Backpacking is the art of knowing what not to take. Sheridan Anders The first time I carried my cell phone with me on a backpacking trip was completely unplanned. This trip took place many years ago, before the days of smart phones, and I had my flip phone with me in my truck as IContinue reading “Living on the Edges”
Tag Archives: Aging Hikers
Playing Poohsticks on the Dose
The most wasted day is one in which we have not laughed. Sebastian Chamfort When I think back about hikes I have taken, trying to shake loose a few memories that might be worth sharing in these posts, I am reminded that it is not always the mountain vistas and the flower dotted alpine meadowsContinue reading “Playing Poohsticks on the Dose”
Growing Up in the Ring of Fire
The world is always ending somewhere. It just depends on whether it falls in your line of vision or not. Akweaka Emezi As I have written several times in these posts, I grew up with a view of Mt. Rainier from my bedroom window, and it never failed to delight, especially when the morning sunContinue reading “Growing Up in the Ring of Fire”
A World without Flowers
It is late January as I write these words, and the snow that fell a couple of weeks ago has mostly melted, brought about by warming temperatures, then rain, then ice, and now the mud that must invariably follow. This is a trend that would be more likely seen in April. People around here refer to itContinue reading “A World without Flowers”
The Trembling Path
There will never be a storm That can wash the path from my feet The direction from my heart The light from my eyes Or the purpose from this life. Swami Satmanda Sarasuati Many years ago I hiked a challenging route in Olympic National Park called the Six Ridge Trail that takes the hiker fromContinue reading “The Trembling Path”
Walking Away from It All
Recently my website host reminded me that it has now been three years since I started this blog, something that came as a surprise to me. From the beginning it has seemed like an easy and natural process, like walking. The words come easily each week as long as I keep moving. In the beginning I envisionedContinue reading “Walking Away from It All”
Tender Blades of Grass
I would like to do whatever it is that presses the essence from the hour. Mary Oliver One of many wonderful things about living in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming, as I did for several years, is the close proximity to Yellowstone National Park. Though I rarely went there in the summertime, preferring not to competeContinue reading “Tender Blades of Grass”
Pondering the Magic
The best silence opens up clues to deeper mysteries, and the world gets ever more wonderful as we go. David Rothenberg in Bug Music Christmas has passed, and during this quiet week between that holiday and New Years’ Day, I often ponder the magic. We are reminded of it by the “right jolly old elf” whoContinue reading “Pondering the Magic”
In Praise of Slow Hiking
I have never been a fast hiker, even without a heavy pack. I have never seen any reason to aim for speed on the trail. I am on the trail because I want to be in that beautiful place on that beautiful day, and I want to take my time to savor the experience, breathing deeply ofContinue reading “In Praise of Slow Hiking”
Still on the Trail
O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature’s soft nurse, how have I frightened thee, That thou no more will weigh my eyelids down, And steep my senses in forgetfulness? William Shakespeare in Henry III Over the past couple of years that I have been writing this weekly blog, I have learned that the posts I shareContinue reading “Still on the Trail”
The Solitude Trail 