Changing Seasons: How to Adapt on the Trails

In this week’s blog post, I contrast two recent hikes while reflecting on how the changing seasons mirror our personal growth. The first, a five-hour ramble around the summits of West Tiger Mountain, included dirt paths, songs from 18 bird species, and running streams. Familiar, as I historically am a fair-weather, 3-season hiker. On the …

How to Use Decisional Balance to Help Make Choices

Saturday morning I wrestled with the pros and cons of hiking. The weather forecasted rain starting around noon. My daughter, who starts her sophomore year at U. of Washington this week, was home for one final weekend. I hadn’t hiked since our birthday trip to Peek-a-Boo Lake. I reflected on resistance and ambivalence and how …

How to Reframe Self-Talk for Greater Gain

Sometimes change is foisted upon us, like illness or breaking a bone. Other times, it is part of natural evolution, like graduating from high school or college. We can resist change, ignore it, or embrace it. Whatever change you are presently facing, notice what words you use to describe your experience to others. Are you …

Tiger Mountain’s Beauty Remains Despite Logging

On November 2, Ajax and I headed for Tiger Mountain, a half-hour drive from home. The upper trails had been closed for private logging since July. I was eager to learn whether I’d still have a good place to hike during the approaching winter months. This blog post is a photographic tribute to Tiger Mountain’s …