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Epilogue |
After returning to Petersburg two days earlier than planned, Shawn and Quentin were able to secure earlier tickets from Alaska Airlines for little or no cost. I was not so fortunate, but it wasn't difficult to acknowledge my extra free time in Southeast Alaska as the gift it was. I went for a solo salt-water skinny dip, and was able to spend an afternoon talking with Dieter Klose, the man who knows the Thumb better than any person. His simple living room has a picture-window view of the Stikine Icecap when its clear out, and the oceanic tides when its not. We talked about the value of ideas, and he told me about his life as if we had known each other for years.
That feeling of connection is powerful and it is positive. I absolutely felt it after a year in Ketchikan. I felt it after many tent-bound days with Shawn and Quentin, and the feeling is lodged permanently inside me after a long morning scratching my way nearly to the top of the Thumb and very nearly getting spit off in the process. The feeling was immediate and deep when I listened to Dieter.
We didn't get to the top of the Thumb, but the conquering mentality has never been why I climbed. I climb because of how it connects me to places, people, and to myself, and for that, this trip was a true success.
