What does it mean, say the words, that the earth is so beautiful? And what shall I do about it? What is the gift that I should bring to the world? What is the life that I should live? Mary Oliver On a recent trip to western Washington to visit friends and family, I tookContinue reading “Why Is It Beautiful?”
Tag Archives: Colleen Drake
Cozy in Camp
When pleasure can be found, it is fit to catch it. Samuel Johnson When i first started backpacking alone in my early twenties, for the occasions when I would need extra warmth, I carried a pair of long johns, wool pants in a bright red plaid, and a Cowichan sweater my parents had found buriedContinue reading “Cozy in Camp”
Riding on a Snail for 55 Years
Age is simply the number of years the world has been enjoying you. Unknown What a nice surprise it was this week to receive this card in the mail with the illustration you see above. It was a thank you card from Recreational Equipment Incorporated (REI) congratulating me for being a member for fifty-five years.Continue reading “Riding on a Snail for 55 Years”
Summer in My Soul
The trick comes in planning next summer’s vacation while knowing that next summer is not promised to anyone. Sallie Tisdale With fall now officially begun it seems a little odd to be writing about the season that has just passed, but it was an especially good one for me, and that seems worthy of celebration.Continue reading “Summer in My Soul”
Geography Is Destiny
The quote that serves as the title for today’s post is from Abraham Verghese, best selling author of Cutting for Stone and The Covenant of Water, works of fiction about life in Ethiopia, where the author lived as a child. I came upon the quote when I was trying to learn more about him andContinue reading “Geography Is Destiny”
The Wild in Wilderness
Let me take my chances in the big outside worldly wilderness with all its sins and sufferings. William James In the southeastern corner of Washington State lies a mountain range that few people have ever heard of, even Washington residents. Last month when I began to plan my trip and told friends and family thatContinue reading “The Wild in Wilderness”
Getting to Just Right
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”
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”
The Solitude Trail 