Nature: 4, Rostenko: Big Fat 0. Well, one batch of snow melted, the ground dried, and then the rain started. So I put things off another day or two and then decided “Screw it, rain or shine, this project starts tomorrow.” Tomorrow was yet another day in a trend of moisture that just doesn’t happen [...]
Hey remember me? I’m the guy who was gonna’ start up that big “living outside” project on the first of May. I’ve neglected the blog for the past month due in large part to a near fatal flare-up of procrastinitis as well as half-hearted efforts to tie up loose ends, get prepared, etc. Turns out [...]
I’m not ready to lay out the details of this mysterious “project” I keep alluding to, primarily because I haven’t worked them out yet. But here’s the basic core of it so that we have a context for understanding what the heck I’m prattling on about: I’m gonna’ be living outside, livin’ wild, livin’ dirty, [...]
So… about my getting away from civilization… let’s clarify a few points and define some terms as, judging from comments and inquiries I’ve heard since, my last post generated some dubious assumptions and presumptions. What say we generate a few more, shall we? First off, let’s tackle the primary source of misunderstanding by defining the [...]
No, this blog is not defunct. I’ve just been hibernating; it’s winter, you know. I’ve spent the time since my last post trying to figure out exactly what it is I want to do here. My intent has been to serve the planet, to make some meaningful contribution to the environment, help in some way [...]
Not quite autumn, not quite summer, the high-desert flows in perpetual flux. No longer a stranger here, I’ve come to know this place; I feel its pulse beneath my feet, I hear its breath at night. The subtleties are more prominent now, the unnamed and unnoticed: the spaces between the leaves, the silence between the [...]
Lest ye think that the life of a nature writer is just a big barrel of fun & games, frolicking about with butterflies, dancing and prancing with bears and bumblebees and composing beautiful little ballads for the birds, allow me, dear reader, to peel back the veil of wilderness romance and offer a glimpse into [...]
I remember my first hike far into the Rockies fourteen years ago, lugging a 45-pound backpack full of mostly nothing I really needed. I’d seen the commercials, read the slick, glossy magazines, done my research: the most direct route to fulfilling outdoor adventure was from the bank to the gear shop. Subtly, even diabolically, the [...]
Just another day in paradise. I threw on my camouflage, a pair of new thin-rubber soled stalking boots, my trusty bucket hat and headed down the arroyo towards the spring, not so much stalking, but treading lightly upon the land as has by now habituated into my natural gait in the forest. There’s a place [...]
‘Twas a fine night for moths, apparently… All of these photos were taken the same morning, all the little buggers piled up under the porch light, proof that moths are anything but dull and monotonous… A little something to keep y’all entertained until I get off my ass and write something.
