Trail Talk – December 2025 / January 2026

“The only goal for man is beauty, and beauty is found only in harmony, and this harmony of nature is a dazzling complexity” ~ Tony Hillerman, Dance Hall of the Dead

HERE, THEN, is that which draws us back to the wild places again and again. Here, then, is that which reminds us that we too are a part of this natural world. Here is that sometimes gentle, sometimes brutal, reminder that we travel through time and space with elements perhaps not of our choosing, but if our goal is to be harmonious with our world in our travels. then we will find that beauty.

The winter season is upon us. Past experience predicts times of frigid winds and icy trails, of swollen streams and broken trees, and of thick valley fog. And yet, sprinkled among those short, dark days, we’ll also glimpse the brief bright appearances of the sun, warming our spirits, and reminding us that this crankiest of the seasons shall also, at some point, simply not be with us any longer.

For winter enthusiasts, this is the best time of year. Snow provides a clean page to record our going there, making tracks. As summer’s cloak of leaves falls to the ground, the stark majesty of our mountains is exposed, their valleys and ridges lying in contrast in the slanted illumination of winter’s sun. Deciduous trees wave their bony arms and fingers in the chilly breezes, while the evergreens stand in solemn judgement of their frivolous behavior.

For those on the trails enjoying the changing weather of each new day, we find that the crowds of fairer days have diminished. Solitude is a commodity in great abundance as we follow our feet over hills and through valleys. As we travel higher, we find ourselves alone, high above the valley fog. And if we sit, and simply watch this amazingly white cloud below us, we can see as it ebbs and flows across the valleys like an unsettled ocean. It slowly breaks over low exposed hills so much like the waves on the rocks of the shoreline.

For folks unfamiliar with this phenomenon, we suggest a hike up Bear Ridge Trail in Forest Park. Here, on the Valley View bench, one can witness Bear Creek Valley filled with this white wonder. Often, Roxy Ann Butte pokes above the bright fog, a lonely sentinel stranded in a vast ocean. The rim of the Cascade Range stretches north and south, snow-covered peaks as far as the eye can see. You pick out the sounds of the busy metropolis below you, invisible to the eye, but remarkably clear to the ear in the dense, cold air of the season.

Alas, soon it’s time to retreat from your sunny perch, descending into the gloom below. Yet that smile on your face and warmth in your heart carries you forward. You know that you can return another day, perhaps with a companion who also needs a dose of this winter balm. This, we know, is a true gift of the season.