“The sea is a really nice thing, isn’t it?” “Yeah, it is. Makes you feel calm.” “Why is that?” “Probably because it’s so empty, with nothing on it” Hoshino said, pointing. “You wouldn’t feel so calm if there was a 7-eleven over there, or a… Read More
We’d been standing there for nearly an hour and they hadn’t stopped. Any one moment framed at least 50, sometimes more, Sooty Shearwaters, winging past in what seemed an infinite supply. No number of encounters with this display make it less jaw dropping. Birds of… Read More
Unless you’ve encountered a truly large flock of migrating songbirds, it’s difficult to imagine the mass exodus of neotropical migrants vacillating between North and South. In reality we only get small views of their journeys, filtered by space and time, augmented by our imaginations and… Read More
“It’s been in there for about a week.” Hear this in a normal conversation and you would guess that it was…a package. A newly hung piece of art. Something molding in the fridge. But, no, in this case we were talking about a Barred Owl.… Read More
They say what goes up, must come down. I pondered that notion both in terms of physics (which I have no business in pondering) and philosophically, as the wind tickled the surface of hidden lake and I eyed the frozen peaks. We all were quietly… Read More
Ultimately, as a species, we don’t belong in the high alpine. We visit them and occasional cultures embrace the peaks or wend above the treeline, but all our bones are easily dashed against the callous steeples. You climb for spiritual experiences and most descend unharmed.… Read More
Everywhere we looked a glaciated peak dominated the horizon, seemingly at arm’s length. We’d forgotten to sweat, the uphill toil, and the absurd reminders of humanity strapped to our backs. Nothing mattered except the light playing through clouds and the spangled mountain tops. Nothing was… Read More
I wonder if you’ve ever noticed something particular to mountain rest-stops, ski resort parking lots, state or national park campgrounds, or any other place where humans congregate in our typically distasteful, gregarious manner. Not the motor homes, not the camera adorned visitors, not the profound… Read More
As we walked down the trail, discussing life and the nature around us, I mentioned that I thought I was lucky to have parents who took me out as a kid. My mother didn’t seem to agree. Possibly she thought this because I am an… Read More
Please excuse me while I catch up on my sleep. It’s June, weeks after my second big day with my fellow staff at Seattle Audubon, nearly a month post my first with fellow guides from Evergreen Escapes. I still don’t feel rested. I’ve never been… Read More
Wingtrip 