This video was captured from the deck of Kari's family Stehekin cabin. We were just settling in to sleep out on the deck in our bug tent, when this boy strolled by. Kari had startled him slightly when I started shooting this video. It was actually the second time that day we had seen him. He did not seem all that concerned about us so we saw no need to be concerned about him. As he wandered away we heard some dogs barking. We figured it was at him, because he came back for another couple of minutes and that was the last we saw of him. We slept out on the deck that night as we had planned. There was nothing to prevent him from coming back again, climbing the stairs to the deck and disturb our sleep. Apparently he chose not to. The locals in Stehekin have been careful not to habituat the bears. One local that we asked, recognized the description of this bear and said he was seen around the cabins a lot. We humans do not need to be afraid or in competition with wildlife. In all the years I have been in the mountains of Washington, I have never seen a bear that seemed to be interested in humans, let alone aggressive.
Kari and I backpacked to Mt. Jupiter in the Olympics, a former lookout site. This nine mile hike (one way) has no water, but we backpacked it anyway, betting there would be snow at the top to melt. There turned out to be only a few patches, including one at top. We like to backpack these trips in order to get to spend time at lookout site. This time we were entertained by hawks and eagles dancing on the wind above us while we recovered from our big hike, melted snow for our water and cooked our dinner. This picture is one frame from a video I took of the birds flying, dancing and playing. Dinner and a show!
For more information about this hike and some more pictures see Kari's Trip Report Kari has written hundreds of trip reports and has started posting the most recent and interesting ones here.
This is a frame from a video I took at the beach down the bluff from the Dari Sequim House. The full, high resolution video can be viewed here. Come join us at the house for a Dari Adventure and Retreat featuring Yoga, Hiking, Snowshoeing and Forest Therapy.
This is a frame from an amazing video I took of Hawaiian sea turtles on the Big Island. Kari's brother and his wife have a house on the north side of the island and recommended a number of favorite spots and beaches. This was taken at Kiholo Bay, otherwise known as Blue Lagoon, on the westside of the island, north of Kona. I am posting a link to the Full Video so that I can leave it at high resolution.
This picture is of Kari's father Fred Darvill with President Johnson when the North Cascades National Park was established. In October, this park will be 50 years old. As luck and a weird bit of social media alpha particle migration would have it, Kari and I met, and shared a weekend at the Sequim house, with Tom Hammond. He is the president ofthe North Cascades Conservation Council. This organization will be co-sponsoring, along with the National Parks Conservation Association,a celebration for the park's anniversary at the Mountaineer's ProgramCenter in October. Watch here for developing details
This is the kind of random-but-not-random happenstance that speaks of participation. I am sure that Kari and I will get involved in this event and others involving the park's birthday.
This is the kind of random-but-not-random happenstance that speaks of participation. I am sure that Kari and I will get involved in this event and others involving the park's birthday.
On top of Devil's Dome in the North Cascades National Park, this was roughly the half way point in our 5 day, 50 mile, 12,000'+ gain backpacking trip. In some ways this was the most difficult backpacking trip I have ever done. It included a first night rain storm that was quite uncomfortable and discouraging,My choice of hiking partner, my Valentine, made it an outstanding trip!
This picture was taken inside the Vatican. For some reason it has always spoken to
me. At first I thought it to be simply funny, a strange thing to find on a wall in the Vatican. As I look at it more, I see multiple expressions depending on my mood. Certainly surprise and perhaps a bit of shock and awe. When I am feeling good, I see amazement. At my darker moments, contempt.