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We are all just babes in the woods.

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  • Into the fold: Basin and Range
  • I could not move you.
  • There is no moon; there are no stars.
  • Lest you forget why we came.
  • False Death and the Uncaring Cruelty of Mountains

Author: Norther

I love living in rural Oregon, driving my dirty Landcruiser, taking crappy iPhone pictures, talking to wild animals in a baby voice, and spending as much time alone as possible.
Posted on January 18, 2021

Nestucca, Never Home

Upon stepping out of my car into the evening air of the river canyon, I felt at once held by the stillness and quiet. There was no sound but the river tumbling over rocks in the shallows, no wind. A bank of mist clung to the air above the water and mingled with the tree … Continue reading Nestucca, Never Home

The pain is nothing
Posted on September 24, 2020September 25, 2020

The pain is nothing

On the first day after the air cleared of forest fire smoke, I made my way to a trail near my home. Following an old railroad grade, nearly flat except in places where the old trestles had fallen away, requiring one to scramble down into the chasms along a crumbling hillside, and then scamper back … Continue reading The pain is nothing

Dream to remember; remember to dream.
Posted on September 2, 2020

Dream to remember; remember to dream.

I had stretched my body out on a rock in the heart of the Siskiyou wilderness as the sun inched it’s way up into the sky and the heat of the day began to build in the air around me. As I laid there in repose on a slab of marble streaked with serpentinite, breezes … Continue reading Dream to remember; remember to dream.

False Death and the Uncaring Cruelty of Mountains
Posted on July 6, 2020September 25, 2020

False Death and the Uncaring Cruelty of Mountains

When I was wandering off from my values, death brought me home. When I had forgotten what my purpose was and why I came to the woods, death came gently, reminding me. When the dreaded knot of “other people’s values” had tangled itself all around my work and my knowledge, death came by to show … Continue reading False Death and the Uncaring Cruelty of Mountains

Lest you forget why we came.
Posted on June 16, 2020September 25, 2020

Lest you forget why we came.

When I reached the summit of the meadow I had already decided I was out of time to complete the loop I’d been impulsively eyeing. The spring sunshine felt amazing on my skin, but I didn’t trust it to last long. Not ready to turn around, I instead wandered down into a grass meadow I … Continue reading Lest you forget why we came.

There is no moon; there are no stars.
Posted on June 10, 2020September 25, 2020

There is no moon; there are no stars.

When I woke I could only see a faint blueness in the sky, it was not dawn yet. The cold, condensated air was biting. I adjusted the blankets covering me and burrowed down inside. I guessed it must be about ten degrees. I was camped in the middle of a roadside quarry, thick with red … Continue reading There is no moon; there are no stars.

I could not move you.
Posted on May 27, 2020September 25, 2020

I could not move you.

I used to think I was meant to share this experience with you. I used to believe that was why I came back to the woods; why I went again in search of places where the forest has a feeling. I used to think I needed to document these incredible experiences I was having, so … Continue reading I could not move you.

Into the fold: Basin and Range
Posted on May 26, 2020September 25, 2020

Into the fold: Basin and Range

I guess I should have expected the snow, above 6000’ in the springtime. Flurries swirled around my car as I removed my leggings in the backseat and began cleaning my wounds. I was bleeding in four places, the largest of which was a grapefruit sized ooze of blood on my knee. What was supposed to … Continue reading Into the fold: Basin and Range

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  • Home
  • About
  • Into the fold: Basin and Range
  • I could not move you.
  • There is no moon; there are no stars.
  • Lest you forget why we came.
  • False Death and the Uncaring Cruelty of Mountains
  • Home
  • About
  • Into the fold: Basin and Range
  • I could not move you.
  • There is no moon; there are no stars.
  • Lest you forget why we came.
  • False Death and the Uncaring Cruelty of Mountains
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