i wonder if trees delight of the wind’s caress… their limbs, their flesh liberated for moments in the breeze, dreams of locomotion fulfilled. do they thrill of dance, arms stretched, trunks swaying forth and back? vigilant stillness, now gifted by the wind: a moment to connect, to touch a brother near.
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 [...]
If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable. — Rainer Maria Rilke I’ve always known there are coyotes out here although I’ve never heard so much as a yip out of ‘em. Maybe it’s the topography; my cabin rests [...]
…And so I set out to reconnect with my land, to re-establish the intimate relationship I once had. For a while I wondered how but I’ve been out there enough to know that such questions are irrelevant in the wilds. “How” is of the false, disconnected world of man where logic and laws rule, where [...]
Obstacles aren’t always roadblocks. Sometimes they’re detours into mystery leading down unexpected paths. Recently I’d had a hard time getting out to canyon country. Bags packed, dogs with the sitter, I was ready to go solo, deeper into the canyons than ever. Then my water well blew out; three days for repairs. Then a water [...]
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: wilderness speaks. And I mean it. A few weeks I ago I ran into Larry Kimball of Pronghorn Wildlife Photography and we got to chatting about the wild things. I wanted to know who’s been nibbling on my ponderosas. Abert’s squirrels, porcupines, probably both, Larry figured. [...]
I’m walking in the desert at night, propelled by an inner wind of unknown origin. Is it me or is it this land? I want to walk forever, to ride the wind wherever it takes me. I can’t stop; nor would I want to. The switch has been flipped, I’m rambling through the infinite Now, [...]
