The Big Hurt
“You’ve got this! Don’t stop! Less than a mile, and then it’s all downhill.” I look up and see a woman, about my age, standing by the back of a truck. She’s wearing sunglasses on this sunny late-September Saturday. “Stay … Continued
Washington’s Mayor of the PCT
The Mayor thinks she broke her pinky. Sitting in her folding backpacking chair, sunglasses hanging loosely from her nose, she raises her right hand. Sure enough, the final digit is swollen, purple and bent sideways. “Just a klutz sometimes,” she … Continued
The Ocean Is a Desert
The following is a passage from my work in progress, The Kayak Chronicles, about a kayak trip through the Salish Sea during the summer of 2020 -Woody The ocean is a desert With its life underground And a perfect disguise … Continued
Spider Meadows, Buck Creek Pass and Backcountry Surgery
Lying in bed, begging to sleep, my mind was consumed by a deep, torturous throbbing emanating from the tip of my left thumb. A couple days before while pitting plums, I cut the nail bed, and now a small wound … Continued
Indian Heaven Wilderness: Fire and Ice Caves Loop
Listen to my first ever Three Gems Podcast about the trip. Looking forward to posting more in the coming weeks.
Romancing the Seas
The following is a (mostly) true story from my time in the early 2000s as a sea kayak guide in the San Juan Islands. This story appears in the Summer 2021 edition of The Mount Baker Experience. Martine was dead … Continued
Riding Out the Heat Wave in the San Juan Islands
It’s barely summer in the PNW and we’ve already had three days with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Thankfully, Giovannina and I had previously planned to spend the weekend on Orcas Island to celebrate her birthday, visit some friends and … Continued
The Nisqually Chute: Spring Ski Touring at its Best
Fifty days of skiing this winter, and I still wanted a long day of ski touring. A big day. The kind you can brag about. It pushes your limits of endurance and skill but you know you can handle it. … Continued
Pycnopodia and Pisasters: The Pandemic Before the Pandemic (Part 1)
Background – My wife and I are two weeks into our six-week kayak trip around the Salish Sea during the summer of 2020. These events occur just south of Washington Park in Anacortes, WA along the rocks to the west … Continued
Mud Eaters, Big and Small, of Saratoga Passage
This short essay is a reworking of a piece I wrote earlier about our kayak from Langley to Camano Island State Park. -Woody We were sad to say good-bye to Giovannia’s parents, but the sea was calling and we had … Continued