All Posts

Reagan was one of Dad’s favorite modern presidents. He’s the first president I remember running for office.

It is 5:55 and we are off. Our intention was to leave as close to 5 as possible, but we were delayed with last minute things we forgot to do

Day 4 The wind this morning is fierce. I woke up and the wind was whipping my rain fly. I was afraid, despite the stakes, my fly might blow away. Packing up the tent was a challenge, but G3 helped me which I appreciated. The view from our site is spectacular. We can see the hills in the distance, but more amazing are the clouds—light and fluffy—sitting in the valley. It looks like a frozen ocean, the waves in various stages of breaking. The sun is out this morning and it is l

Day 1 As expected, today was exhilarating. Philmont is beautiful. I did not sleep well last night. No surprise. I went to bed early and fell asleep relatively easily, but by two o’clock I was awake and could not fall back to sleep. When my alarm clock sounded at 4:50, I sprang out of bed and took a shower. I didn’t want to get on the trail without showering since there will be nowhere to shower until we return to base camp. Oh, and for those of you not familiar with Philmont,

The drive was about three and a half hours which got us to Philmont a little after 10:00.

I went to bed early last night—nine-ish—and planned to sleep as late as possible. But sleep often eludes me and last night was no different. I woke up 4:54. I still had nearly two hours before my alarm went off and I was intent on going back to sleep, but after about a half hour I gave up, got out of bed, and took a shower. I then grabbed the book I’m reading and went outside. The mountain air was cool that early, so when I started to feel cold I withdrew into the lobby. I am

After 18 months of planning, training hikes, backpacking weekends, and team building meetings we are finally off to Philmont. Due to the excitement, neither G3 nor I slept last night. The lack of sleep before going away always reminds me of Dad. He too could never fall asleep the night before vacation. My alarm went off at 4:20. I said goodbye to the cats—I am going to miss them terribly—Kati took a picture of me and G3, and we were on the road by 5:10. The crew—eight scouts,

That means [the kitten] was only a week and a half old when he wandered into my brother’s garage, and it’s a very good thing he did because he was way too young to have been separated from his mother.

It rained over night. There is something peaceful and soothing about rain tapping against the fabric of the tent. However, it is never...

One of the reasons I love Shenandoah is because it reminds me of my Dad. When I was in middle school, Mom and Dad took me and my brother...

It was cold last night. We went to bed early because we were all tired from such an early start. I changed into thermal underwear and a...

Our alarm went off at 3:30 this morning and we were on the road by 4:30 to drive down to Shenandoah. Kati and I both had off due to...

Dear Dad, Being a teacher is hard. The actual teaching isn’t, but everything else is. Sometimes, I wonder if I’d find it less taxing,...

Pickrell’s poetry pays homage to the ordinary, the daily events that so many of us ignore. She takes the time to appreciate the small things and her devotion to the Oakland A’s reminded me of my dad’s devotion to the New York Mets.

The term pre-order irks me. It's along the same lines as preheating the oven. The prefix “pre” means “prior to” or “before.” So...

Gaddis brilliantly conveys her emotions on every page, and the loving way in which she writes about her children is endearing.

Dear Dad, Easter continues to be sad. How does one go from having a holiday be their absolute favorite, to it becoming one that brings...

Dear Dad, Today is one of those days I know you died too young. I really wish I could call you up. I know G3 wishes he could talk to you....

At the end of June, G3 and seven other scouts from his troop will be heading to Philmont, the Boy Scout Ranch down in New Mexico, for a...

Dear Dad, It’s been five years since I last saw you. Last Thursday marked the anniversary of when I drove you to the hospital. At the...