So we're getting ready for a week on the North part of the John Muir Trail in the Sierras and only now with in a few days of leaving am I really missing my Dad. He loved the Sierras and even though he was always calling the JMT a freeway, I know that he would be completely curious and asking me endless questions about the trip and the process of getting ready for it. He's not just on my shoulder, he's right beside me saying "Have you thought about X or Y or how about Q?"
The biggest thing for him would be his concern about the small issue of a storm in November of 2011 blowing down 700 trees with great many of them blocking the trail. It has just (and I mean like a few days ago) been cleared to where we're going. This would then send him off talking about all the tree work he's done in his life as we used to have an orchard. Then he'd no doubt be reminded of when they pulled out a grapefruit tree stump using an Alfa Romeo.
Then he'd segway back to one of our Sierra trips where he let a very young me talk him into taking a short cut and we wound up spending the night on a mountain side. I still think the shortcut made sense (kinda, sorta), but I had little appreciation on how up things can be in the mountains and how much shrubery like Manzanita and Cat Claw can slow you down especially when you're small.
But irritating as he could be, and as much time I spent answering his endless questions, I mostly just miss him. I know that I'm going to be hearing his voice the whole trip and that's ok.