The cougar was more than a cougar, it was a metaphor. A fear of the unknown or being tracked by something immutable, time itself. If it were a Castaneda novel the cougar would be a witch, supernatural. I’d have to… Read More ›
prose
Ripeness
It could have been the sound of the church bells on my early morning walk, going through the last few years of late August memories. Parsing through the past was like looking across a vista, trying to make out what… Read More ›
The dark part of the park
From the recent rains the leaves looked glossy in the forest, the spiky sala and leaning ferns, and it was easy to imagine all the plant life felt happy. And how these species of flora weren’t much different than what… Read More ›
Low-angled light (for Rosemerry)
Low-angled light, especially in the morning, different angles of light at different times of the year. The low-angled light through the forest when it’s amber colored or even tawny if there’s wildfires. How the impressionists were drawn to that area… Read More ›
Grounded
It is now the time of the wildfires and web worms. The digital map of fire shows their size and location, and we look surrounded—though the air quality is still good. The web worms gather in clumps on certain kinds… Read More ›
Seven weeks left
The fact they released a 4-LP set of Nick Drake’s first album Five Leaves Left didn’t make it any easier; I was rushing fall. It’s a deeply unpopular thing to do in the Pacific Northwest, to summon autumn before summer’s… Read More ›
One last time to Shy Bear Pass
There were two places I wanted my ashes spread. One was our favorite camp spot on the Washington coast, Oil City. No oil, no city. A bad name for a beautiful place. The other, less exotic spot was right here… Read More ›
Solitude (2014 remaster)
By the time I got to the rim trail I was feeling feral. Short with people, not making eye contact, combative. The rim trail comes out of the visitor center at a very touristy part of Mt. Rainier. Let’s just… Read More ›
The Friday overnight
Few things I loved more than getting up really early to go backpacking. Better if it was with a friend or deeper in the year nearing autumn. But today was best because it was happening today and just about to… Read More ›
A different kind of fish
I got to the Marblemount ranger station an hour before it opened, at 6, one other guy in a van with long hair, bearded, already there. They had a Please Take A Number stand and an LED display showing number… Read More ›
Bill Pearse 