Talking Story Archives - Page 40 of 114

Carpe October

Posted by Ken Campbell October 4, 2011 0 Comment 1010 views

In case the late sunrises and cooler weather haven’t tipped you off already (and in the event that you don’t own a calendar), October is here. In all its glory. And the rain has once again begun to fall, on the just and the unjust. I am not sure to which camp I belong but, […]

Everybody does it?

Posted by Ken Campbell October 3, 2011 0 Comment 1085 views

David Uberuaga was the big cheese at Mount Rainier National Park for a long time, right up until he left earlier this year to take the Superintendent’s job at the Grand Canyon, the plum of Park Service jobs. And got a $7000/year pay raise to boot. It seems like just yesterday I was reading in […]

Getting dry

Posted by Ken Campbell October 1, 2011 0 Comment 1033 views

A few thoughts on this brief story about a 40 year-old paddler who floundered down in Henderson Inlet yesterday evening: 1. Hats off to the rescuer, Teal Russell. Thanks for making a bad situation better and for giving the gift of life. 2. The story doesn’t mention whether the victim was wearing a life jacket. […]

Going, going, gone

Posted by Ken Campbell September 30, 2011 0 Comment 1111 views

I’ve been watching a web site for the past week or so that shows the ongoing deconstruction of the dams on the Elwha River. The hope is that, once these obsolete and ill-conceived dams are out of the way, the river can return to its former glory, and that the salmon will return as well. […]

Smith Island

Posted by Ken Campbell September 29, 2011 0 Comment 1281 views

I’ve been thinking lately about Smith Island. It’s one of those places that even long-time residents of western Washington probably don’t know much about, if they’ve even heard of it at all. Smith Island is located near the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, about 6 miles off the west side of […]

On the margins

Posted by Ken Campbell September 28, 2011 2 Comments 1354 views

I’m working on a short review of the Mowich Lake area for a different website. Going over my notes, trying to pick the right superlatives to describe what is a picturesque and unique location… and I can’t shake the idea that, although I’m not being untruthful, exactly, I’m also not telling it like it is. […]

Climate change

Posted by Ken Campbell September 27, 2011 0 Comment 1019 views

I wore a rain coat yesterday, first time in a while. It was mostly just to get up the hill, take the boy to school, nothing technical. Still, the fact that the rain is falling, that the temperature is dropping a bit, has me thinking about the weeks and months ahead. I’ve got that Rainier […]

Mountain

Posted by Ken Campbell September 26, 2011 0 Comment 1046 views

“Adventure travel seems to imply a far-off destination, but a near-by destination can be scarier, for no place is more frightening than one near home that people you trust have warned you against.” Paul Theroux

Docktoberfest

Posted by Ken Campbell September 25, 2011 0 Comment 1056 views

Citizens for a Healthy Bay is putting on an event down at Dock Street Landing next weekend that involves kayaks, live music, costumes and beer. What could go wrong? The organizers contacted me to do a Stand Up Paddleboard demo and for some reason I said “Yes.” (It’s not that I’m shy at all, it’s […]

For the love of water

Posted by Ken Campbell September 24, 2011 0 Comment 1183 views

Although I’ve spent hundreds of hours at the Nisqually Delta over the past 20 years, precious few of them have actually been on land. Most of the time I’ve been kayaking, either on my own or with groups of paying clients, exploring the intricate waterways and the ever-changing shorelines of one of western Washington’s greatest […]