At Home in Nature

Previous Columns

• Brokeoff Mountain brings solace in time of grief - 10/8/2009

  I've never been one to climb mountains just to say I've been there. For me, mountains are powerful metaphors, so I always approach them with forethought and intent.

  
• Tumalo Falls offers relief for the body and soul - 9/3/2009

  What is it about water that lifts the human spirit?

  
• Mount Elijah, the top side of Oregon Caves - 7/30/2009

  The story has been told many times.

  
• Hobart Bluff, a centered and varied world - 6/25/2009

  Standing atop Hobart Bluff, I'm reminded of the four sacred mountains of the Navajo — Mount Taylor, the San Francisco Peaks, Mount Hesperus and Blanca Peak — marking the traditional...

  
• Coast Trail is a tribute to Oregon's vision - 5/28/2009

  From the bluffs, filled with grasses, Douglas irises and seashore lupines, the horizon stretches to a panorama of headlands, sand, offshore rocks and ocean.

  
• Table Rocks aren't the only wildflower haven - 5/7/2009

  I stand in a cluster of wildflowers — shooting stars, scarlet fritillaries and larkspurs — their violets, reds and purples dappling the gray-tan ground in a forest of Oregon white oaks.

  
• On Tunnel Ridge, nature's adaptability shines - 4/2/2009

  I am out of breath from the climb, a cold breeze whipping across my face.

  
• Local hiking guides: imperfect, but valuable - 3/5/2009

  There is no perfect hiking guide. I've looked long and hard, and have yet to find one that isn't flawed in some way.

  
• It mutes, it shrouds, it's tough to breathe, but simple fog has its own inherent beauty - 2/5/2009

  I'm walking in a shrouded world, the air like light-gray smoke, every branch laced with ice, as if nature has prepared herself for her wedding day by dressing the world in white.

  
• Resolutions reaffirm commitment to nature - 1/8/2009

  I've never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions, but once in a while they can be useful.

  
• Oregon's spiritual places restore the soul - 12/11/2008

  I've sometimes thought it one of life's worst ironies that my physical home — the place where I've raised my family, made my best friends and spent most of my working years — has never...