Yesterday I was clever. That is why I wanted to change the world. . . Today I am wise. That is why I am changing myself. Sri Chimney My last post (When Ultra-Lite is Too Lite, August 6) drew a huge number of comments from my readers, more than I have ever received from aContinue reading “Getting to Just Right”
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When Ultra-Lite Is Too Lite
Each step of a journey alters the person who makes it. Jane Hirshfield The photo you see above was taken before I had even left the trailhead on the first day of a nine day trek through the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Just as I was setting out on the trail I met someContinue reading “When Ultra-Lite Is Too Lite”
Visiting a Friend
The Living Mountain relates how, over time, she learned to go into the hills aimlessly, ‘merely to be with the mountain as one visits a friend, with no intention but to be with him.’ from The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd, introduction by Robert McFarlane For a period of about ten years I backpacked everyContinue reading “Visiting a Friend”
Walking the Rosary
Let the words of my mouth the meditation of my heart and the actions of my life be as one, that I may live each day in harmony with Mother Earth. Amen Jennie Frost Butler I first heard the term paternoster several years ago when I read a book about the Continental Divide, where manyContinue reading “Walking the Rosary”
Alone but Not Lonely
Why should I feel lonely? Is not our planet in the Milky Way? Henry David Thoreau When I first started hiking alone in my early twenties people asked me a lot of questions, on and off the trail. There were alway two consistent themes: The first was, “Aren’t you afraid?” That was not hard toContinue reading “Alone but Not Lonely”
In Praise of Small Things
On a long backpacking trip in the Pasayten Wilderness many years ago, I was setting up camp near Sheep Mountain when a backcountry ranger stopped by to visit. We talked for a long time. Her name was Mary Pat, and we found many things to talk about. Darkness was approaching by the time Mary PatContinue reading “In Praise of Small Things”
On the Trail with Teacup
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. Edward Abbey For weeks I had been putting off this trip. We had abundant rain that continued most of the spring, and three days without precipitation in the forecast seemed like an impossibility.Continue reading “On the Trail with Teacup”
Going Out in Joy
For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace, The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 My backpack is propped against the legs of the kitchen table, and gear is strewn about onContinue reading “Going Out in Joy”
With Teddy in the Badlands
Squeak into a gap in the soil, turn, and unlock–more than a maple–a universe. Annie Dillard When I lived in Wyoming I often got a head start on hiking season by traveling to North Dakota in May, where I camped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and explored the varied landscape. It was an interesting placeContinue reading “With Teddy in the Badlands”
On the Edges of Things
The world is poetical, intrinsically: what it means is simply itself. Its significance is the enormous mystery of its existence and our awareness of its existence. Aldous Huxley On my first hike in Washington’s Pasayten Wilderness, I discovered the Hidden Lakes, well named, for they are not visible until the hiker reaches the shoreline ofContinue reading “On the Edges of Things”
The Solitude Trail 