Articles

The guttural thrum of a diesel engine, muffled by shoreside trees, wafts across Upper Klamath Lake. Though it permeates my present locale, the engine is … Read more

The Yosemite High Route is a 94-mile off-trail route through the high country of Yosemite National Park. In the summer of 2020, I set out … Read more

Part 5 – Amid Tears and Sorrow The land is black and stinks of ash resin. Against purple skies, a hobbled tree stretches its blackened … Read more

An outboard engine spasms to life behind me, a great rattling noise against the serenity of the lake, then disintegrates into a thousand ruffles and … Read more

This is Part 3 of a multi-part series.Read Part 1 here.Read Part 2 here. III. A wall drops away from the side of the trail, … Read more

This year I read 43 books. Of those, eight books earned a 5-star rating, which I only give if they changed something about the way … Read more

This is part 2 of a multi-part series. Read part 1 here. II. To the south of Tule Lake is Lava Beds National Monument, forty-six … Read more

I. Fog blots the horizon, obscures it even from imagination. The still water of Tule Lake is a reflection so perfect it is invisible, so … Read more

In 1936, the engineers constructing California’s Pacific Coast Highway rerouted their plans in Mendocino and Humboldt counties and turned the highway inland. The problem, they … Read more

We arrive at the Hetch Hetchy parking lot just after 10am and emerge from the car blinking and stretching under simmering blue skies, then pull … Read more

Oh my god, I thought. I watched as pedestrians streamed into the crosswalk and across the street. Every one of them stared down at their … Read more

Mokelumne Wilderness July 17, 2020

“Okay, for this next test, the computer is going to flash letters on the screen.” The neuropsychologist looked me in the eye to make sure … Read more

Baker Campground, Stanislaus National Forest, June 22-28, 2020.

We were lost in the Sierra Nevada, and it was my fault. I climbed up to the top of a rock and looked out at … Read more

This morning, I’m contemplating the wilderness of the mind. Wilderness can seem chaotic and dangerous.  In reality, it’s highly organized, it’s just highly organized in a … Read more

I’ve just had a week off-trail. During that time I’ve been planning for the next section, running errands, and enjoying the many comforts of non-trail … Read more