There’s bears in the bottoms. It’s been established by eyewitnesses that there’s definitely two individuals that are hungrily wandering around in the willows below our house; one looks like a large boar (male) and the other like a 2-year old or yearling cub. There’s several winter-kill elk and deer …
Grass to Grain and Back Again
Thousands of cattle on a braided network of well-worn trails were weaving their way out of the high mountains of the Hat Creek country. Around 30 to 40 leather and flannel-clad dirt cowboys on horseback rode with them, and when their wide brimmed hats failed to block the setting sun, a pillar-cloud …
Below the Feet of a Giant
At the foot of a giant, I dug a little soil test hole a few days ago. I was in a remote stand of massive coast redwoods—one of the most northern great groves of the magnificent trees in the southern reaches of coastal Oregon. Clouds drifted through the treetops, and whitewater cascades poured over …
The Moose Tree
“That’s a widow-maker,” I said while pointing to a nearby tree. I was speaking to Bret who was proudly standing next to the wall tent he'd just put up. He now looked confused. It was clear he had no clue what I was talking about. “That tree…” I again pointed up to the massive Douglas-fir just 75 …
When Muskrat Helped Beaver
When I lifted the beaver, his weight completely surprised me. He looked like he should weigh about 20lbs, but in the pet carrier, he felt about the size of an overgrown muskrat: maybe 8 pounds. I realized his thick coat, which made him look much larger than his weight, must be mostly insulating air …
When the Brand Returns ‘Em
I looked at the clock. 3:23 AM. It was time to turn in, especially since I got up at 2:45 AM. The day before. Occasionally nature gangs up on us and we have interminably long days. There's just so much to do; first, we have the day-to-day, and then, the big jobs—and then, the …