Sigh... Tim’s lab test results today showed that his bilirubin level is coming down steadily, but hasn’t yet returned to normal. They’ll keep re-testing him over the next week or two, hoping that it will drop enough for him to qualify for the clinical trial. Unfortunately, if Tim doesn’t qualify soon, the alternative is to go with one of the standard chemo treatments that aren't as promising. They don’t want to delay treatment (of any kind) too long, so a decision will have to be made some time soon.

This photo is of Sky Pilot (Polemonium eximium). We'd been trying to see this plant for several years. We finally found it when we hiked to the top of Mt. Dana in Yosemite (~13,000 feet). The previous year, the two of us hiked almost all the way to the summit of Mt. Dana without seeing any Sky Pilot. At the time, we didn’t think it would matter if we hiked all the way to the top since it was a pretty exhausting hike at that altitude. Besides, what difference would it make if we climbed a hundred feet higher just to get to the top? We decided the plant probably just wasn’t there, gave up and hiked back down. Later when we came across a ranger, she said, “Well, if you had only climbed a little higher you would have seen it.” We were too exhausted to try climbing Mt. Dana a second time. The following year we tackled Mt. Dana with our friend Polly. This time we hiked all the way to the top. There, almost at the very summit, we saw lots and lots of Sky Pilot among the rocks and boulders. It's a beautiful plant in a spectacular setting.