Silcox Hut – Mount Hood
That’s not snow falling out of the January sky. Those are stars. Everywhere I looked, there were stars. Last Sunday night tucked in a little lodge up on Mount Hood, we celebrated a friend’s birthday. At 7,000 feet, we enjoyed meals, drinks and a fire. And while Silcox Hut itself is charming in its rustic, [...]
Seasonally Defective
I checked the temperature on my phone when I finished my run: 90 degrees. Strange. It was 33 degrees when I started. At one point during the run up Council Crest, the highest point in Portland at 1,071 feet , I did catch myself daydreaming about Summer. But it was certainly not 90 degrees on [...]
Snapshots from the trail
I still carry my little Canon camera each time I run, I’ve simply neglected to post images here. This little camera has brought me more joy than I predicted. I am usually excited to head out for run on some trail or another, but coming home with an image or two lets me relive it [...]
An early morning walk
I cursed, for sure. The stretch of time between closing my eyes and opening them again had been too brief. It was still very dark and at least one child was awake and the dog was squirming. I had expected to remain asleep, comforted by the drone of crashing waves, at least until I saw [...]
Mount Adams: It’s the water
My sons asked if I would bring them a rock from the summit of Mount Adams. At the location of the question, in our kitchen at about 75 feet above sea level, I thought it was a good idea. But then the reality of packing a couple of rocks down, no matter how small, seemed [...]
A run to a view
July 14, 2012. Along the Pacific Crest Trail near Stabler, Washington. About 2,185 miles from Mexico. Sprinting through the dense trees, I couldn’t shake that feeling that something was chasing me. In that moment I remembered the time I was backpacking in Glacier National Park and while stepping over a little stream, noticed a bear’s [...]
On the Oregon Coast Trail
Neahkahnie Mountain, Oregon Neahkahnie Mountain, Oregon I daydream about running the length of the Oregon Coast Trail in one giant extravaganza. But I can’t imagine it will happen. I don’t think my body could withstand the mileage needed to get it done in a reasonable amount of time. But each time I’m out there, the [...]
The Hills of San Juan Island
June 18, 2012. Above South Beach, San Juan Island, Washington June 18, 2012. South Beach, San Juan Island, Washington I shut the door of the van, turned and started running up a gradual hill. For just a split second, I thought I was in the rolling hills of northern Nebraska. But then the smell of [...]
Positive and Negative: Ferns
May 14, 2012. Powell Butte May 15, 2012. Powell Butte I’ve been watching ferns unfurl their beauty for the past several weeks. In places where the English Ivy hasn’t invaded and suffocated the understory, the ferns are now thick. Yesterday, while running on Powell Butte, I was mesmerized by the fluctuation of the dark shapes [...]
Barred Owl
May 10, 2012. Tryon Creek State Park The owlets sat shoulder to shoulder high in a maple that swung softly in the breeze. A big lens was pointing at them or we never would have noticed. They swayed in and out of the image displayed on the camera screen of the photographer who was excited [...]
A mansion and a restroom
May 1, 2012. Pittock Mansion, along the Wildwood Trail May 1, 2012. Stone House, along the Wildwood Trail Portland’s Forest Park is more than 5,000 acres of just that: forest. There are few structures within the park. So when I came upon these two historic landmarks on this morning’s run on the Wildwood Trail, I [...]
Robin’s Egg Blues
April 25, 2012. Marquam Trail I assumed that by running the Marquam Trail to Council Crest, the highest point in Portland, I would be making a picture when I reached the grand view at that historic spot. I did. But it was this eggshell, from a robin I believe, that lay along my route that [...]
Around the bend
April 21, 2012. Mount Tabor Running up and down these hills and buttes in and around Portland, one is often following a long, gently curving trail that wraps its way around the slope. You go up, then down. Then maybe you do it again, and again. So while I know many of the twists in [...]
The Pace Setters
April 20, 2012. Tryon Creek State Park People ask: How far did you run? What was your pace? What was the elevation gain? How many calories did you burn? My answers are vague. I don’t know. I certainly can guess at some of this data, but mostly, I’m just happy to be out on the [...]
Rain Delay
April 16, 2012. Mount Tabor We had a weekend of sunny and warm Spring weather. The kind where you cut the grass, work in the garden, go to your kids’ sporting events without your slicker, have people over for dinner and stand outside to simply absorb everything. Then, we got pounded with another round of [...]
So Close
April 13, 2012. Mount Talbert April 13, 2012. Mount Talbert Just through those trees, just down that hill, there are people and there are buildings and roads many lanes wide. There’s an interstate highway. There’s an old volcano like this one that’s covered with houses. I know this because I can hear it all and [...]
Fuzzy Fowl, Flowers and Paper Cranes
April 11, 2012. Reed Canyon April 12, 2012. Mount Tabor I look forward to each Spring so I can watch the woods come alive as I run the trails each day. The little ducklings are my favorite sign that most of the rain is behind us for the year. I want to scoop them up [...]
A Butte to Remember
April 8, 2012. Powell Butte After leaving the single track trail that winds through the forest of cedars and firs, you pop out into a giant meadow where I’ve seen coyotes play and hawks snag meals. It’s one of my favorite runs. As you approach the summit of Powell Butte (614 feet) you will pass [...]
These Stairs Only Go Up
April 7, 2012. Mount Tabor I go to these buttes, these crests, these ancient volcanos because I know when I get to the top, there will be a view. It is rewarding. My decision to go one place or another is usually based on the weather, not on how I feel or how far I [...]
The Ivy
April 5, 2012. River View Natural Area It felt like I was trespassing. I had that uneasy feeling I was going to come upon a camp full of people who didn’t want me there. And while I saw a few bags of trash and cans, in the end, I saw no one during the hour [...]
Looking down. Looking up.
April 3, 2012. Wildwood Trail. Forest Park I won Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s record ‘Against the Wind’ when I was in grade school by telling a joke on the radio. It went something like this: How is walking on ice like playing music? If you don’t see sharp, you’ll be flat. Get [...]
Stopping to smell the…trillium
I was thinking recently about Jim Brandenburg’s project in which he made one picture each day throughout the Fall. It ran in National Geographic in November 1997. He shot one frame each day for 90 days. Many days when I’m out for a run, I’ve wished I’d had a camera. It’s always for simple, beautiful [...]
Traveling Cross Country…with Kids
Eastern Utah Has this summer already slipped by? I’m still trying to piece together this notebook full of thoughts and ideas that’s sitting here. I had two boys in the back seat asking questions. I had the best co-pilot in the world. We thought it would be a great idea to drive from Portland to [...]
Summer of the Fish
First fish. Timothy Lake on Mount Hood, Oregon We’ve already spent a good chunk of these summer days out camping somewhere in the Cascades. Mount Hood, the Metolius River, the McKenzie River and two different Clear Lakes. The driving force and unexpected thrill of all of this has been watching Leo, 4, dive into fishing [...]
