tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40161525321441834672024-03-05T02:08:44.354-08:00Backcountry BabbleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-18912417216417236462021-07-07T12:37:00.002-07:002021-07-07T12:42:21.600-07:00Writing guidebooks is easy you say? There I was, slogging up yet another steep hill. I'd just come back from spending five months backpacking from Mexico to Canada on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), a trek which I'd deemed a fun, recreational trip instead of a work mission. After all, I did love to hike for the pure joy of seeing the wild, untamed backcountry without the limitations of visiting it with a purpose. My only time Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-49296028523442871202017-03-29T10:08:00.001-07:002017-03-29T17:17:20.524-07:00Reel Big Trout
I sat discouraged in a clump of tussock near the riverbank and watched the copious amounts of pollen float all around me like fairy dust. The views were breathtaking, but I wasn’t here for the jagged skylines touting beech forests, the squawking, endangered kea parrots that were calling from distant trees, or the late blooming periwinkle lupine that gave the landscape a pop of color.  Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-60232323984654150632016-09-29T15:34:00.001-07:002016-11-06T09:51:46.299-08:00The Ant Hill
Friday September 9th, 12:15 p.m: I run out the door leaving my edamame
spaghetti half eaten on the counter in an effort to hustle. Chewing on protein
and veggies these days has welcomed healthy eating habits back into my diet
after nearly 5 months of eating sugar, starch and carbs on the PCT. But today,
I ignore my wasteful nibbling routine and all that comes with it and
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-2566706291300090592016-04-15T11:16:00.002-07:002016-04-16T08:30:01.885-07:00Soon I will disappear into the desert
This morning, I prepared two postage boxes bound
for my first couple of stops along the PCT. As I threw in last minute goodies, I let my
mind drift off to the ambiance of the towns, how I will feel when I arrive
and what this whole adventure has in store for me. It’s one thing to say you are hiking the PCT, it’s another
thing to do it.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-405356534578899872016-04-13T09:54:00.000-07:002016-04-13T10:12:44.445-07:003+ amazing tips that will eliminate blisters!
Ahh, those stinky hiker feet! We’ve all had ‘em and we’ve
all suffered the consequences of having to share a tent next to someone whose
pigs are oinking. But it’s not just the unpleasantry of the wear and tear on
the olfactory system that can cause vexation (afterall, the essence of trail-toe,
is, well…to be gross and honest…better than some
aromas). No, it’s usually not the offensive smelling Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-84776162822353860902016-02-13T16:21:00.003-08:002016-02-13T17:07:57.144-08:007 Great Tips for Staying Warm at Night in the Backcountry
If you are a “cold sleeper” or one of these people who can
never get warm, you and I have a common bond. Since campfires are often prohibited in sensitive areas, or in hot, wildfire-laden summers, the task of getting warm before bed can be tricky. The scenario plays out the same every summer…the sunny day has
disappeared into a slightly damp, mildly-windy evening and nowUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-73594248963898582322016-02-05T10:01:00.002-08:002016-02-05T10:08:10.719-08:00Pacific Crest Trail Whispers
Is it me, or does each passing year seem to be going
faster? The last time I turned around there
were burgers on the grill and the deck was so hot from the summer sun, I sprung with reckless
abandon to the comfort of the shade. Here it is, February- groundhogs,
valentines, family birthdays, anniversaries, and the earth turns again.
Considering how time is zipping on by and how Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-67059058581892198852014-05-25T19:57:00.000-07:002014-05-25T20:06:27.222-07:00magnificent moabWhen the winds of spring blew through the canyons of the high desert in
early May, we heard their beckoning calls and headed southeast to Moab, Utah.
It was a maiden voyage of Moab’s high desert for both V and I and we
played, and played. And played. Each
night, as we sat down for our bedtime snack of pain relievers, we reminisced
about the amazing things we experienced that day, and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-16580470576894951992014-04-22T08:31:00.002-07:002014-04-22T08:34:45.038-07:00eyes open<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-42963620950427545832014-03-16T11:16:00.000-07:002014-03-16T11:19:38.355-07:00gearing up for summer<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-66286937196663271902013-09-23T11:07:00.004-07:002013-09-23T11:08:52.785-07:00this place was home<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-16296148587308531222013-07-04T11:23:00.003-07:002013-07-04T11:26:17.004-07:00breath in, breath out, move on. happy 4th of july!
“How do you deal with criticism?”, I asked him. He and his wife were sitting at my dining room table and we were enjoying a delicious meal of spiral ham. He was a celebrity around the Seattle area who for years had a public voice, and a public face. For almost 30 years he’d made a living discussing subjects, including controversial ones such as politics and had stuck his Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-73146174792541495502013-06-14T11:27:00.002-07:002013-06-14T11:30:35.373-07:00Busy.
“Where have you been?” someone recently and innocently asked me as we stood around at a social event. My brain didn’t communicate intelligently with my mouth and I simply said “busy”. That part is true, in a round about sort of way, but there is so much more to where I’ve been than simply the easy-out word “busy”.
In late May, my friend Herb celebrated his 80th birthday. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-64298743932518713102013-03-04T09:22:00.001-08:002013-03-04T17:15:09.851-08:00the big old cat was covered in mud
There was nothing wrong with the cougar in the cage. In fact, everything was right, very right. He was a large mature tomcat and he was beyond angry. But who wouldn’t be? He thought he’d found a free dead deer for dinner, when “SLAM” the door had shut leaving him infuriated. Thinking he could figure a way out, he’d spent some time fighting with the cage and gettingUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-9064776818044277512013-01-07T14:37:00.001-08:002013-01-07T14:42:54.247-08:00grateful for the trail
“Ekkkk, oh my goodness,” she shouted. “It’s just so beautiful.” From a few steps away I gave her an unexpected look to explore the sincerity of her comments. Sure, it was beautiful, but everyone and their Mother’s Brother’s Cousin had been up here before. Right? She ignored me and continued. “Look at it over there!” she shrieked, pointing to the snow capped peaksUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-88431095135277097922012-12-04T09:47:00.000-08:002012-12-04T09:47:13.351-08:00pinching the pinchot
Well, it’s officially the shoulder season. I pinched the Pinchot goodbye for a few months to focus on writing and keeping in shape with lowland and Central Washington trails. It’s hard to believe that winter will arrive in less that three weeks. Those meadows where I spent my hours playing this summer are now covered in a decent base of snow and the marmots and bears have likelyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-44866984187588182992012-10-08T09:59:00.001-07:002012-10-08T09:59:44.742-07:00firetowersThis weekend, I had the pleasure of hiking to the top of Shriner Peak in Mount Rainier National Park. The colors were popping and the views spectacular of the surrounding peaks. Winter didn't even hint of being around the corner. Of course, the tower at the top, as always, brought excitement and curiosity.
Fire towers have long been a source interest; especially as I writeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-59162286798632843812012-10-03T08:46:00.000-07:002012-10-03T08:48:34.157-07:00who i've becomeThe sunny days just keep on coming, one after the next. It's “Summer Overtime”, as I like to call it. Thinking back to my childhood, there are only a few times I can remember Septembers and Octobers being so bright, warm and wonderful in the Northwest. Even the trees are slow to turn this year, as if they too, are refusing to let go of the season. It’s been fantastic and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-70724465587373949492012-09-22T11:47:00.002-07:002012-09-22T11:58:36.321-07:00just a stop along the way
I’m home for a brief cameo which gives me an opportunity to write a few words, share a few photos and kick it old-school with all the comforts of home. This past month on the trail has been a mixture of nearly every adjective you can conjure up! There have been moments of complete frustration, blissful joy, scary rutting elk, dead elk, laugh-out-loud feet fumbles, exciting Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-62091684607551686042012-08-25T11:35:00.003-07:002012-08-25T11:38:51.098-07:00i've been everywhere, manJohnny Cash sang loudly as I drove down yet another dusty, potholed forest service road on my never ending quest of the grand grail of goals. "He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand..." My daydreaming was cut off by the lyrics and I was sucked into the song. It was so spot-on appropriate in that moment, that I turned it up even louder and sang. "I've breathed the mountainUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-62342701458405773622012-08-15T09:59:00.001-07:002012-08-15T10:15:02.190-07:00this weeks shenanigins
Never a dull moment! Years ago I used to hear Brian Adams bellow the vocals of "the Summer of 69" and wondered what that must have been like. In my teenage-head I'd had several fun summers, but none that were as memorable as getting my first real 6 string, or standing on my mama's porsche. Wait, that's porch isn't it? Whatever. You get the point, nothing stood out Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-58810948947547675282012-08-10T07:26:00.000-07:002012-08-10T07:26:15.142-07:00those gone before
As I hiked through the trees and meadows the quietness was so loud it almost hurt my ears. I stopped my huffing, puffing and stick crunching to listen. Nothing. It was a sound so seldom heard in this world anymore that I didn’t know whether to embrace it or fear it. I continued on with mind-noise rattling around in my head, as it often did when I hiked. “Isn’t it Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-16600156584065991252012-08-06T18:54:00.002-07:002012-08-06T19:06:38.076-07:00Day Hiking Goat Rocks & Mount Adams Wilderness AreasNot sure if you got the skinny, but I'm working on my new book- a day hiking guide to be published by Mountaineers Books (early 2014) which will feature 100 hikes from the South Cascades, such as Goat Rocks, Mt. Adams, Packwood, Yakima, etc. I'm so excited to be part of the legacy day hiking series and hope everyone will get a kick out of following my footsteps to these beautiful, uncrowdedUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-13637384983842972952012-06-26T12:18:00.000-07:002012-06-26T12:18:14.754-07:00on writing trail guides
The process of writing a trail guide could have an amusing anecdotal book of it’s own. During the course of writing my next book, a day hiking series on Goat Rocks and Mount Adams Wilderness, I’ve met some interesting people, experienced some fantastic areas and been hit across the eyes with more spiders in cobwebs than I care to mentally revisit.
Some of the moments are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4016152532144183467.post-61064932943011068722012-05-21T09:17:00.001-07:002012-08-09T13:19:09.444-07:00dirty harry's balconyRound Trip Distance: 3.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 800 feet
High point: 2160
Map: Green Trails No. 206
Passes: Discover Pass
If you haven’t been up to Dirty Harry’s Balcony, it’s time to go! Why, you ask? Well, it’s simple really. Dirty Harry’s Balcony boasts great views, is close to North Bend and offers a fantastic place to spread out and picnic without havingUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0