Announcement: A Website for Care Partners and Journeyers

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Humanity Hiker

“Love kindness. Build community. Believe in humanity.”

That quote is the tagline for this Humanity Hiker website. I created this website before our 5,000 mile walk across America. At the time I could not disclose that our main purpose was to reboot Cindy’s life and brain health, yet needed a cover for why we were uprooting our lives. I declared our purpose for the American Discovery Trail (ADT) journey was to observe and report on kindness and community across America, both in presentations to the communities we passed through and on this website. My previous long distance journeys revealed how kind people can be, both to strangers and to others in their community, which prompted the humanitarian creed.

During our ADT hike Cindy improved, but regressed again after we returned. I continued as her full time home caregiver and applied my academic training to researching brain health. My research uncovered one of the most important ingredients for preserving brain health:

“Love kindness. Build community. Believe in humanity.”

Yes, this humanitarian creed also increases your brain health. Guaranteed. How do you think I lasted so long as a full time caregiver for a loved one with dementia? We all have the opportunity to be caregivers in our lives, whether for loved ones, neighbors or strangers in need. We also are all journeyers in some way, whether that journey occurs on a long distance trail or as we navigate the challenges of life. This website represents the perspectives of a care partner journeyer, or a journeying carepartner, with information and inspiration for both pursuits.

The Contents menu provides a chronological reference for this blog, the Features menu provides collection of posts corresponding to special topics. Both will be expanded as new themes emerge over time. Note also the Subscribe form. My former subscriber list is gone with this revamping so I need both followers and newcomers to sign up. I am still working out the kinks with this, but subscribers will receive one of my music compositions. This will become very important for my future plans and I hope you will encourage at least one friend of yours to subscribe as well.

One reason for the revamping was the longevity of my home caregiver role, going on fifteen years now with this post. I needed to change things up a bit with my life and with this blog in order to keep both vibrant. The two other websites I created are part of this change as well. Moving forward I plan to provide more personal vignettes that cater to the caregivers among us, plus one extraordinary feature for the journeyers. More about that when everything is ready.

I now have a companion website designed for humanitarians, called the Unenlightened Wisdom Project. The subtitle for the project is “Journeying from Brain Health to Democracy.” Give it a look sometime and subscribe to that as well.

The third website, as of now still in development, will be for eCommerce. People can purchase/book my writings, music and/or presentations for humanity. Perhaps I will offer merchandise someday as well, with items that display the humanitarian creed:

“Love kindness. Build community. Believe in humanity.”

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Cindy’s Gaze

Posted on May 20, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

Cindy cannot consciously move her muscles.  Consequently I never had to use the guardrails on her hospital bed to prevent her from rolling over.  Even so, over time her default bedridden position leans her to the left.  I correct this by propping up that side a little with a small pillow.

In the propped position Cindy’s gaze should be forward, which I make sure happens when I feed her.  She also gazes forward sometimes when I have the television on, though that usually occurs during feeding.  Yet her default gaze seems to be left even in her propped position.  Sometimes she gazes left where visitors will be standing or seated.  Other times she gazes slightly left and upwards towards the ceiling.

During her range of motion exercises, the only significant movement her limbs make now, she gazes directly into my eyes.  I see recognition there.  Our brain undergoes neuroplasticity until the end, constant rewiring for new perceptions and thoughts.  This gives me hope for my continued presence in her mind … perhaps even more.

After years of incurious noting of her leftward gaze towards the ceiling, one day I put my head next to hers, tilted at the same angle.  I discovered what she sees: 

Frisch took that photo of us on the last day of our 366 day, 5,000 mile walk across the country.  Used for a report of our journey in our local Norfolk Now news publication, he then gifted the photo to us.  The representative generosity from townsfolk that have benefited us over the years may be lost to Cindy’s gaze, but hopefully not all the memories that photo might recall.

This blog began with our American Discovery Trail journey.  Since there will be no more I can claim this will end up being our most amazing journey of all.  This for two extremely hard core journeyers, a husband and wife team at that.

I am no longer privy to whatever perceptions and thoughts enter Cindy’s mind.  Yet by gazing at the photo daily, rewiring her mind each time, I believe she recalls some memories from that experience together.  I also believe those perceptions of our past synchronize with perceptions in the present to include me.

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Brain Health Food Swaps

Posted on May 12, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

The other day the title “Tuna Salad Swap” on a food magazine jumped out to me. I wondered if the swap would be hummus for mayonnaise, which I do with my tuna salad. Sure enough, the article featured that “amazing” brain health food swap.

I swap hummus for mayonnaise with everything. Hummus provides the same texture and better nutrition. I also think hummus tastes better, or at least provides a variety of kinds and tastes to the food table.

In a recent entry I mentioned how I swap maple syrup for sugar as a sweetener. This has limitations or requires texture adjustments when substituting a syrup for a powder. I also occasionally swap Parmesan cheese as a more nutritious thickening agent for corn starch or flour. In this case the texture matches but of course taste might matter more here.

I mentioned the use of the spices black pepper, turmeric and ginger for my brain health soup. I actually use this suite of brain health spices for all my soups, sauces and casseroles. Sometimes I swap, sometimes I add these spices. I owe my accidental reputation as a good cook, in shocked amazement to my family, precisely to using these three spices.

I also swap a generous scoop of Tillamook ice cream for cream and sugar in my coffee. The Tillamook brand is extra creamy and uses sugar instead of the more common high fructose corn syrup (check the labels). Not really a brain health food swap, but try it anyways!

Please encourage a friend to subscribe for more brain health, caregiver and love story updates. I realize I have slacked recently with the love story posts, but I will get into a groove with that eventually. Please like and share this and other content.

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Brain Health Updates – 05/05/26

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

Awareness of lifestyle factors that can enhance brain health includes awareness of the societal factors that make such a lifestyle difficult. An article in Nature elaborates on this:

Exposure to negative physical and social factors accelerate aging.

Usually there are multiple press releases for any “new” finding that comes out (I have been at this so long as to notice that many “new” findings are just repeats of older findings). I cut down on time spent by just looking at the releases by respected publications and universities. I did not have to do that with this finding that social factors accelerate aging. There was only this one release from this well-regarded publication.

I cannot resist sharing this article titled “Brain health redefined as a birth-to-death journey.” In my writings for the Unenlightened Wisdom Project, I use the journey metaphor often in relation to brain health. The article covers a variety of factors that affect brain health over a life time.

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Alzheimer’s Murder Mystery Update

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

Ten years ago I posted “The Alzheimer’s Murder Mystery,” critiquing the emphasis on anti-amyloid research and drugs. My continued curation of brain health updates came up with three articles related to and verifying that post.

Murder Mystery

My post mentioned donepezil and memantine as anti-amyloid drugs with dubious track records. Ten years later there have been more anti-amyloid drugs, with continued dubious records.

I hinted in the Murder Mystery post that other metabolic pathways should be the focus. I mentioned mitochondria and the immune system back then, which recent research validates as legitimate targets.

While a nasal spray may someday prove to be the best medical answer for dementia, I will never let go of my emphasis on lifestyle factors. An article touting combined mind-body exercise fits this bill. Though focused on people with ADHD, the pathways involved seem to me to be just as legitimate for combating cognitive decline.

I can’t help myself. I love finding out the Murder Mystery post was ten years ahead of the times. Please like and share this content. Encourage your friends to subscribe to the website as well.

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Brain Health Updates – 4/9/26

Posted on April 10, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

Spring is good for your brain: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/03/clahs-spring-into-a-sharper-mind.html

7 days of meditation can rewire your brain: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260406192913.htm

Waking up feeling more refreshed and alert: https://healthcare.msu.edu/news/2026-4-7-scientists-revel-the-secret-to-waking-up-feeling-more-refreshed-and-alert.html

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Trail Magic Updates – 4/9/26

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

Several factors fueled my belief in humanity, such as the kindness experienced during long distance journeys. The hiking community calls the serendipitous acts of kindness they experience “trail magic.” With my Google Alerts set to “trail magic” and “trail angel,” I will occasionally curate the results for trail magic updates.

Trail magic has changed over the course of my lifetime. Originally, trail magic was something that happened by serendipitous surprise. Now there is more of an expectation that at certain town stops or trail crossings some trail magic is expected. My curation will emphasize the former. With this first update I found one story that meets my standards.

“But in the Bear’s Den Hostel in 2003, “what those other hikers didn’t know was that I didn’t give a shit what happened to me back then,” says Riddle. He’d been on the AT for three years running from law enforcement after skipping town on parole with a hefty prison sentence hanging over his head. That September, he planned “to hike down to McAfee Knob and take a headfirst dive into oblivion.”

Reformed hiker who once ran from the law gives back.

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Travel Oddities

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

I keep my eyes open for travel oddities.  Two of them occurred in Tucson during the week of St. Patrick’s Day.

While walking down the hallway from my room I spotted housekeepers cleaning through an open door to another room.  The Residence Inn guest in this particular room evidently had the holiday spirit by the prominent presence of something green. I am not talking about green figures of leprechauns or shamrocks.  No, I am talking about the Christmas spirit, as revealed by a four foot Christmas tree perched on a coffee table.  On March 17. In a resort guest room.

I mainly exercised in the air conditioned fitness center to avoid the desert heat.  The exception was the laps I ran around a kidney shaped pool, 3-5 feet in depth.  For a good twenty minutes I “ran” through the water, switching to a breast stroke for about eight feet along the “deep” end.

The only other person in the pool area sunbathed during my laps.  I imagined I appeared quite odd to him. How many people run countless laps around a small pool at a resort? When the sunbather got up to enter the pool I offered to leave but he encouraged me to stay.

I put my schmoozing skills back to work and we engaged in conversation.  My new friend was a pilot from Germany attending a training center in Tucson. He married late, waiting until he could make family his first priority.  His work now calls him away one week a month, but he focuses on family and home improvement projects for the other three weeks.

Meeting my German friend gave me even more incentive to meet people while giving presentations combining readings and music.  Unfortunately, my acquisition of a car now needs to be put on hold. Our son Noah’s car has gone kaput and I need to divert those savings as a loan to help him out. The importance of wrapping up his undergraduate studies as a premed surpasses my needs for now.

Interested in my humanity writings, music and presentations?
For other humanity writings: The Unenlightened Wisdom Project
For humanity music: The Bards of Balance on Bandcamp
For humanity presentations: My eCommerce Site (help me schmooze, book a presentation)

Please like and share, and encourage your friends to subscribe.

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Desert Aura

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

I spent four days of reflection in the desert aura of Tucson, Arizona while staying at a Residence Inn.

Around 7:00 am each day, I had the morning caregiver for Cindy call me. She held the phone near Cindy for my greeting.  I went with the usual endearments:  “you’re my Expedition Woman,” “we make a great team,” “I’ll be back soon,” “I love you.”  I also sang to her a few lines from songs like “Cindy” and “Good morning.”

Points from our timeshare that I usually cannot use saved money on booking a room.  Free breakfast buffets and a kitchenette minimized expenses further.  Needing an Uber to get anywhere would have added an expense but I mainly stayed at the resort.  The 100 degree temperature and an air conditioned fitness room  influenced that decision.

The first morning after the phone call I managed to walk about a mile to a Walmart for some essentials.  The outing provided enough of a desert aura to stir the senses and memories.  The calendar said winter; the weather said summer.  The vegetation bridged the difference with vestiges of a desert spring.  When growing in the inhospitable desert, plants bloom with gusto whenever the short window of opportunity arises.

I kept to a hiker’s desert heat schedule of hiking/walking mostly before nine or after five.  Early morning light bathed the distant mountains; desert wrens escorted my walk with song.  I smelled and felt more “desert” than “heat” on my walk.  The opposite occurs between nine to five with blanched colors, silent birds and the desert smelling and feeling more like an oven.

I am a proud resident from the Icebox of Connecticut, but I embraced the aura of being in the desert.  Who knows when or if I will feel this aura again.  This alone made my four day respite worth the air travel, though I prefer the ratio of resort to travel days being greater than 1:1.  Considering I mainly wanted to reflect during my respite, spending near equal time with air travel did not matter as much to me.  I got to interact with new folks just as well, perhaps more so.

On the way out I sat next to Zac, a freshman in college studying computer science who will be receiving heart surgery soon.  As he got up to use the bathroom I unwound his defibrillator from the seat belt, which got the conversation started.  I watched and learned how he applied code to alter a chess program.  The computer had to choose the fifth best move, which led to it losing no matter how poorly Zac deliberately played.

At the resort I practiced my schmoozing skills on the concierges: Katie, Jon and Cassandra.  The knack for schmoozing came from my father, the specialty advertising salesman.  Alas, I never picked up his ability to make sales as well, but I have made countless friends out of strangers during the course of my long distance hikes.

To continue with writings, music and presentations for humanity I need to get back to schmoozing with people I just met.  When we walked across the country people reading the blog expressed how it changed their views on humanity. Reporting on the kindness of others requires leaving home to meet them, which gets to the main purpose of my trip.  How comfortable am I to leave Cindy for how long?

A couple years ago I left Cindy at Geer Village while I took a long weekend off.  When I picked Cindy up I did not feel good about leaving her there.  The aides did nothing wrong, but a little of her spark seemed to be gone.  When I got back home from Tucson after leaving Cindy for twice as long she looked OK for her current condition.  Being at home matters, perhaps as much as being with me.

Indeed, I likely had more discomfort than Cindy at being away for four days.  Plus the coverage, though sufficient during that time, still ran into a few snags.  I believe I will need to limit my schmoozing excursions to 1-2 days, all within a few hour driving distance.

For other humanity writings: The Unenlightened Wisdom Project
For humanity music: The Bards of Balance on Bandcamp
For humanity presentations: My eCommerce Site (help me schmooze, book a presentation)

Please like and share, and encourage your friends to subscribe.

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Trial Respite

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Humanity Hiker

I just returned  from Tucson, Arizona for what you might call a trial respite.  Not since 2017 have I gone past driving distance from my home.  Back then I left for a week while our oldest daughter Charissa stayed with Cindy.  That one week vacation provided some respite, but also some unease at being away from my Expedition Woman.  Would this shorter, four day vacation have a similar effect?  With a potential increase in coverage coming my way I wanted to know.

Why Tucson?
The idea started with a potential live-in caregiver that I ruled out before going to Tucson.  I still went because of the location and weather for March.  I may return to long distance hiking in another phase of life but Tucson lies too far south to be in my path. This means now or never.  Now normally would be a great time for a southern destination during the last week of winter, except that Tucson endured a record breaking heatwave.

Why Now?
My coverage situation for the past week makes this the most ideal time in the past nine years for going this far away from home.  I have more agency coverage, though that alone would have caused problems given the snags that happened.  Fortunately, our son Noah was home from spring break during the week.  A high school classmate Gary also borders with us temporarily as he seeks permanent housing.

The respite provided time for reflection on my next adjustments as a dedicate care partner with the potential for expanded coverage.

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