Most of my hiking friends have favorite destinations, places they have perhaps visited only once but linger in their memories as particularly beautiful. At my age these memories occur as places where I would like to return one last time. Avalanche Valley on the eastern slope of Mt. Adams in the Cascades is one suchContinue reading “One Last Time”
Tag Archives: hiking
With Me On the Trail
I cannot live without books. Thomas Jefferson On a bottom book shelf in my bedroom is a collection of books that have always been precious to me. Most books are precious to me, but these books are especially so, and I keep them there so that if my house is ever beset by wildfire andContinue reading “With Me On the Trail”
Living on the Edges
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”
In Praise of Buttercups
The bloom of a flower has changed the world and made it ours. Loren Eisley in The Immense Journey They are certainly not spectacular. . .bright yellow splashes of color that appear just as the ground is becoming soggy from snowmelt and a few straggling green blades of grass are showing up for spring. HereContinue reading “In Praise of Buttercups”
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”
Hanging Out with the Monkey Mafia
When I first heard the phrase monkey mafia I thought our tour guide was referring to a sinister group of thieves who hang out in the popular coastal towns, helping themselves to the wallets of vulnerable tourists. We were warned to keep our belongings close to our bodies and not to carry food with us.Continue reading “Hanging Out with the Monkey Mafia”
The Sunday Drive
How do I find hope on a dying planet, and if there is no hope to be found, how do I live in its absence? Pam Houston in Deep Creek Residents of western Washington were sad to learn recently that the National Park Service this year will be requiring a reservation and permit to enterContinue reading “The Sunday Drive”
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”
The Solitude Trail 