Any time is a good time to look up from the creek bed at your feet to the mountains at the horizon. David Boyles The first time I visited Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah, I bought a postcard at the visitors’ center of the beautiful arch you see in the photo above, appropriately namedContinue reading “Looking Up”
Tag Archives: Aging Hikers
More About Beauty
When I have trouble getting to sleep at night, which is often these days, I never count sheep. I have tried a variety of other counting methods, and the one I return to over and over again is to review in my mind’s eye the beautiful places where the trails have led me. I wroteContinue reading “More About Beauty”
Because It Is Beautiful
It is never my intent to alienate my readers by choosing sides in the political struggles and polarization that are happening today. There is enough of that going around. But individuals on both sides of the chasm that separates us agree that these are dangerous times, and our very survival as a species may byContinue reading “Because It Is Beautiful”
Why Solitude?
I am too alone in the world, and not alone enough to make every minute holy. Rilke I well remember the first night I spent alone in the woods. It was not a backpacking trip. Instead I had driven my little Fiat into the eastern foothills of the Olympics, following old logging roads and lookingContinue reading “Why Solitude?”
Nothing but Mountains
Readers who have been with me for awhile will know that I grew up in Tacoma, Washington not far from Mt. Rainier National Park. It was certainly not the close up view you see above, but it was pretty wonderful looking out my bedroom window in the morning and seeing that magnificent volcanic peak, especiallyContinue reading “Nothing but Mountains”
Training for the Trail
In my much younger years I took up running, not because I liked it, but because I needed an efficient way of maintaining and increasing my cardiovascular fitness so that I could be ready for the trails every summer. I had signed up for a group backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon, and in orderContinue reading “Training for the Trail”
Seeking the Path
The chaos of Christmas has passed, and though it was a special day spent with family, I am always glad when things settle down and I can return to the quiet of my home. With this quiet comes a time of reflection for me each year. I do not exactly come up with New Years’Continue reading “Seeking the Path”
The Way of Flowers
God sleeps in minerals, awakens in plants, walks in animals, and thinks in humans. Sanskrit It is an odd day to be writing about flowers, this darkest day of the year, the winter solstice. Where I write to you from the Okanogan Highlands in northeastern Washington snow blankets the ground, and winter storm warnings areContinue reading “The Way of Flowers”
A Life Told in Miles
At important transitions in my life I find myself reflecting on the journey that has led to this place and time. As always, everything relates to the trail, the long treks with my backpack, the quiet moments in camp with a cup of tea and a good book, and the places where those journeys haveContinue reading “A Life Told in Miles”
Thoughts on Trail Therapy
I do not usually go hiking in November. By this time of year it is typically well below freezing when I awaken in the morning and warms up only a little during the day. I seem to be less tolerant of the cold as I age, along with many other things. Fortunately for me thereContinue reading “Thoughts on Trail Therapy”
The Solitude Trail 