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By now, many of you have heard about the tragic events in regards to Meredith Emerson, I have no intention of restating any of the events regarding this story, as that is not fair to the family of the victim, accounts of what happened are widely available on the internet.

I am writing this entry mainly because some people in my life are concerned about me, and my safety. I am writing this to express to you how this has affected me, and its effects on my trip.

My hike is moving full steam ahead. What I learned from this story is to keep my guard up about suspicious people. I imagine other hikers I meet when I start will also be more cautious about personal safety. I have been asked by several people how I plan to change my willingness to tell people my timetable. No one knows my exact time table, except the group I am starting with. When I leave, there will only be a small group of people who will be kept up to date about my day to day plans, others will know where I am from time to time. This tragedy has affected me in ways that are hard to explain, it is a gut thing. This has sort of been a gut check, although it came in a horrible way. I'm sitting here, trying to figure out how best to sum this up from my point of view, but it is hard. Just know that I have recognized the tragedy, and that I will take proper action to ensure my personal safety.