Wonders of the Temperate Jungle

The temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest are a wonder comparable to any tropical jungle. Giant trees soar skyward, crystal streams tumble beneath the ferns, and moss covers everything making the forest a vertical maze of greenery even the depths of winter when the leaves have fallen. Now it is spring, and the dormant foliage is waking back up. Soon the devils club and stinging nettle will be taller than my head, making expeditions into the forest depths even more of a challenge.

New Mindshift Gear Camera Bags - Exposure shoulder bags and Backlight 18L

Mindshift makes excellent outdoor camera bags, and whether you need a versatile backpack or a durable and weatherproof shoulder bag, they have you (and of course your gear) covered. The newly announced Exposure shoulder bags and Backlight 18L backpack promise to be just as excellent as the rest of their products.

A Close Call in the Chugach

For today's #naturewritingchallenge I brought in a guest writer! 

My mother, Nancy Zahn, has had encounters with wildlife that I just can't top!

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As a teenager, I grew up in a hiker’s shangri-la. Our house in Alaska abutted state land and overlooked a creek that tumbled its way down from the Chugach Mountains through the high tundra into forests of spruce and birch guarded by tall patches of devil’s club and fiddlehead ferns. This was my refuge, and every afternoon I would run down our homemade trail to the creek and dash through the thickets and the wandering springs up the creek as far as I could go, hoping to reach the expanse of tundra, a many hued carpet that stretched up to the jagged rocks of the Chugach.

Tumwater Falls

This series of cascading torrents is hidden well in its deep river gorge. Cars rush by on I-5 without a clue of the splendor just beyond the freeway's edge. Tumwater Falls is a spectacular wild gem in the heart of a city.