Trekking the Pacific Northwest Trail

On July 12th we will begin our next adventure together, the Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT). One of our nation's newest National Scenic Trails (March 2009), the PNT travels 1200 miles from the continental divide in Montana to the Pacific Ocean in Washington State. Check out the trail association website at www.pnt.org for maps and info. The route includes three national parks and many national forests and wilderness areas, while roughly following our northern border with Canada through alpine, montane, and coastal rainforests.

Our timetable is loose - the trail, weather, and serendipity will determine our completion date.

Why embark on such a journey? "Because it is there" hardly seems sufficient. Instead we are taking advantage of the natural transition in our lives following Callae's completion of her MFA. Additionally, the PNT will provide perspectives unseen in urban settings - changing landscapes, diverse characters with whom to interact, and time to reflect. Through diverse ecosystems that exhibit unique flora and fauna, varying levels of human development, and correspondingly distinct management principles and practices, issues of biological diversity, coexistence of species and the role of humans within the broader natural system will arise. Meeting backpackers and car-campers, shopkeepers and land managers, will spur discussions of environmental values, both economic and personal. And within the daily routine of breaking camp and continuing farther west, we will have time to ponder our role within each system we encounter, whether it be natural, economic or social.