I LOVE WHERE I live. I mean, really love it. I love it to the point where it feels more like an extension of who I am than simply a place I happen to be. Even though I grew up some 5,000 miles away in a thoroughly different environment, the environment that I now call […]
The Living Land – Colorado Wildlife Photos #1 Read More »
AFTER A WILD WEEK of snow and grayness, my little corner of Colorado has returned to horizon-to-horizon blue skies, to bright sunshine, to skin-soothing warmth, and to a rapid thaw. Deep snow is softening, sinking away. Water is gushing. Even though a certain dark cloud lingers on the horizon, today’s glorious brightness is keeping me
Storms Always Pass Read More »
ON THE SECOND day of June, 1993, I fell down a mountain. It nearly killed me. On the twentieth day of August, 1994, I went back. Happily, this second visit went better. There were no finger nails lost, you’ll be glad to know. No cartwheeling down glaciers. But there were tears, and not only from
A Return To Hohtürli Read More »
ON THURSDAY LAST week I saw mention on social media that a powerful solar storm was about to begin. Potentially, it would be so powerful that a consequence of it – the aurora borealis – would be observable at far lower latitudes than usual. But I quickly discounted it. The chances of seeing the northern
Is this real life? Is this fantasy? Read More »
THE WATERFALL DIDN’T last long. A day and a half, then it was done. It was a quick flood formed by the rapid thawing of two-feet of snow. It spilled over the edge of the typically desert-dry mesa; a temporary rush of water that cascaded downward, scattering sunlight with diamond flashes as it fell, spreading
A FEW WEEKS AGO I had the great pleasure of talking with author Sarah Lister for her ‘Wild About Kinder’ podcast: HERE. This podcast focuses on one of Britain’s most treasured mountains, Kinder Scout, a unique mountain in a multitude of ways. For various reasons, I enjoyed taking part in this podcast more than any
On Ode to Kinder Scout Read More »
THE MOUNTAIN THAT sweeps upwards above my Colorado home is pretty small as mountains go. In fact, arguably, to call it a mountain is to stretch the definition of what a mountain is. For one thing, it only rises a thousand feet from the valley floor to the highest point – hardly a big altitude
A Small Mountain Made Big Read More »
Since The Earth Beneath My Feet was published I’ve received a variety of messages and emails from people I don’t know. To be honest, I hadn’t expected any. I had no idea if anyone would read my words, let alone react to them and reach out. But strangers have, and it has frequently been humbling
The Importance of Responsible Nature Writing Read More »
COLORADO IS FAR more frequently a sunny place than a foggy one, offering three-hundred sunny days a year – a bright gift from the climate gods that I would have appreciated while growing up in Britain! But it’s funny; one can have too much of a good thing. Too much sun often means too little
I ENJOYED A memorable encounter this weekend. It occurred while I was walking home from camp, and it involved a young couple, the only two people I met all morning out in the snowy woods. We didn’t speak for long – less than five minutes – but the exchange was unforgettable. It was heart-warming at