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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Syncline
© Tim LaBarge 2008 I went for a good ride recently through a crazy network of trail known as the Syncline. The story appeared in the Travel section of the Oregonian. It’s on the Washington side of the Columbia River…and it’s spectacular. My friend Chad and I were getting geared up to set out when […]