Last update ever...

Post date: Dec 19, 2011 12:18:48 AM

Rocket boots. It was the only explanation. After all, I had walked across the glacier four times and still couldn't find a single trace of the 8 person expedition that had passed just half an hour earlier. All that I could see was ice to my right, a massive wall of glacial moraine to my left and a white abyss in the direction of the pass I was heading for. At times I had to stop and brace myself against the fierce, cold wind that seemed determined to break my spirit.

And it did. But returning to my last camp wouldn't be easy either. Now I was standing bearfoot and in my underwear in a gusty snowstorm on the bank of the river I had crossed earlier that morning. A battle was playing out in my mind between my cowardice and my growing hypothermia. I squinted hard as if to silence the dissenting voice and took the first step, nearly losing my balance as my foot slipped on a round rock hidden below the icy, turbid surface...

THE END - possibly forever.

It's true. I'm holding this website hostage until I receive $1000 in donations for the National Kidney Foundation. I announced this fundraiser about 6 months ago and have received less than 10% of my goal, from only 8 of the 400 monthly visitors to this site. To be honest, I'm embarrassed to set the bar so low. Since my final destination, Ushuaia, is now less than one week of riding away, if you haven't donated yet, now would be a really good time!

Managing this website requires a fairly significant amount of time and money (spent on food and lodging during the days off while I'm working on it) and I'm not even asking for direct compensation - only a small donation to a charity that I have a personal interest in (if you don't know why, read my Donate! page more closely). If you have enjoyed reading my blog or viewing my pictures, think of your donation as a small token of appreciation for the time I've spent. So please give what you can: $5, $10, $20... If a friend or family member told you about this site, but they haven't visited recently themselves, a gentle reminder would be appreciated.

Click here to go directly to my fundraising page at the National Kidney Foundation website.

Thanks! Hope to see you all again soon!