, working together at accomplishing something of meaning. I’ll miss the connection to the natural world, and being students together with our children of its lessons. I’ll miss the nights on the trail, cooking together, reading aloud around a little fire, sleeping all snuggled up in the tent and knowing the whole family is safe. I’ll also miss being able to answer the questions of those like the cowboy yesterday morning, “hey, what are you all doing?” with “hiking from Canada to Mexico” and hearing him respond “Well da-gum!” (more…)
(from the Medicine Bow Mountains in Wyoming to Mexico)
The sun is setting across the Florida Mountains, the last small range of peaks between us and the Mexican border just 70 miles south. Today at lunch we shared highlights with each other from this past 3 months of trekking southbound since Canada. Here are a few…
Due to the remoteness of the Continental Divide Trail and the relatively few people that attempt it each year (20-30), we expected to be largely separate from the other CDT hikers. This proved to be the case for the first six weeks or so, until in central Montana when we hit a whole mob of south bound hikers. All of them had really bizarre names, like Princess of Darkness, Skittles, Lovebarge, Pi, and Disco…at that point we found out about “Trail Names.” (more…)
I can’t even describe how ready I was for this…it’s 70 degrees, sunny, and beautiful down here in the Gila Wilderness. We just spent 3 days hiking down the Gila River. We left from the uplands by Snow Lake with the knowledge from other hikers that it was cold down in the canyon with lots of stream crossings and plenteous poison ivy. But we lucked into a balmy spell and the only thing that proved true was the amount of stream crossings which made for cold feet in the early morning.
On our first night in the canyon we decided to put the tarp up like a lean-to so that we could see the stars. Snuggled up together in our bags, watching shooting stars and trying to figure out what the heck it was dad was pointing at as he taught us constellations was good fun. (more…)
Even though Christmas has already passed, imagine you opened your last gift today and you got 3 Months handed to you on a big silver plate, filled with whatever you want. That’s where I am right now. So far on my plate is a big slab of Spain with a mound of new friends to one side, a city at my disposal on the other, and all of it sprinkled with a heavy coating of Spanish speaking. Now I’m in a new country with a ‘different, not weird’ culture, as Quique our director likes to put it. (more…)
After 4 1/2 months with our beloved, comic, trusting and strong friends, - our burros (small donkeys) Wellstone and Pingora, - we were finally forced by snows and slippery trails to send them home to the Ranches and continue south without them. However, we know that they will love the next few months enjoying their shed, and with nothing to do but eat, get fat and soak up some sun.
We miss them so much! For one, they are highly entertaining. One day, after a long, hard walk, we arrived exhausted at our re-supply truck complete with hay and water for the burros. Because they love to roll in sand or dirt – it’s one of their most favorite activities – we let them loose briefly. Upon discovering his freedom, Wellstone took off running down the road with Ping in hot pursuit – both at a fast gallop. Cody took off cross-country hoping to cut them off on the far side of the road’s switch back. She hightailed it for about a mile and it looked close as she closed in on the far side of the road. Although we were all cheering for her, she arrived on the road just as the donkeys went flying by. Knowing we may need a back-up plan, Bobby had also begun chasing them down, and after another mile or so of some good sprinting, was able to catch up with Pingora, whom, we believe was beginning to doubt Wellstone’s reasoning in leaving all their food and water and was slightly slowing. Once Pingora was captured, we were able to use her as “bait” to catch Wellstone as neither of them likes to leave the other. Needless to say, that experience made us a lot more careful about letting them loose. (more…)
[part two | part one ]
By the third day of our hike, this moving and merry-making was beginning to feel like what three hours of straight dancing actually sounds like. Our grunts and stomps and finger shakes were getting less energetic and I was beginning to pay more attention to my dirt-covered discomfort more than anything else. I could tell that Kylor felt the same way. Our villagers noticed and patted our shoulders - “Mafana be!” It’s hot! They led us by the writsts to the woven mat placed in the lee of their tiny house. Moonlight was so bright it actually seemed like the sun was just wearing some shades. (more…)
I’ve been wanting to write about rural Tibet, but up until now I’ve been unsure about what my spiritual angle on it would be. Now I think I’ve got it figured out, so let me try it out on you, “When things are tough, such as rural life, you can’t just live by yourself - you need to rely on a community and that community needs to be LOVING if it’s gonna stay together.” Something like that. I should also say that I just got back from China a few days ago, so this will be my last blog. I hope you’ll give me permission to write one last thing now that I’m home - it’s just taken me a while to let this idea gestate in my head. Now that I write it, the idea of things gestating inside my head is kind of disgusting - anyway, here we go: (more…)
We went to bed last night in our long sleeves and socks, our noses frosty outside our sleeping bags. Madagascar – island of tropical flora, fauna, and beaches – has its mountains too. We’re in Andringitra National Park hiking the not too difficult trail up to summit Madagascar’s “highest most accessible” peak.
Heads emerging from tents this morning brought “wows,” and what I saw when I finally started my day was just that. Wow. Of course, right? You hike into your campground during the rainy dusk and the clouds sneak out during the night gifting you with high declarations of rock, reflected perfectly in the little roaming river down the bank from the tents by morning. It’s only natural. (more…)
