All my life I have been drawn to the mountains.
I have sketched them-dreamed of them-imagined living among them. Among my earliest memories are those times spent backpacking with my family throughout the Cascades-especially the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area.
I also camped throughout the intermountain west with my grandparents-from just shy of the Yukon Territory-all the way down to southern Oregon.
On my father's side of the family, I am one of over 160 grand and great children-almost all of whom were born within sight of the mountains-if not born in them. My uncles, my aunts, cousins, neices and nephews are loggers, cowboys, hunters and this is their shared legacy-the purity of generations spent far from population centers.
Of all my family-I am the only one not born in the Northwest.
I came to be, born stranded in the midwest. Born on a cold blizzard filled Minnesota eve. Born in exile as my father attended seminary.
In consolaton I tell people I had to have been conceived in Montana-maybe as my folks were traveling back and forth to seminary. I imagine that on some Big Sky night, under shooting stars, I would have been conceived. I refuse to accept that I was born and conceived in the same state that hosted this years Republican Convention and where Larry Craig got busted getting his game on in a rest room stall.
The next set of pictures-in excess, is the tale of my mom' s side of the family.
To read about that story, and her amazing mother, check out this link:
It's a pretty straight forward primer for what comes next.
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