Winter Green

The green never really goes away in the Pacific Northwest, creating a sense of eternal life in the region that invigorates everyone there to spend more time outdoors. The Goodman Creek Trail in the Willamette National Forest is just a half hour from where I lived last year in Springfield, Oregon. Though we never got any snow on the ground where I lived, you only had to ascend a little into the nearby hills to find the ice. During a late fall hike the forest was covered in a thin layer of ice as we climbed part of Hardesty Mountain. The surreal beauty of the greens and blues made it feel like being in a fairy tale.

It’s easy to take for granted what’s right in front of you, and even though I tried to get out at every opportunity, I now wish I had spent more time on these trails while I lived there. Though I’ve traveled many places, Oregon was the first one that felt like home to me. While I still have so many plans to explore the world I think I’d like to end up back here in some way for some time at least. The idea of home has always been elusive to me, but I want to pursue that idea with more tenacity going forward.