And so the boy…

Glimpsed such future fate, the horizon fall fast, the mercury plummet.  His pace did quicken as thought turned to task,

must walk!

must seal and repair!

must, a warming layer find at paltry a cost!

must sew!

must walk!…

Must walk!!

And so the boy…

Each night did mend, to stitch the tear, a cover his face would surely need.  He cut and sewed of past fleece restore, to form and shield his hope renew!

Each night the simmer assured such faith, the glow of warmth and belly fill, cocooned a comfort could nary last, for drop it would…

The mercury fall fast!

And so the boy…

Walked, a hurried pace…“they say a foot surely fall”…to burden and drain, each step a labor to trudge and challenge. The wind whip, a fury, a might, no track lay before, the boy should fight, in darkness stumble…

The mercury fall fast!

And so the boy…

And so the boy…

Would surely reach!

January 5, 2025 from Sedalia, Missouri:

The freezing rain pelted my tent through the night, the very same I hiked through that evening to arrive strategically just short of Sedalia, not realizing most of the town would be closed due to weather. Fortunately, a McDonald’s near the trail remained open! I really just wanted a place to sit and write, charge a bit more, and let some of this storm pass on by, my next town another 33 miles away, trail conditions worsening by the hour, potentially hampering my usual pace.  That freezing rain left a 1/16 inch shield over my tent, a hassle to remove, but also adding to the warmth within. 

I’m dealing with some frustrating and ill timed gear failures, my air pad rupturing internally a couple nights ago and two more zippers calling it quits. The air pad continues to hold air, but swells up around my head end, robbing air volume and pressure from the remaining pad. If I add more air to compensate, the rupture worsens with an alarming “bang” sound! I slept comfortably and warm last night and remain optimistic I can limp this pad along a bit longer, my foam pad underneath providing some unpoppable insulation, my many layers affording more yet. I’ve ordered more zippers, but now must wait, the two recent failures not yet critical as both tracks feature two slider sets for dual direction opening and closing. For now, the elements will continue to stay where they belong…mostly outside!

I’m keeping my fuel bottle topped off, my stove running on gasoline for easy resupply. This little beauty gives off substantial heat and safely burns in the vestibule area of my full four seasons tent (full inner and outer tents, rather than a rainfly!). I use my footprint as a tarp these days, leaving the ground exposed within this vestibule space, perfect for running this stove to cook and add some drying warmth before shutting it down and zipping up tight for the night.

My camera gave me a scare this morning upon pulling it out for a photograph in my mobile office, the golden arches.

When I shot a still, I noticed it struggling to focus followed by a cloudy shot. Cleaning the outer lens revealed the internal fogging. A little time to warm up and all is well…deep breath!

January 10, 2025 from Jefferson City, MO:

Missouri, what the fuck! If this were early childhood schooling, you’d be in timeout!! Did someone tell you I was coming? Was it Kansas??

I’m running out of emojis that, at this point, don’t feel cliché.  I woke to another bout of snowfall, having already exceeded the forecasted accumulation.  It’s still coming down while I sit in BK, sipping and writing, pondering and planning. My feet are soaked through and my tent feels like the beginning of a Dateline Special, right after the part where they show pictures of me at the age of four with my mom and a birthday cake, you know the line:

“he was just a normal boy; he liked normal things…but then, something changed” (you know the voice!).

The package I’m waiting for got “excepted,” you know, “due to weather.” I don’t know what they’re talking about, it’s really nice here! They say Monday…but l’m here now, on Friday, when my tent zippers were supposed to be waiting for me.

Now I’m waiting for them, it seems, until Monday. I thought about having the package forwarded to St. Louis, as I had grown accustomed to hiking previously “present” conditions, my pace really only slowed by the single digit temperatures forcing me to walk daylight hours only.  Those temps are set to stay much warmer for a good bit now.  But the snow now piles deeper and wetter, my window for leaving Missouri extending once more as uncertainty looms, my course far from sure. I’m reminded of some writing I did while looking out the train window last march, gazing the same weather I gaze now, the train that saw me to Delaware:

“As I gaze out the windows of my eastbound train I can see my ghost, the tracks yet laid. I can see my tent pitched some distance off. I can see myself warming some cocoa on my little camp stove, gazing back at myself riding aboard that eastbound train. I smile and shrug, that knowing sorta grin—”I got you”—I keep walking-riding on, that knowing sorta sort.”

I think I’m gonna check out the library. I have work I can do, reading I can do. Camping will be easy enough here, a nice “troll under the bridge” sort of spot just across the river, the Missouri that is.

A few more from the gallery:

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price as they would otherwise, and your purchase helps to support The Trek’s ongoing goal to serve you quality backpacking advice and information. Thanks for your support!

To learn more, please visit the About This Site page.

It’s time to start getting into mock drafts and seeing what analysts think the 49ers should be taking this year. We all have our arguments on priorities for the 49ers. This one lands in the camp of an offensive lineman.

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah conducted his first mock draft on Saturday. Since the NFL Scouting Combine has yet to occur, Jeremiah’s mock draft was based on what he “hears around the league.”

So, with that in mind, he has the 49ers taking Missouri offensive lineman Armand Membou. Here’s what he said about the pick:

Membou is the most technically sound offensive lineman in this class. He reminds me of Aljah Vera-Tucker when he entered the league. Membou will be an exceptional guard who can also play tackle if needed.

My entire preaching this offseason will be on “fixing the lines,” both offensively and defensively, emphasizing the offensive. The 49ers need to have a succession plan in place for Trent Williams rather than have something come by surprise.

Back to Membou. I’m all about this. Membou played in a zone-based run scheme, a plus for the 49ers’ offense. I can only go off the tape I’ve seen and his draft profile without seeing how he does in the combine.

It seems like the issue is his height, which is 6’3”. That could be a concern if the plan were to plug him in at tackle, but with the status of 49ers guard Aaron Banks up in the air, maybe that would work for a guard.

I also see some projections that he will go 24. The 49ers pick 11, so that seems OK? Maybe there’s a better player available at 11 for the defensive line when the draft rolls around.

Based on Jeremiah’s logic, I’d be satisfied with this pick. The 49ers need to figure out the defensive and offensive lines for 2025 and beyond when Trent Williams calls it a career.

What do you think of this pick?

Missouri basketball guard Tamar Bates crashed the glass for a defensive rebound inside the final minute of the game, bounced a pass underneath an instant Ole Miss press to teammate Mark Mitchell and then didn’t bother turning up court for a breakaway.

A foul was coming, and an MU win was coming. Bates’ focus instead went to the limbs flying around in Mizzou Arena’s student section directly in front of him, and the guard began to flex his arms to fuel the frenzy.

While he tensed, the crowd in Columbia loosened.

Breathe out, Mizzou fans. And when you’re done exhaling, say a quick thank you to Bates and Caleb Grill.

Breathe out, because No. 24/22 Missouri bounced back from a midweek loss to knock off No. 16/16 Ole Miss 83-75 on Saturday at Mizzou Arena, and the Tigers are now 5-2 in Southeastern Conference play and well ahead of schedule for an NCAA Tournament berth.

More: Missouri basketball score: Mizzou beats Ole Miss for ranked win at Mizzou Arena

It’s no secret what Grill is capable of on any given day. He’s one of the leading 3-point shooters in the nation, and has shown as much in crunch time in multiple Mizzou (16-4, 5-2 SEC) games this season. Grill had 25 points and a 6-of-10 mark from 3 on Saturday.

And it’s no secret what Bates is capable of on any given day. He’s the engine that never seems to stop for this Tigers team, and a player that again is knocking on the door of a 40-50-90 shooting mark midway through the year. Bates had a game-high 26 points with an 8-of-13 mark from the field against the Rebels (15-5, 4-3).

Individually, they’ve each won games.

When both players have a hot hand like that? 

Well, let Ole Miss coach Chris Beard walk you through what that did to his top-10 ranked defense …

“It puts a lot of pressure on us defensively, because the other three guys on the floor are good players,” Beard said. “So it’s not one of these deals where we can just talk about those two guys. Missouri has real SEC talent. … “So, when two of your best players go 10 points over their scoring average or more, and the 3-point shot is like shooting our Nerf goal when I was a kid on the back of my bedroom door, it’s going to be hard.”

The Mississippi coach called Bates and Grill’s games “special performances” no fewer than seven times in his postgame press conference. Beard repeatedly called them two of the best players in the SEC.

That’s because the Tigers needed every ounce of the weight they pulled Saturday to get across the line and ease any lingering fan anxiety — especially after a slow night Tuesday in Texas — about the potential direction this season could go.

Mizzou never truly separated from the Rebels. 

Multiple eight- or nine-point MU leads were pulled back to five and four. The Tigers kept getting to the free throw line early in the second half, but they only made 50% of their opening 12 attempts. There were some careless turnovers, and a few Ole Miss triples that let some nervous air linger.

But for every shaky moment, there was a response from Grill or Bates.

When Ole Miss opened with an 8-0 run, Bates scored 10 points in 2:11 to help flip the lead.

When Mississippi point guard Sean Pedulla cut the once-12-point Mizzou lead to three with an arena-quieting triple? Fifteen seconds later, Grill played catch and shoot in the corner and let the sold-out crowd catch a breath.

When Missouri needed to drive the knife in, Bates scored eight points in 3:30 minutes in crunch time to provide the twist.

Grill converted a four-point play. Bates had a breakaway dunk off of his own tipped pass for a steal. The pair combined for a 11-of-11 mark at the free throw line, where Mizzou attempted an astounding 39 shots but the rest of the Tigers shot a combined 60.7%. 

“I think these guys have gone through so many battles that you kind of take it for granted what they bring to the table,” Gates said. “Look at the stress and how they handle it. Look at the situations and how they handle it. They handle themselves, and they lead in a way that I am very proud of.”

Without fail, the Tigers swatted Ole Miss back.

After its worst offensive output of the season in Texas on Tuesday, Missouri put itself back on track. 

More: Top 25 Tigers? Here’s where Missouri basketball landed in Monday’s national polls

Gates’ team has not lost back-to-back games this season. The Tigers are 15-0 at home this season, and far importantly — 5-2 in league play. That puts Mizzou in a share for third place in the conference standings through seven games.

The conversation around Missouri and the NCAA Tournament is now more about seeding than qualifying. The Tigers likely need three more wins before the regular season is over to lock a Big Dance invite up.

Let Beard tell you … After what the visiting coach watched Saturday, those are coming.

Bates and Grill underlined that.

“Those two guys have those games on the same night together?” Beard said. “You know, Dennis will have some great evenings after games around here.”