I usually try to keep politics out of my posts, but a recent decision by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee should send chills into every aching bone of a hiker’s body. The bill forces the sale of more than 250 million acres of public land, including Forest Service and Bureau of Land ManagementContinue reading “This Land is My Land”
Tag Archives: outdoors
A Cabin in the Woods
Dwell in peace in the home of your own being. Nanak When I lived in western Washington I used to regularly go on an early season hike, usually April or May, when the high country was still covered in snow, but the beautiful low elevation river valleys of the Olympics offered many miles of solitaryContinue reading “A Cabin in the Woods”
Sign Sign, Everywhere a Sign. . .
Breakin’ out the scenery Breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that Can’t you read the sign? Five Man Electric Band If you are a Baby Boomer like myself you may remember that song by an obscure Canadian band that had one hit, but it was a good one, and memorable. While having lunch inContinue reading “Sign Sign, Everywhere a Sign. . .”
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”
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”
Making Choices
Like most hikers and backpackers I have long considered myself to be an environmentalist. I remember the first Earth Day in 1970. I was a sophomore in college, and it was a warm spring day. I stood in the commons listening to speakers tell us of various threats to the sanctity of our planet. NoContinue reading “Making Choices”
Remembering Mom’s Home Cooking
In 1968 when several friends and I decided to hike the Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier to celebrate our graduation from high school, I volunteered to plan and prepare all of the food for the trip. That meant planning, shopping, and packing lightweight food for five girls for ten days, a daunting task. What IContinue reading “Remembering Mom’s Home Cooking”
Feeling the Fear
Always in the big woods when you leave familiar ground and step off alone into a new place there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown and it is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into.Continue reading “Feeling the Fear”
The Solitude Trail 