I Saw That!

Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. It’s enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is burning with it. Claude Monet When I find myself feeling sad about my decision to give up backpacking in order to save my aching back from further injury, IContinue reading “I Saw That!”

The View from My Chair

Will you seek afar off? You surely come back at last, In things best known to you finding the best or as good as the best, In folks nearest to you finding the sweetest, strongest, lovingest Happiness knowledge not in an other place but this place, not for another hour but this hour. Walt WhitmanContinue reading “The View from My Chair”

Mountains and More Mountains

O’Neil’s conclusions were the same as those of the Press party. There were (sic) no great central valley, no prairies in the interior, no lost Indian tribes. There were only mountains and more mountains in every direction. . .adding that it was so mountainous as to be of little use “except perhaps,’ he wrote, “asContinue reading “Mountains and More Mountains”

Alone but Not Lonely

I started hiking and backpacking alone when I was in my early twenties. I was working my first job as a Registered Nurse, so I had weekdays free when the trails were less crowded. My friends all had “normal” schedules or were having babies. I could either hike alone or not at all. It wasContinue reading “Alone but Not Lonely”

Meteors and Moonlight

As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I’ll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can. John Muir My last post (Get Up andContinue reading “Meteors and Moonlight”

Get Up and Walk

As many of you may recall if you have been reading my blog for awhile, last spring as soon as the mud had dried up and the road was passable, I spent several months getting my beautiful log home in the Okanogan Highlands ready to sell. As you probably know if you have ever moved.Continue reading “Get Up and Walk”

Enchantment Under Pressure

It isn’t enough for your heart to be broken because everybody’s heart is broken now. Allen Ginsberg I like the word enchantment, as I referenced in my last post when describing Enchanted Valley in the Olympics. It is a pretty good bet that the place will be beautiful, and your hike will not be disappointing.Continue reading “Enchantment Under Pressure”

Moving Mountains

It is Mt. Kilimanjaro, and it is the last photo I took on my recent trip to Africa, taken out the window of our plane as we began our long trip home on the flight from Zanzibar to Nairobi. We never saw this magnificent mountain from the ground, though we were near it much ofContinue reading “Moving Mountains”

Around the Campfire

It is not the length of life but depth of life. Ralph Waldo Emerson It has been a long time since I sat by a warm fire on the trail. The world is simply too warm and campfires too great a risk. Where I live in northeastern Washington, even outdoor barbecues are not allowed typicallyContinue reading “Around the Campfire”

A Song for Africa

If I know a song for Africa, of the giraffe and the African new moon lying on its back . . .does Africa have a song for me? Karen Blixen in Out of Africa Two new field guides have recently been added to my bookshelf: The Animals of East Africa and The Birds of EastContinue reading “A Song for Africa”