Less than half a mile into my hike, I confront a broken bridge over the surging Canyon Creek, which today looks more like a raging river. After …
Read More of Out There: Dispatches from My Personal Wilderness
Kam Redlawsk I WAS ABANDONED AT BIRTH IN DAEGU, South Korea, and adopted by a white family in Michigan. I had a regular working-class Midwest upbringing. I …
Read More of All Humans Outside: More Stories of Belonging in Nature
Much of the alpine and subalpine West lies on federal lands—in national parks, wilderness areas, and national forests. The alpine zone is defined as the elevation above …
Read More of Wildflowers of the West: Alpine & Subalpine Zones
Guest post by Paul Bannick Woodpeckers are one of the most remarkable bird species found in the avian world. They have evolved in ways that make them …
Read More of Woodpecker: The Heart of the Forest
Shaynedonovan Elliott I WAS BORN DEAF, and throughout my life, I have felt a lack of connection to hearing people. Because of that barrier, I funneled all …
Read More of All Humans Outside: Stories of Belonging in Nature
Guest post by Ilyssa and Dave Kyu What sets the San Juan Islands apart isn’t just the peaceful lifestyle “away from it all.” That masks a rugged …
Read More of A Garden Sanctuary in the Sea
Guest post by Dr. Jon Riedel Greetings from soggy Marblemount, where the cool, wet spring weather delayed the spring flood on Skagit River and led to a …
Read More of Floating the Skagit River’s Geologic History
Guest post by the Institute’s Welcoming & Belonging Advisor, Alma Busby-Williams, reflecting on the importance of Juneteenth and finding comfort outdoors. I learned from my great grandmother, …
Read More of Joy in the Outdoors: A Juneteenth Reflection
To be in an old-growth forest is to feel cloaked, as if walking in a living terrarium, padding around a soft kingdom of green. Sitka spruce, western …
Read More of The Trees are Speaking: Lynda Mapes’ Dispatches from the Salmon Forests
It is the last day of February, a no-jacket-needed, blue sky afternoon. The Twin Sisters Mountains, white with snow, highlight the horizon to the east. Within the …
Read More of Answering the Call of the Oregon Spotted Frog
