My Dad.

Lots of bloggers do birthday posts for their family, and I can't guarantee that I'll keep this up, but I really wanted to at least do a post on my parents' birthdays.
My Dad turned 51 on Sunday. If people in the world could be more like my dad, there would be no need for non profit organizations, Earth First Groups, and Women's Rights Advocates. That's right. Nix them. My dad is that great. He's a peacemaker.

He grew up in Southern California in the 60s and 70s and was raised by parents equally as great. Sparks flew when he moved to Humboldt County to attend HSU and met my mom. She was a convert on a motivated path of self-improvement, and my dad was a laid-back, earth-loving liberal (sorry, Dad, but you were). With little education and a lot of love, Dad and Mom started our family. 9 kids later, my dad is still the best guy around. He's patient, loving, friendly, charitable. Family "vacations" were no less than a 20 mile hike through, on average, 8-10,000 foot high mountain ranges. We camped, he cooked, and we always learned a lot.
I was twelve when Dad took us on my first backpacking trip. It rained every day. My sleeping bag was soaking wet, there were pervasive mosquitos, and I don't think mom much liked doing all of our laundry when we got home, but I learned optimism through the simple things in life. Like no running water, freezing temperatures, and dealing with bears. A typical conversation with Dad went something like this,
"Dad, I'm tired, it's 11:30 at night, do we really have to hike to the top of Mt. Macglaughlin?"
Dad: "Ya, dude, we'll make it, it's only about 5 miles up, 5 miles back, we'll be back before sunrise!!!" (insert jerking of arms and fists to pump up the group of kids).
You get the idea...

Coming from such a large family, I didn't get much alone time with Dad. When I did get him, he was always, above all, a great listener. He would ask me so many questions I would get sick of answering. He got up early and went to bed late, but always had time for me if I was upset.

My fondest memory with my dad was the 17 day backpacking trip we did through the high sierras of California. I had graduated from high school a few months earlier, and my best friend and I talked Dad into hiking the John Muir Trail with us, a 211 mile hike that he hiked by himself when he was 18. Spending 17 days with him was a dream. He cooked for us, made up songs, told stories, kept us motivated, and we always laughed.
He is the kindest and most optimistic man I know. Thanks for everything Dad. And Happy Birthday.