I went back up Cougar Mountain for the first time in a long time. Back to Shy Bear Pass where the trail splinters off in many directions. There was Fred’s Railroad Trail to Clay Pit Road, the Cave Hole Trail… Read More ›
Creative Nonfiction
Holding boundaries
Four years ago Russia invaded Ukraine while we vacationed at Laguna Beach over mid-winter break. I was two months into my no-weed sobriety and a year without alcohol. Going to a place as beautiful as Laguna Beach seemed cause enough… Read More ›
Glittering prize
The Issaquah Alps are a series of mountains in western Washington stretching along Interstate 90 between Lake Washington and the Cascade Range. No peak is higher than 3,500 feet, roughly 1,050 meters. I’ve climbed the Tiger Mountain trails, Cougar Mountain… Read More ›
Flying high in the Issaquah Alps
Reflections on recovery, post punk bands Joy Division and The Fall, the braided nature of the past and present.
No deep binds
The house on the lake road sold and now with it occupied the lights weren’t on 24/7, making it look like a gallery showroom in the dark. Instead just the porch and a room upstairs were lit in what must… Read More ›
Men curling
It might have been our one shot at snow this winter in the lowlands, though scant. At the trailhead the sign meant to say Discover Pass Required but someone had whited out the P so it said Discover ass Required…. Read More ›
Oh so weird and wonderful
It took me all week to eat the Frito pie, that 70s classic of sautéed beef and chili powder, canned enchilada sauce, fried onion, beans, melted cheese and corn chips. When I served it for the Super Bowl people just… Read More ›
The no-shame inventory reflection
This is a hard one. There are the memories you go back to and savor and then the ones you shy away from. Some are non-memories, like moments that could have been memorable but got squandered. It all swirls around… Read More ›
Winter’s teeth
On one end of the sky the crescent moon, an earring made of boneand on the other the rising sun, soft candlelight—in between there was us, the earth, with all blue above.Winter’s teeth still on the wind. Birds beckoning for… Read More ›
Another window
I went back up Tiger Mountain but this time in the dark, walking mostly by moonlight. It takes about an hour to get to the top and it’s a well-groomed trail, though there are some big rocks to watch out… Read More ›
Bill Pearse 