The Strawbridge family stumbled into my life on YouTube a couple weeks ago. I was watching a video on someone’s hike—can’t even remember who or where they were hiking. If you ever watch YouTube stuff, you know that at the end of each video, suggestions appear for your next viewing….
This past Christmas, my daughter and grandson gave me a wonderful book suitable for the coffee table (do people still have those?). Unforgettable Journeys: Slow Down and See the World features over 200 journeys from all over the world. The book is divided into five sections based on mode of…
Well, it finally came this year. The deep freeze, that is. Up until a week or so ago, here in the Midwest, we were thinking we might dodge the artic bullet this season. Oh, it’s been a bit wintry, but December was a breeze. Never even started up the snowblower…
“I can’t breathe!” We’ve heard it countless times in the past few months, and probably have become a bit weary of hearing it. Of course, the genesis of that lament comes from the back seat of a police car in Minneapolis. But that’s a discussion for another day. Maybe. Well,…
My wife gave me a very unique gift for my birthday this year. Essentially, it’s a glorified key chain that will never be used for keys. Instead, produced by a company called The Wander Club, the idea is to collect, not keys, but little engraved tokens commemorating places one has…
Out in the woods along some lightly used trail, dangers lurk to snare the unsuspecting. Even novice hikers are aware of some of these. A brush with poison ivy leaves one itching for relief. An upturned tree root hidden under fallen leaves can trip up the unsuspecting and wrench an…
My first real attempt at hiking was, shall we say, a learning experience. I wish I hadn’t waited until my late 30s to learn, but there I was. The youth leader at our church in Shelburne, Vermont, took some of the guys on an overnight backpacking trip to the summit…
For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed being outdoors, especially camping and hiking—just didn’t do much of it. If I’d had my druthers growing up, I would have joined Cub Scouts and then Boy Scouts; however, being a pastor’s kid, it wasn’t an option. Scout meetings always conflicted…
