This post was originally shared on November 21, 2016. A post of this kind has been brewing in my head for a while now and after reading something infuriating this last week, I decided to put it to words. If you came here just to learn how to hike with others, you may need…
“In nature, nothing exists alone.” -Rachel Carson, 1962 Earth Day Earth Day was created 49 years ago and marks the birth of the modern environmental movement. Yes, there are cultures who were devoted to the conservation of the natural world long before that. But it was a Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin who…
This post was originally shared on June 27, 2016. I had a nice hike with a new friend a few weeks ago on a new-to-me trail. Almost 7 hours of conversation getting to know an amazing young woman, what was important to her and where she thinks she might be headed in life (at least the first few steps,…
This post was originally shared in December of 2016. I love learning new stuff. I love relearning old stuff. It wasn’t a planned thing but last week I was asked by my friend Denise if I wanted to go to the Mountaineers Leadership Conference with her. She is a hike leader and involved in her…
Do you think about spices when you want to plan your backpacking meals for the trail? One meal can be made into a variety of others with just a change of spice added to a familiar at-home meal or back-country dish. Let me tell you about my favorite place in Seattle for spice inspiration. It…
This week’s Nature Writing Challenge comes to you with just 20 minutes left to write so you are going to get some pretty amazing pictures instead! The topic is “Where is your favorite gateway town outside America’s public lands and what makes it so great?” Any memorable experiences? Well, if you just finished reading my…