FULL DISCLOSURE DISCLAIMER FOR INDIEGOGO DONORS

The ever evolving nature of the pilgrimage.

This post is addressed to those who donated to the indiegogo campaign to help send me on this adventure.

Hello Indiegogo friends and family! Just wanted to check in with you. The pilgrimage is humming along at a brisk pace. However, I have had to adjust my expectations for the adventure with facts on the ground. What this means will be addressed below.

You should know that your gift to me has already borne fruit. All indications for the state of my tendinitis are looking up! Gripping stair rails, packing gear, clutching my sacred staff. . .it would appear that I have regained normal use of my hands! I can even use computers for limited time periods, as this blog entry would attest. Not saying I can put in 10 hour programming days at the Apple Campus, but it's a start. I have also had some spiritual and life revelations already, as I indeed advertised I would. I will detail those in a later post.

However, I have had to resort to public transportation already several times during the trek, and may have to again in the coming weeks. Non walking transportation has been used, and may have to be used again, in the following circumstances:

1. When I am immobilized due to pain and injury. The strain on muscles and tendons in my feet are real, and knee problems have also plagued me since the first mountain hike. By the time I got to temple 17, I couldn't walk without excruciating pain, so I took the train to backtrack to the Okuda guest house to recoup for a day. I feel it would be counterproductive to heal my wrist tendons while racking up a torture chamber of other injuries, so if I am unable to walk, I will take the train or bus to the next temple or lodging to treat my wounds.

2. If I am caught in extremely heavy rain. I can handle a little drizzle, but since the great gear purge I am now under equipped for typhoon level rain, which the southern side of the island gets on a regular basis. Like the previous circumstance, in event of brutal rainfall, I will bus or train to the next planned lodging and find refuge.

3. Medical or personal emergency. Much of the pilgrimage route goes through rural and unpopulated areas without medical assistance or communication infrastructure. In the event of emergency, I will take train, bus, or other vehicle to the next large town to address the emergency.

I think these are reasonable circumstances to use public transportation, but it does sell short the idea of walking the entire pilgrimage. However, rest assured that the money you donated will not be squandered on consulting fees (I'm looking at you UNICEF), personal spending sprees (shady kickstarter campaigns), or drugs and prostitutes (CIA operators in Latin America, looking in your direction). Any money left unused due to early completion of the pilgrimage will go to the Nepal Youth Foundation. Its administered by my friend, Nepalese American activist and artist Jade Fielding, so you know that its legit. Heres the link: https://www.crowdrise.com/elev8nepal/fundraiser/jadefielding?fb_action_ids=10205795077970462&fb_action_types=og.shares


Whew, that's a load off. Thanks again for your support, and know that if this pilgrimage ended today, it would already be the greatest adventure of my life. And its not over! There's plenty of trekking, chanting, and exploring left to be done. Excelsior!