John: Beautiful piece and important reminder. Before I got to the somber ending, I made anote that this was my favorite line: "only belatedly figuring out that we could have come at it from another direction and spent far less time driving on far better roads. But where would be the adventure in that?" I've a friend who says, "We're never lost. We are only seeing things we had not planned to see." This, she said, when I drove over the wrong bridge twice in 30 minutes.
Thanks, Tim. It's always a bit of a leap of faith when we turn down an unmapped and unpaved road in the forest, not really knowing when -- or if -- there will be a place to turn around before we reach a dead end. Google Maps can only take you so far, especially when there's no cell service. But we bought a 4-wheel-drive van for a reason....
OH MY GOSH! Such a powerful reminder that we are never fully in charge and must always be so aware of our surroundings. I have backpacked but never alone as you have done. I feel for this families loss...such a heartache. Beautiful descriptions and photos as we have come to expect, and they allow us to be there with you vicariously. We actually were in that area and it seems might have been about the same timeframe. We camped at Lake Siskiyou, Bend OR, Klamath on the Klamath River and on the Eel River near Benbow, stopping at a few other places along the way. Well keep exploring and sharing! Hi to Leslie! Jill
Thanks, Jill. Glad you enjoyed it, although it is difficult to learn about what the Macke family has been going through. Beautiful country up there, but even beautiful places have their dangers.
Another beautiful piece of writing and photo journalism! For an Oregon boy who grew up around old growth forests. there really is a power and ‘magic’ to that wild environment. The poignant and tragic end to your story is a true reminder. DN
Thanks, Doug. It's an amazing landscape. Not all the stories we encounter on our travels have happy endings. But this one reminds us how fragile and precious life is, and there's such value in that.
John: Beautiful piece and important reminder. Before I got to the somber ending, I made anote that this was my favorite line: "only belatedly figuring out that we could have come at it from another direction and spent far less time driving on far better roads. But where would be the adventure in that?" I've a friend who says, "We're never lost. We are only seeing things we had not planned to see." This, she said, when I drove over the wrong bridge twice in 30 minutes.
Thanks, Tim. It's always a bit of a leap of faith when we turn down an unmapped and unpaved road in the forest, not really knowing when -- or if -- there will be a place to turn around before we reach a dead end. Google Maps can only take you so far, especially when there's no cell service. But we bought a 4-wheel-drive van for a reason....
John,
OH MY GOSH! Such a powerful reminder that we are never fully in charge and must always be so aware of our surroundings. I have backpacked but never alone as you have done. I feel for this families loss...such a heartache. Beautiful descriptions and photos as we have come to expect, and they allow us to be there with you vicariously. We actually were in that area and it seems might have been about the same timeframe. We camped at Lake Siskiyou, Bend OR, Klamath on the Klamath River and on the Eel River near Benbow, stopping at a few other places along the way. Well keep exploring and sharing! Hi to Leslie! Jill
Thanks, Jill. Glad you enjoyed it, although it is difficult to learn about what the Macke family has been going through. Beautiful country up there, but even beautiful places have their dangers.
John,
Another beautiful piece of writing and photo journalism! For an Oregon boy who grew up around old growth forests. there really is a power and ‘magic’ to that wild environment. The poignant and tragic end to your story is a true reminder. DN
Thanks, Doug. It's an amazing landscape. Not all the stories we encounter on our travels have happy endings. But this one reminds us how fragile and precious life is, and there's such value in that.