Can we at least agree that the March for Science was a political demonstration? If you saw any footage or read any of the press coverage, we really ought to be able to agree on this, at least. So, when science becomes a political position, it’s difficult to stand in opposition to it, lest we […]
Read more "Marching in Lock-Step with Science"Pennsylvania is full of wild brook trout and it’s getting better all the time. Pennsylvania became one of the most unexpectedly pleasant states to wander through during my long hikes, as recounted in The Dying Fish. Originally, the tall virgin forests of the mid-Atlantic favored brook trout. They provided ample shade almost everywhere, keeping the […]
Read more "Pennsylvania As Brook Trout Park"Just a quick post on the Armstrong Trail today, probably of interest mostly to western Pennsylvanians. This was where Susan and I just spent a happy Saturday, checking on what’s accessible in the spring of 2017. Like almost all other rail trails, efforts are being made to expand the trail along more disused rail line […]
Read more "A Stretch on the Armstrong"“Tennessee Officials Confirm First Sighting of Mountain Lion in 100 Years” (The cat pictured is a lynx, as close as I could come with my own photos) It was a riveting headline that caught my attention yesterday morning on my Facebook feed. Fortunately, though, I’m in the habit of checking dates on anything billed as […]
Read more "The Big News on Big Cats"Running several miles on a developing rail trail earlier today, I thought again about how much good these flat paths do me here in western Pennsylvania. The wealthy industrialists who saw these corridors built could never have imagined their ultimate purpose. They were only seeking profit at the time of construction but in so doing, […]
Read more "More Celebration of Trails"I don’t really describe myself as a hiker anymore. I prefer “explorer”. This idea links my travels to all the diversity and all the opportunity to be found out there. And the truth is, I’m not wedded to slogging forward at a walking pace with a pack on my back (though I’ve done an awful […]
Read more "All a Hike Can Be"During the long hikes recounted in The Dying Fish, I encountered strange creatures from time to time, always when I was least expecting it. Normally though, I just saw signs that they were present, such as tracks crossing my own path. But always they were there, just beyond the ring of campfire light, watching me […]
Read more "Twilight Creatures"I’ve been fishing the creek that flows within sight of my back window nearly every morning lately. It just puts me in a good frame of mind to carry with me through the rest of the day, a way of thinking that keeps my focus on the natural and elemental. And I wonder sometimes about […]
Read more "A Good Winter on the Creek"I’ve just finished the day thinking about randomness. I’ve often thought and sometimes said that we deceive ourselves when we plan the minutiae of our lives, as though we’re really in control, and thus set ourselves up for disappointment and frustration. So I began an atypical paragraph, a rare stream of consciousness late in my […]
Read more "Life Randomized"Featured image for this post is the blacklite art of Malcolm Crittenden Malcolm’s exhibit runs through February at the Community Art Center, Johnstown, PA Thanks Malcolm and great show! Always wanting to explore new corners of our home state, Susan and I took advantage of the unseasonably warm temperatures this last weekend and headed for […]
Read more "The Model Park"
the dying fish 