The Inheritance

Dear Journal, Day 0

My grandfather had always been a bit of an oddity. He started chain-smoking cigars before the age of 16, and bourbon was his water of choice for as long as I can remember. For my fifteenth birthday, he took me to the seediest strip club in the county. The bourbon and bills were tossed around so freely that the next morning I awoke in the drunk tank alone, I later found out my 75-year-old grandfather awoke in the bedroom of a stripper barely older than myself. My parents forbade me from seeing him at that point and cut him completely out of the family. I had no idea where he had gone, only that he had left Michigan.

When I felt I had aged out of childhood I attempted to contact him without my parents’ knowledge. The first year of college I spent my free time scouring the internet for any trace of him, always to come up empty-handed. Eventually, the stresses of higher education demanded more of my focus, and slowly I left the man behind in my memories. That was until the letter arrived. The cover letter was your standard sympathetic legal notification that a loved one had passed, and inheritance was waiting, there was a secondary letter in the envelope as well, a photocopy of my grandfather’s letter to me.

Arthur,

I do not know if or how this will find you since your father has kept you away all these years. If it does that means the salads finally killed me, should have drunk more bourbon. You may not know this as it wasn’t something your father ever wanted to be part of but the reason you never saw me hurting for money was I’m rich. Back when I was in my 20s I purchased some wilderness in Alberta Canada just east of Jasper. While digging the foundation for my cabin I hit some fancy stones called ammolite, and damn if those things are not more valuable than diamonds.

Here’s the deal the property is now yours, and the cabin is still there, and the mine is still active. Though there is a catch. I didn’t get it easy and that made all the difference in how I saw life, so If you want it you will find it the same way I did. You will hike the continental divide, starting at Crazy Cook Monument, New Mexico; and ending in Jasper, Alberta Canada. The journey will take you close to a whole damn year, but the property is gorgeous, and the active mine is out of sight, and the mining company will make you about two million a year in profit.

So here is the decision, you can take the 20k from the lawyers say no to the hike, at which point the property and the mine will return to the property of the province of Alberts. However, if you decide to take on the challenge, you will be given a GPS tracker, my old black travel notebook to add your story to, and 20k to gear up and set your affairs in order before you leave.

The decision is yours, though I hope you take the challenge. Call the Lawyers when you make your decision.

Love Always

Grandpa

P.S. Give your dad a hug for me and tell him you love him.

My father was less than thrilled when I showed him the letter and told him I would attempt the hike. He still saw me to the airport and as I boarded the plane to El Paso he tried to hide it, but he was choking up. After three months training at the gym with a personal hiking trainer (who knew there was such a thing), hours of research, trying on and purchasing gear, packages packed and ready to be mailed to supply points some with emergency cash, tomorrow I set out with $50 in my pocket, a pack full of supplies, and a bottle of bourbon, and of course, you, my grandfather’s little black book, waiting for my story to fill your remaining pages.

Day 1

I hate my grandfather, what is wrong with him? I have no idea how far I've walked, I'm making camp and going to bed.

Day 2

I broke camp before the sun came up. I was actually able to make some good progress this morning before it got too hot. Just before lunch I started sweating so much my shoes got loose. The blisters tomorrow should be wonderful. It was too hot to make lunch today, so I just ate some fruit and chocolate while walking. I think the food choice was for the best, I was far less tired than I was yesterday after lunch.

Day 3

I was awoken earlier than planned by voices outside my tent. A group of hikers were breaking camp already. My tent was the only one there when I went to sleep so it was a bit surprising. They had started out yesterday and already caught up with me. I packed up quickly and they offered to hike with me to the next main town.

Hiking today was an entirely different experience, it was actually enjoyable. Walking and chatting with Sarah, I barely noticed my blisters. When we stopped at a small spring they helped me bandage my feet, we will camp here tomorrow to allow my blisters to go down. Sarah asked me why I didn't train, and guess what, turns out there is no such thing as a Hiking Trainer.

Day 6

Past few days have been amazing, Sarah has been beside me every step of the way. I haven't told them why I am doing this, only that I plan to hike the entire trail to Jasper. They are planning on stopping at the Carson national forest trailhead, though Sarah threw out that she always wanted to thru-hike to Canada. I hope Sarah keeps walking with me.

Dear Journal its day 12 I think

We have reached Doc Campbell's Post NM, stopped to spend a day at the campgrounds. Real showers are really nice. We spent the day in town and the ice cream shop was a great detour from hiking. The campground was my first care package resupply point. I think this may be the first time I have ever opened mail from myself. The entire day and night stay at the campground was gladly on me, they had probably saved me from dying on the trail after all. Sarah and I have been sharing her tent the last couple days.

Week 4

We reached the Carson trailhead yesterday, and Sarah went with her friends. She tells me it’s only so she can make arrangements and she will meet me at the San Juan trailhead just across the border in about a week. She left me with her tent, and I sent mine with her. Her tent is larger and lighter than mine, when we meet up again we can split the weight between us, as the Skurka guy says, every ounce counts.

DAMN IT

I arrived at the meeting point this morning. The time alone seemed to drag on and I am not in a good mood to realize that Sarah was not here. I will stay at the campground here for two days. If I don’t hear from her by the third morning I will break camp and keep moving.

Week 7

I can’t believe I was so impatient. Sarah and I have been hiking for over a week now and I have been happier than I have ever been, even with the weight on my back. We have been so wrapped up in each other that I have not even opened this book. Hiking has gotten slower as we get higher into the mountains, though the views are starting to get amazing.

Leadville/Twin Lakes Colorado

This town is unreal. It is like the wild west meets 1970s small-town main street. Sarah and I got a room in town for a couple nights after I picked up my resupply package from the post office. It was nice to sleep indoors, it was nicer to finally share a bed with Sarah. We spent yesterday at a tourist mining camp panning for gold. I should have brought a camera, however, I did pick one up this morning when we were restocking. Currently, she is in line, we are having breakfast at this little diner before we head back out onto the trail.

Steamboat Springs Colorado

A massive storm struck just as we were within a day’s walk of Steamboat Springs. It lasted all through the night and halfway through the next day. As the storm raged on we snuggled close inside our tent. We made it into Steamboat Springs and got a cabin at a campground. We took the next day to restock our supplies and get all of our gear cleaned. We are clearly behind schedule to get through the northern mountains before the winter sets in. After much discussion, we have decided that we will be spending more time on the trail. From here on out we will be making and breaking camp in the dark.

Yellowstone National Park

We stopped again at a rented cabin for the first time since Steamboat Springs. We had our first fight. I wanted to take a day and explore the tourist areas of the park. Sarah pointed out that we are just over halfway through with our entire hike. She misses home and has been talking about getting back to Oregon once we finish the thru-hike. I have yet to tell her that I am on my way home.

Border Monument

We reached the US Canada border. We stopped to eat and while we did, I proposed. She immediately said yes, and that’s when I told her the entire story, and why I am making the hike. I was expecting her to change her mind when she realized it meant moving to Canada. There was no need for concern.

Dear Grandpa,

Sarah and I made it to Jasper and claimed my inheritance two days ago. Thank you for inspiring me to make this trip, We have set a timeline instead of setting a date. It took us 10 months to hike the trail, and we have decided that we will marry at Steamboat Springs the site of our first storm together, and we will hike there from home. Your challenge did not change my life, it made my life. After the ceremony, the plan is to donate this journal to the Continental Divide Museum, so your journey and ours will hopefully inspire others.

Thank You

~Arthur~