Blog Assignment #5

Quote 1: " I still had 344 miles to hike before I reached the Bridge of the Gods, but something made me feel as I'd arrived.  Like the blue water was telling me something I'd walked all this way to know."

1. Does the quotation relates to the theme? If so, which theme and how does it relate? 
The quotation relates to the theme of acceptance.  Acceptance is the last stage of the grief and loss process.  I believe at this point in the novel, Cheryl is finally beginning to accept the death her mother.  Even though it's been over 4 years since her mother passed away, Cheryl is only now putting her grief into perspective.  The calmness and beauty of the lake reflects the calmness and inner peace she is now experiencing.

3. Does the quotation characterize Cheryl, Paul, her mother, or another character ?  If so, what way does it characterize ?
This quotation characterizes Cheryl.  The 334 miles represents the many issues that Cheryl still has to contend  with in her life.  However, I now believe she has reached a point that will allow her to positively overcome them.


Quote 2: "Her name was Barbara, but she'd gone by Bobbi, so that was the name I spoke. Saying Bobbi instead of Mom felt like a revelation, like it was the first time that I truly understood that she was my mother, but also more."

1. Does the quotation relates to the theme? If so, which theme and how does it relate? 
This quotation relates to the theme of reflection.  Cheryl has had a moment on the trail to revisit her life with her mother; the good and the bad.  She now feels that through it all her mother truly loved her and was more than just her mother but her everything.

3. Does the quotation characterize Cheryl, Paul, her mother, or another character ?  If so, what way does it characterize ?
This quotation characterizes her mother.   In this chapter, Cheryl gives a detailed description of all the negative things that her mother had done during her life, such as smoking pot, leaving them home alone, and spanking them.  After reviewing all of the negatives, Cheryl was able to determine that the positive things that her mother had done such as showing them eternal love had truly out weighed the bad.  Furthermore, Cheryl realized that even with all of her flaws, Bobbi was not only her mother but a person that she truly admired.

Blog Assignment 4

" Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren't a state of being, but rather a room where I could retreat to be who I really was." Chapter 8 page 119

1. Does the quotation relate to a theme? If so, which theme and how does it relate?

This quotation related to theme of aloneness.  After her mother is diagnosed with cancer, Cheryl begins to gradually isolate herself from her husband Paul.  This is brought full circle after her mother's death and after the deterioration of her family as she had known it.  After divorcing Paul and ten days before leaving Minneapolis, Paul tells Cheryl that she has finally got what she wanted; to be alone.  Aloneness would become a major theme throughout the novel with Cheryl trying to determine the root of her longing for isolation.  

2. Does the quotation characterize Cheryl, Paul, her mother, or another character? If so, in what way does it characterize?

This quotation characterizes Cheryl. Cheryl first isolates herself from her husband.  She loves Paul but does not want to necessarily be married to him.  Next she isolates herself from the career that she had chosen; to become a writer.  Instead of writing a five page essay to complete her degree, Cheryl takes on waitressing jobs to earn a living.  Cheryl isolates herself from "real love."  She is not ashamed of telling of her meaningless sexual encounters with seemingly strange men.  Her greatest display of aloneness occurs, however, when she begins her journey on the PCT.  She starts the trail alone.  Although she meets a few people along the way, at this point in the novel, she is still literally by herself; alone. 

Blog Post Assignment 3

Objective Summary : The Big Snow is One to Remember
             
               This article vividly explains the treacherous terrain experienced by hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail during the summer of 2011.  The author tells of how a unseasonable snow event change the landscape for the thru-hikers that traveled through this section of the northwest.  Sixty feet of snow had fallen on the trail and it was not in any hurry to melt.  This caused some hikers to reconsider continuing but there were some that were very committed to their task.  It changed from a mere hike to a test of "endurance."  Those completing the hike were rewarded with new "experiences" and well taught "lessons."  Like the author stated the summer of 2011 stands as a season to remember on the PCT.

1 Fact I read in the article

• Snow in the Sierra is one naked truth of a northbound thru-hike.

1 Interesting thing about the article

• July 15 much of the trail covered in snow.

1 Question from the article

• What type of weather system caused this late season snow? 

http://www.pcta.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/BigSnow_Sept2011.pdf?884c9e