One may wonder what draws a person back to a certain place, an internal gnawing at your subconsciousness to return. I have this sensation about Washington State, and I make the connection during my latest trip that the State of my birth, although I left when I was very young, still holds a beacon that…
Tag: outdoor adventures
no pressure in Acadia
The stress of life was building, the pressure mounting inside, ready to explode. I needed to get away, outside, and be free. So I headed to New England for the Labor day weekend, and it turned out to be the perfect place to unwind. I arrive in Southwest harbor mid Saturday morning, to quiet streets…
discover Wenatchee
As I look out the window, Mount Rainier is high above a blanket of clouds covering everything else below the majestic peak. I love seeing the world from above. As I drive into the Cascade mountains, more peaks appear, surrounded by cloud formations that appear to be the residue of some heavy breathing animal, hidden…
biking on backcountry farm roads
A brook babbles it’s insane laughter. The summer sun drenches my body in sweat, I glance over fields filled with tall alfalfa grass, swaying gently in the wind. My mind goes back to the tall grasses of Kenya, where big cats hunt for their prey. Here horses slowly swing their tails in synchronicity, like a…
on Walden Pond
It is remarkable to me how one can drive a mere twenty miles outside of Boston and find yourself immersed in a wooded area so thick and green with foliage. Quaint and historic towns are hidden from view, as if to be cut off from the outside world. It is this type of quiet solitude…
flashing back to one of my first solo travel adventures….
If we want to be technical about it, my first solo travel adventure was when I was eighteen, many moons ago. I had just earned my first forty hours of vacation from my first serious job, and the one that lead to my eventual career. I thought it would be fun to climb in the…
Big Rock Candy Mountains
Just as a bug smashes into your car windshield, the idea hit me out of nowhere. I need to explore more of my own backyard….and so that is exactly what I did this past weekend. Bryce Canyon National Park is located about four hours south of where I reside, a perfect weekend getaway where one…
one last time before Spring…
It was way before dawn when I awoke, and so lazily, slowly, I make my way downstairs to the kitchen. As I sip my coffee, I see that a spring storm has left new fallen snow everywhere. I suddenly have what alcoholics refer to as “a moment of clarity”, and realize why I am up…
in my own backyard…
The mountains are only ten minutes from my house, and today they are covered in new snow. I try something for the first time, and with snowshoes strapped to my feet, I walk into the winter wonderland. It’s like I’ve passed through the wardrobe and into Narnia. Solitude. Driving from Seattle to Alaska with…
into the wild
hi. i’m high. so high above it all above the banality, the dissension, the hypocrisy the futility which surrounds me down to earth in nature i’m one with the trees, rocks, shrubs, and sky above the madness which tries to choke my spirit here i dance, sing, scream, cry i’m free in the wild ******* *up…
Slip Sliding away in the Pacific Northwest
Laying in the afternoon sun, on fresh cut grass, I whisper “I want a new adventure, will you come with me?” “yes” she whispers back, and the static between our bodies goes electric. “Where will you take us?” I feel the need to be near large bodies of water, empty mountain space, and…
King’s Peak Adventure
So earlier this summer my friend Mark told me about his hike up to Kings Peak ( the highest point in Utah at almost 14,000 feet) he did a couple of years ago. This started the old wheels to turn, and I quickly decided that IF i was to attempt this myself, now was the time….