I stood at the trailhead looking to the east. The sun was just coming up over the horizon from behind a concentration of clouds. Long shadows of juniper and rock stretched toward me. I soon hoped to feel the warmth of direct sunlight on my face. The temperature was just above freezing and with every […]

I’m very excited to share this first post, the beginning of a long journey I am calling “The Wilds Project!” The goal of The Wilds Project is to hike 450 miles in all of the areas of Oregon designated as Wilderness. Similar to my last endeavor – The 100 Hikes Project – I will be […]

No matter which scientific field interests you, you’re bound to find a field guidebook to help you while on the trail.  Want to learn about flowers?  I can recommend ten titles for you.  You can fill a bookshelf with just field guides on birds. However, when it comes to finding a good field guide on […]

I’m happy to announce two workshops I’m leading on outdoor journaling!  Here is the press release from The Nature of Words: Join outdoorsman Kolby Kirk for a 2-session workshop on outdoor journaling.  Participants will spend time in the woods learning about how to translate your surroundings into words and sketches. Among the skills taught will […]

Lola was crippled and wasn’t going anywhere. I looked her over, wondering how to get her out of the woods. It was 5:25pm and the sun was setting, the winds were picking up, and the temperature was dropping. The situation didn’t look good: I would need to abandon Lola and begin walking the 15 miles […]

As my last goal neared the end of its completion in December, I’ve been putting a lot of thought into my 2014 goals. For the past few years, my goals have been hike-centric: 100 hikes in 2009, 500 trail miles in 2010, hiking a big chunk of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2011.  These goals […]