A ukelele, beads, and rubber chicken on the trail

Over the last ten or so years, I have hosted many backpacking trips for adults, and since retiring from teaching three years ago, I’ve been guiding backpacking and canoe camping trips for a local camp. This past week I took a group of twelve teens aged 13-15 on a 30-mile trip on the NCT beginningContinue reading “A ukelele, beads, and rubber chicken on the trail”

A sense of awe

“Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can’t take it and my heart is just going to cave in.” This line from the film American Beauty has always resonated with me–it’s exactly how I feel sometimes when I witness natural splendor–an overwhelming sense of awe at the beauty, perfection, andContinue reading “A sense of awe”

Pigeon River Youth Backpacking Trip

Today I completed guiding my first of three “Wilderness Adventures” for a local summer camp, spending three nights in the Pigeon River State Forest. My 11 campers were between 13 and 15 years of age, from all over Michigan, and a couple from out of state. One of the things that I love about guidingContinue reading “Pigeon River Youth Backpacking Trip”