A final walk in the Park for my 35th Birthday

Today is Thursday, the day of "Swinging Doors" radio show on KEXP in Seattle, Washington. It's also the day before my 35th birthday and thus occasion for us to take our day off from working for Grande Denali, LLC and take a final journey into Denali National Park. Reed and I will be taking the afternoon camper bus into mile ~58 at Highway Pass, where we'll sleep tonight and then begin walking back towards the park entrance. Our goal is to walk 35 miles in two days, and end our walk at about mile 23, which is near the Sanctuary River area.
It's been another full summer. Alaska summers, for us, have brimmed over with activity, much like the daylight hours here, which are unending in June and July. It's been a challenging summer in many ways and also a rewarding one. One of the biggest gifts that Reed and I have enjoyed has been having my mom, Sue Wiley, here to work alongside of us at our hotels. This is the most time, as adults, that we've ever gotten to spend together. Sue will be joining us at some point on our hike, just because a broken hip can't stop her!
I give thanks for the decades and years that I have gotten to live in the world, eating and drinking it up. My life has been full of many blessings, most of all my dear husband, Reed. At 21 and 22, I didn't know if I would be able to stay alive. I couldn't imagine my life in the future. I give thanks that here I am, and this has been my life thus far.