Trail Poetry & Musings
Take time. Keep your head up. Let the wonder of the world take you over.
The poetics of trails—through trees, along gentle streams, raging rivers, within alpine meadows, from cairn to cairn guiding beyond the scree—can be felt when I accept the simple invitation of my attention.
I will often hang a poem at a trailhead – for no longer than two weekends – as an invitation to embrace the playfulness and poetics of a place. An offering to consider what a trail is beyond just a means to a destination. Enjoy…!
Latest thoughts from the trail…
The Lifeblood
Launching Cambia Capital with Andy Wolverton and Susan Fairchild lights up my mind and makes my heart swell with excitement as we seek to increase the positive impact ripples that began 15-years ago with Green Canopy.
Jakob Two Trees’ Trail of Adventure
Last August (2023) on my early morning runs I began watching the daily progress of artist, Thomas Dambo’s, troll sculpture right along the Rainier Trail in my home town of Issaquah. Yessss! What a wonderful way to evoke imagination and playfulness on the edge of the forest. Immediately, I thought trail poetry! How fun... Artistic expressions such as poetry and Dambo’s Jakob Two Trees along a trail tickles the creative imagination in us all and opens a new perspective on the forest and non-human world, taking us from the physical into a more metaphysical space. Thank you, Mr. Dambo, for such a lovely poetic trigger and offering!
The Methow Valley
There are faraway places that invite the mind to remain there with you on the horizon of new ground. The energy of horizon invites presence and awareness, and an enhanced sense of living, of life.
Owls of Adventure
The Adventure Trail on Tiger Mountain in Washington State lives up to its name. During my fall morning runs this trail truly becomes an adventure. Several times an owl has swooped down gripped my hat or fanned me with their feathery wings. Rather than believe the owl is “attacking” me, I prefer to think of it, perhaps naively, as a playful encounter. HO!
Waterfall Creek
Something about flowing water brings out the playfulness in us. Without water life would not exist. Maybe its our subconscious rejoicing at the life giving flow that brings the kiddo in us forward. And so we dance and play in these life-giving waters with one hand holding gratitude and the other waving to the cosmos often without knowing.
Forest Spirits and Fairies
When wandering the mountain elevations in late April, May, and early June, I often find myself, aimless through forests on the eastern Cascade slopes in just those places the fairies are known to take off their slippers and dance about for a while.
Join me on the journey.
Keep up with latest book releases, thoughts from the trail and poetry events.