You might say that winter brings simplicity, laying bare and naked the world outside. Living things have two choices in winter; to fatten up and sleep it off or to hunt for food to keep the furnace burning. Hibernate or keep moving. Survival, simplified. In warmer climates, or warmer seasons, you might get away with…
Now we’re there and we’ve only just begunThis will be our yearTook a long time to come— The Zombies, This Will Be Our Year Normally I take time to assess the best memories or the favorite stuff accumulated to wrap up a previous year in the final days leading into the new year. This year,…
“I don’t like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains – not ‘hike!’ Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages…
You’ve got to know when to hold ’emKnow when to fold ’emKnow when to walk awayAnd know when to run… Every gambler knowsThat the secret to survivin’Is knowin’ what to throw awayAnd knowin’ what to keep‘Cause every hand’s a winnerAnd every hand’s a loserAnd the best that you can hope forIs to die in your…
“Hiking is not for everyone. Notice the wilderness is mostly empty.” – Sonja Yoerg It seems counterintuitive that an otherwise social being would be so quick to seek out solitude and empty spaces. But that’s generally where you’ll find me when the opportunity arises. Let the record show that I love interacting with people. I…
Finding relative quiet is challenging but not impossible at Muir Woods
Seeing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge from many vantage points during a long coastal walk
Rivers and stones are foreverin allegiance with gravitywhile we ourselves dream of rising.– Mary Oliver, Mysteries, Yes How do you explain yourself when someone jokingly asks you the question, “You don’t watch TV, what do you do?” I heard that question yesterday, smiled and said I keep busy. For how do you tell someone who…
This hike was meant to be a compromise to myself. No salt water weekend, no longer hikes to knock off another 4000 footer or three. But still spectacular, still a light workout on a beautiful trail, and the real payoff; seven waterfalls in a relatively short span. I had my doubts. You walk to the…
You ask me:Why do I liveOn this green mountain?I smileNo answerMy heart sereneOn flowing waterPeachblowQuietly goingFar awayAnother earthThis isAnother skyNo likenessTo that human world below~Li Po, On The Mountain: Question And Answer (translated by C.H. Kwôck & Vincent McHugh) Three days later and I’m still on a mountaintop. The aches and pains fade but the…