Month: June 2008

I will see you all at the reading after my urban trail run through this beautiful town. Tomorrow, leaving the city might be a slight problem. Aside from the fact that I will be leaving reluctantly, there is, apparently, a huge parade going right past my hotel around 8 a.m.!! http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Everything is elevated to a whole new level of quality in this city. Even the meatloaf is good out here. I had a fantastic reading at Seattle Public Library’s Ballard branch, sponsored by the Secret Garden Bookstore. The library itself is something you have to see. (It’s all green construction. There is a field of actual grass growing on the roof!!) The audience was fantastic. More about all this later, but I’m leaving for Portland this very second. (look for my interview in today’s Portland Oregonian. I’m speaking tonight at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 12000 S.E. 82nd Ave, Portland. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Thanks to all of you for sending me your stories about backcountry mishaps and truly enormous pack weights. You are doing wonders for my backpacking and camping self-esteem. I’m thinking of having some sort of contest for the best stories about overpacking, getting lost, etc. Stay tuned on that front. Meanwhile, I hope to see you all at the Ballard Branch of the Seattle Public Library tonight at 6:30 p.m. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

What a beautiful town. The people here are all smart and engaged with the world — and they all look about 20 years younger than they are. (I guess everyone eats well and does a lot of trail running. No swilling of double martinis out here.) I had a very good time reading at Village Books. I’ll crash for about 13 hours now and then I’m heading off to Seattle. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

For this week’s readings up in Oregon and Washington, I’ve unearthed some trail artifacts and a couple of really scary photographs and journal entries dating to the “Lois and Clark Expedition.” I’m looking forward to sharing a few trail stories with you (and hearing yours, too.) http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

If you are in the Bellingham, Washington area, and happen to be awake on the early side, switch on your radio and listen in on my brief live interview on KGMI at 7:15 AM PST. Immediately after the interview, I will board a plane and fly up to one of my very favorite places in America, the Pacific Northwest, where my “Cactus” tour will begin. However, I will most likely leave my backpack behind because he’s picked up a terrible odor from my last outdoor sojourn in the Southeast. (bear scat? Whatever it is, it won’t go away.) Anyhow, I’m looking forward to meeting readers and hikers up there. Many of the loveliest sections of the PCT are right there— Crater Lake, the Goat Rocks, the Pasayten Wilderness. The list goes on and on. Out in the Pacific Northwest, I ate too many huckleberries, stomped through pumice flats, and stayed…