The park ranger at the entrance to the Sol Doc Valley in Washington’s Olympic National Park asked where I was going. “High Divide Loop,” I answered. “Oh man! Somethin’ special!” he replied. As I drove on up the mountain road to the trailhead, I brushed away tears. It was the day of what would have […]
Letter: And So I Go
New trails, listening to the river, seeing beauty, this is to live. And apparently, it is to die. Above Lake Cushman as you approach Washington’s Olympic National Park by way of Staircase, there is a rest stop, viewing area, and a picnic table. And a cross. But you wouldn’t see the cross but what you […]
Letter: The Bubbling of the Brook
I probably should have stopped, taken off my heavy pack, and then my boots and socks, rolled up my pants and waded in this beautiful stream. Though weary, hot, and breathing heavily from the just completed three miles of switchbacks up the mountain, and knowing I had only a mile to go with more of […]
Letter: At the River
The word for ‘behold’ in Hebrew means “to gaze, to perceive, to contemplate.” To ‘behold’ then suggests that time, a relatively long time, is given to look thoughtfully, profoundly even, peering into the distance. To ‘behold’ also suggests then that you are alone with your thoughts, and in a setting where what you see and […]
Letter: In A World Where You Can Be Anything
In a world where you can be anything, be kind. On the eve of what would have been our 52nd Anniversary there occurs every year on that date this proverb: “What is desirable in a man is his kindness,” Proverbs 19:22. Kindness. Not macho-ness; not prowess; but kindness. Le Clerc, in his commentary, believes the intent […]
Letter: Be The Man
Why men like Martin matter. Martin VanSoest was my father-in-law. Which meant I married his daughter, Lennie, fifty-two years ago this coming July 22. On that day I will be deep in the wilderness, camping alone. My wife isn’t with me on the trail anymore. We lost her battle with cancer just months after our […]
Letter: Slow Down, You Move Too Fast
Yesterday, July 15, I hiked to Lake George and on up to Gobbler’s Knob in Mt. Rainier National Park, 12.5 miles round trip, with a full pack. It was a training hike given on July 22 I will be deep in the Olympics on what would have been our 52nd Anniversary. My wife is gone now, […]
Letter: Sunrise
To capture on camera the sunrise at the mountain, for me means to set my alarm very early, drive a good distance, hike a ways in the shadows, and then – then – there she is. Breathtaking. So worth it. Likewise, what I read on this, another, stunningly exquisite morning, on the eve of yet […]
Letter: All Alone – But Not Alone – In the Wilderness
“What are some of the most important things you learned from your father?” That was the question at the top of my journal page in the leather bound book given to me by my grandchildren this past Father’s Day, a journal entitled “A Grandfather’s Life – I Want To Know Everything About You.” With a […]