The natural world, life, and dogs.
The following is sampling of the sorts of thoughts that flit through my mind while I’m out running in the forest with my dogs. Since they can’t talk to me (except through their body language), for much of the time we’re out there I’m carrying on an internal dialog with myself. While the specific threads… Continue reading Random Thoughts During a Winter Run in the Forest
I needed a break from peopling. The only creatures I wanted to talk to were my dogs. I wanted to breathe and be in nature, without interruption, without stress. I also needed to go to a place where I could feel the dogs and I were safe from hunters/killers now that it's rifle season. Knowing… Continue reading Just Breathe
When the world is a bit too newsy, and my days too peopley, I head to the mountains and practice some Stoicism, reminding myself: I can’t control external events, only my response to them. Following the dogs, weaving through rock cliffs and trees. My best response? Go outside and absorb the peace and calm of… Continue reading Too Peopley Out There
A Hike in the Forest, July 28, 2019 A nice, mellow hike with the dogs on Six Mile Creek, a trail we rarely visit. That was the morning’s plan. Why don't we use this national forest trail more often? It's not far from home and is on the morning-shade side of a mountain slope, under… Continue reading Good Sense
Nature's Bounty: Wild Berries Growing up in a suburb of Seattle, picking wild berries in summertime was a normal childhood activity. Mostly we picked blackberries, which grow everywhere in western Washington, so we only had walk to the edges of the neighborhood or a nearby vacant lot to find them. If the family went camping… Continue reading Huckleberries: Yum!
Let me take you along on one of my favorite summertime trail runs through the Payette National Forest. It's early morning, nice and cool, the sun just rising above peaks and ridges to the east, filtering through the tree tops. With Conall leading the way, we'll start at 5,900 feet, climbing upward for some four… Continue reading Nature’s Therapy: Wildflowers
A Tribute to Two Special Dogs I’m perfectly comfortable roaming about the forest without other people. Of course, I almost always have one or both of my dogs with me. Finn and Conall are quiet yet steadfast companions, letting me play inside my head while we’re running, no interruptions, no need to carry on polite… Continue reading The Gift of Confidence
The forest is always teaching me something. I’m provided endless opportunities to see or hear something new, to watch life (and sometimes death) unfold in new ways. By visiting the forest almost daily, year-round, I’m privileged to observe not only the typical, but also the anomaly, the unusual, the transitional and seasonal. I'm intrigued, inspired… Continue reading Grouse Drumming
Wild Sensibility 