Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

This is an almost-real-time photo post--these pictures are cell-phone photos (easiest to handle away from my home computer) of a hike on Thursday in Saguero National Park East. I fled down here a week ago to get some light and reset my winter brain. Predictably, while Seattle has been awash in rain, the desert SW has been horribly dry (a part of the reason for the LA fires). I noticed the effects of that drought all around on my hike. I started from the Douglas Springs trailhead on the far fringes of Tucson, and hiked a loop incorporating the Douglas Springs trail, the Three Tanks trail, and the Garwood trail for a 6.25-mile hike with a modest 1100' of climbing and descending. Yes, Petey Possum came along! The hike started with easy walking along the valley floor before beginning a stiff climb up and around a hill. This is the Sonoran Desert, and the iconic plant of the Sonoran (at least, the northern part) is the saguaro--outlined against the horizon. I hadn't been walking lon...

Another of the books I've found browsing around the library catalog (I love those "similar books" lists!),  this was an interesting companion to Journeys North, which I reviewed last week . Title: The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind--and Almost Found Myself--On the Pacific Crest Trail Author : Dan White Publication Info : Harper-Collins, 2008. 427 pages, Kindle Edition Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: When Dan White and his girlfriend Melissa [note: her name, per the books, is Allison] set out to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from Mexico to Canada through boiling desert and snowcapped mountain passes, his parents wondered how two people who had never shared an apartment could survive in a tent in the desert. But when Dan and Melissa, dubbed “The Lois and Clark Expedition” by a fellow hiker, quit their doldrum jobs to set out into the wilderness, the hardships of the trail provided these addled adventurers with a crystalline view of the Ame...

This story is from January 2018. Have fun! Garbage Cans   I knew we were in trouble when the garbage cans started moving about on their own.   It just turned out that it wasn’t exactly the trouble I thought we were in. I mean, I spotted them first, and made the usual resolve. You know, to swear off the moonshine, give up the mason jar, and dry out.   The first thing wrong with that reaction was that I don’t drink.   The second thing was that I wasn’t the only one who saw them. Oh, lots of people had noticed that their trashcans weren’t in the same place in the morning as they’d been the night before. There were lots of reasons for that. “It’s raccoons. Those critters will do anything for a meal.” “Teenagers playing pranks.” “Minor earthquakes are vibrating them so that they move about.”   Then there were the whacko reasons: “There are magical fields in this neighborhood.” “It’s the aliens again. I told you they’d be back.” “Pol...

It's... actually the second Wednesday of the month, but we weren't going to post our IWSG posts on New Year's Day, though maybe actually that would be a good day to spend just reading blog posts? Anyway, here we are and I'm delighted to be one of this month's co-hosts. Thanks for visiting!     Purpose:   To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting:   The first Wednesday of every month is officially   Insecure Writer’s Support Group   day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. Th...

More trail dreams in mid-winter, thanks to diving down rabbit-holes on the library website.     Title: J ourneys North: The Pacific Crest Trail 
Author : 
Barney Scout Mann. Read by Traber Burns Publication Info: 
Blackstone Audio, 2020, 12 hours. Originally published 2020, Mountaineers Books, 320 pages. Source : 

Library Publisher’s Blurb: 

 In Journeys North , legendary trail angel and thru hiker Barney Scout Mann spins a compelling tale of six hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2007 as they walk from Mexico to Canada. This ensemble story unfolds as these half-dozen hikers--including Barney and his wife, Sandy--trod north, slowly forming relationships and revealing their deepest secrets and aspirations. They face a once-in-a-generation drought and early severe winter storms that test their will in this bare-knuckled adventure. In fact, only a third of all the hikers who set out on the trail that year would finish. As the group approaches Canada, a storm rage...

This is a photo post of a few of my favorites from among the many photos I shared in 2024. If you're a regular reader you've seen them before, but I hope you can enjoy them anyway. Methow Sunset. Wintrop, Washington The Women's Market, Arusha, Tanzania South Serengeti, Tanzania Tarangire National Park, Tanzania South Serengeti, Tanzania Crested Cranes, Ngorogoro Caldera, Tanzania Mt. Meru, Tanzania Distant lightning storm, Mt. Kenya. Flamingos, Amboseli National Park, Kenya Zambezi River sunset Utah sunrise. Little Wild Horse Canyon Grand Gulch, Bears Ears National Monument, Utah West Coast Trail, Vancouver Island Coastal sunrise After the rain. Mt. Rainier, Goat Rocks Wilderness, WA The author, Goat Rocks Wilderness, WA Timberline Trail, Mt. Hood, Oregon Marl Lake, Alberta, Canada Canoes on Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Canada The Ten Peaks, Banff National Park Zigadenus Lake, Banff National Park Skoki Lodge, Banff National Park Winter is Coming! Banff National Park R...