Now that I'm pretty much healed, except for some lingering PTSD, I'm back to hiking and trail running (with a bit of Nordic skiing), armed with a Garmin InReach Mini just in case. Soon as weather begins to cooperate, I'll be back on Alvin and/or Stanley to train up for the next bike tour. A few photos from local winter trails....
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  I took a few days' road trip to explore the eastern Gorge, and test out my hiking ability and stamina.  The scenery is stunningly different from western Gorge and for me all the more amazing. Here's a link to Wikipedia about the formation of the Columbia Gorge.  The photos here speak for themselves.

Well, that's because it is.  It gets dark too early and stays dark too long. In the hours when daylight appears, to send me into the outdoors, I ponder on the possibilities for next years' adventures and the wonder of being in the woods, listening to the trees breathing.

My hiking friend, Robert from Massachusetts, visited the PNW for the first time and I showed him around.  A highlight was a guided hike with Mt St Helens Institute to the Crater Glacier at Mt St Helens. 
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