The parking lot is full, an indication of this trail’s popularity. A gentle, forested one mile walk in Utah’s Uinta Mountains will take us to the lake. We will share the trail with a multitude of hikers, more than I normally associate with the outdoors, but one in our group has limited ability, we cannot … Continue reading Wall Lake–October 2006
A fall trail beckons with color. A soft breeze sifts a motivational morning chill through light layers, warm blood flows under cool skin, legs drive me uphill, moving me forward, generating warmth. Winter lies ahead, summer, now part of my past, is blending with the pleasant memory of many seasons. Seasons define the passage of … Continue reading Living at the Edge
Small clouds of dust offer a brief history of my passing, motion is my motivation. Decades of syncing a given pace to my pumping heart and expanding lungs allow me to move with confidence. I am hiking for tomorrow, pushing hard now so I can wander deep, deep into the wilderness that I need as … Continue reading RANDOM SYMMETRY
A delicate trace of morning illuminates the eastern sky, the sun will join us later. I am late for my meeting with the trail. I prefer seclusion offered by dark skies, the opportunity to experience all of morning, to greet the sun on the trail. Falling into a steady pace, I show little concern for … Continue reading A Brief Moment with Timpanogos
Moving beyond cool, morning air has become cold. Heavy frost and patchy snow border my trail. Insect populations mirror dropping temperatures; their winged predators fleeing towards warmer climates. Life is leaving, fall colors are fading and foliage, that once gave voice to the rhythm of the wind, has settled beneath my feet. Its voice is … Continue reading Edge of Winter
A picture, a captured memory, an indicator, a gauge of how we measure out world. When I am outdoors the visible light spectrum generally establishes my boundaries. Coastal trails are defined by measureless, blue horizons, mountain trails by snowcapped peaks while forested hikes are confined by surrounding vegetation. Other senses come into play but my … Continue reading A Balancing Act
The sun met me on the trail, it was a long shadow morning. Long shadows offer a unique experience, they give you every minute of morning. They offer a brief look backwards, a glimpse of nature at night, a very quick glimpse before the nocturnal world transitions. Long shadows offer solitude, an opportunity to … Continue reading Long Shadow Morning
With five miles behind me I was closing the loop, walking back to my start point. On most mornings this would signal the end of the trail, the end of my hike. Today I was thinking of subdued color, color found on sunless flowers. My hike began in the shade of a mountain, it began … Continue reading Time With the Wild Rose
I was content with my morning, I was on a trail. This morning, a unique morning, was becoming part of my life, part of a past that would shape my future. Spring was working its way back into the fauna, back into the fabric of nature. I had paused earlier, paused and observed the miracle … Continue reading Coyote Moment Part Two
When my project began, I had a goal, this was my destination. Launch Day, May 5, 2017 Jordanelle Reservoir My journey began inside two cardboard boxes. Two boxes containing everything you need to make a kayak! One short sentence precedes each picture, I am sure you have already manipulated them into the overused phrase ‘the … Continue reading A Paddle in the Water
