Ken Campbell, Author at The Last Wilderness

Winter?

Posted by Ken Campbell February 3, 2014 0 Comment 2004 views

It’s been a warm start to February. It is unlikely to last, but I am enjoying it for now. The tidal exchanges have been big this week, salty wavelets licking against the pilings of my shed, then water flowing northward so fast it seems like I can almost hear the rapids ahead. The tide level […]

Precipitation and memory

Posted by Ken Campbell January 29, 2014 0 Comment 2045 views

In Ketchikan, Alaska, in 1953, there was a rainy day record of 101 days in a row. That same year, Seattle set its record of 33 days. It has been raining around these parts for a long time. Not lately, though. There are changes in the weather all over the place; western Washington is no […]

School daze update

Posted by Ken Campbell January 24, 2014 0 Comment 1884 views

I’ve left a few messages at the school, but haven’t received any response. I suppose on Monday I’ll start calling the main office. Meanwhile, I’ve been looking up some things about the corporation that runs this school (and others in the area) – “corporation,” not school district – and I’ve been going through the curriculum […]

School daze

Posted by Ken Campbell January 22, 2014 0 Comment 1911 views

“What year is this?” That line is taken from a message I got from a friend of mine who lives in the Midwest and whose child’s “5th grade Science class teacher told the children that global warming is a lie and was made up so people could make a lot of money off of it.” […]

Copper Creek

Posted by Ken Campbell January 20, 2014 0 Comment 6343 views

From where I’m sitting, I can see the light slowly bleeding out of the day. It’s about 5:00pm, the end of the evening at this time of year, the beginning of what will be a cold winter’s night. The remains of the sunset are a wash of dark orange and red, gradually fading to indigo. […]

Declining baselines; A Slow fading of the light

Posted by Ken Campbell January 20, 2014 0 Comment 2685 views

The idea of declining baselines is something that, while we are slow to see it and loathe to acknowledge it, we all instinctively know for what it is. It doesn’t take us long to understand the implications once we do give the idea some consideration. The concept is simply this: over time, constantly worsening environmental […]

RIP Marmot

Posted by Ken Campbell January 19, 2014 0 Comment 5998 views

I found out this past week that the Bellevue Marmot store is going to be shutting its doors. It’s not like anyone couldn’t see it coming… it had been a topic of discussion for years among those of us who had worked in the Marmot empire at some point. It’s the kind of job you […]

The Roadless Coast

Posted by Ken Campbell January 18, 2014 0 Comment 7899 views

“The edges of any landscape,” writes Barry Lopez in his landmark book, Arctic Dreams, “quicken an observer’s expectations. That attraction to borders, to the earth’s twilit places, is part of the shape of human curiosity.” When the border in question is the nebulous zone between land and ocean, the resulting curiosity is even more intense. […]

Overused words, Part 2

Posted by Ken Campbell January 17, 2014 0 Comment 2007 views

Adventure ad·ven·ture [ad-ven-cher] noun 1. an exciting or very unusual experience. 2. participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises: the spirit of adventure. 3. a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome. Another word that has been trotted out more times than a carnival donkey is the word “adventure.” There is nothing I can […]

Rules

Posted by Ken Campbell January 9, 2014 0 Comment 1473 views

When did all these rules start getting posted everywhere? It may be nostalgia on my part but I seem to remember it wasn’t always like this. How many times do you have to hear the word “No,” before your creativity is stunted permanently? How is it possible to maintain a positive attitude in the face […]