Blog
Never Cry Wolf Again
The environmental community lost two great and prolific writers these past two weeks, Peter Matthiessen and Farley Mowat. While many of my contemporaries reflected on the influences that Mr Matthiessen had on them and their writings and conservationism–it was Mowat that had the most profound effect on me. It was back in 1982 when my…
Read MoreBuen Camino 21st Century Pilgrims
This weekend I along with my wife and a group of friends watched at Mount Vernon’s Lincoln Theater, the new film Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago. It was an engaging and fascinating film shining light on six modern day pilgrims from different backgrounds-walking for different reasons on El Camino de Santiago (The way of…
Read MoreBackcountry Insider
As if I am not busy enough researching and writing books and my regular features-that I have decided to take on a NEW project! I have joined the fun and intrepid folks at Scenic Washington State to be their Backcounty Insider. What does that mean? I will be periodically contributing articles about some of my…
Read MoreNeed Your Trail Fix Now?
Okay, you have all of my books (thanks!), but your trail fix is insatiable. You need more trail info and you need it now! Where can you get it? Well aside from waiting for my next book (thanks again), I write several regular columns where you can find up-to-date trail info, more info on trails…
Read MoreAvy Advice–snow go or no go
I love winter. I love snow. And I love winter sports! I grew up in New Hampshire where we had a saying that the weather there consisted of 11 months of winter and one month of damn poor sledding. Point-when you live in an area that has real winters, those winters can be long unless…
Read MoreSmash and Grab! What’s a hiker to do?
There’s nothing like spending a day on the trail deep in the wilderness far from the ills of modern society–to return to your vehicle at the trailhead to see that the ills of modern society have paid you a visit. Car break-ins, smash-and-grabs, car clouting-whatever you want to call it is far too common at…
Read MoreHappy Presidents’ Day and a Bipartisan plea for more Mount Roosevelts
Today is the day we honor our presidents. I remember when we had two separate holidays in February for specific presidents—one for Lincoln’s birthday and one for Washington’s. But somewhere down the road of watering down holidays to make them just three day weekends and excuses to go shopping, we amalgamated those two days into…
Read MoreNational Squirrel Appreciation Day–what a nutty idea!
How could I get through most of January 21st without realizing that it is National Squirrel Appreciation Day? Yep-another one of those appreciation days decreed by some declaration somewhere sometime in the past. Evidently this one was founded back in 2001 by Christy Hargrove, a wildlife rehabilitator in Asheville, North Carolina in the Great Smoky…
Read MoreTwenty-five and going strong-What a streak!
Oh how I wish this headline referred to my age-but alas time keeps marching on! And boy has it! It was January 1990 when I entered and ran my first Nookachamps Winter Run race. And I have run in this race every year since. Yesterday marked my 25th consecutive Nookachamps! It is my longest running…
Read MoreMeet Mazie the Manx
Many of you know that last February, I lost one of the loves of my life, when Scruffy Gray headed to kitty heaven. Scruffers’ departure left a huge hole in my heart and a vacancy in my home office. Giuseppe our Maine coon is still with us and while he is great at getting me…
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