Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Book Review: Treecology by Monica Russo
The latest book I’ve reviewed for you is Treecology: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Trees and Forests by Monica Russo. [Amazon link here.] This thin paperback is accessible for both parents and teachers. It is packed full of the science to understand all parts of trees and the environments they grow…
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Heather and Maple Pass TR, 9/30/16
Ah, the mythical larches. I hadn’t heard of these magical trees until I started following various hiking forums several years ago. Every September and October, reports started coming out about people going to great lengths to see them. I didn’t pay much attention for a few years, then I started to view those TRs wistfully,…
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Second Burroughs Loop, Trip Report 9/9/16
The road to Sunrise will be closing next month, so we felt it was time to get up high again. Gabe has been wanting to hike to Second Burroughs since he got his new camera, and I thought it would be fun to take a different path than the normal Sourdough Ridge Trail that we’ve…
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Chain Lakes, Mt. Baker, Trip Report 9/16/16
Fall is definitely in the air, especially up high in the mountains. We feel the internal drive to get out to see fall colors and enjoy the high country before the snow comes and we are stuck down low for the winter. Gabe requested a trip to Artist Point again, as he remembered it being…
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Book Review: 100 Classic Hikes: Washington by Craig Romano
My bookshelf has two rows of various hiking guides, but recently a new guide came out that will have a prominent spot in the first row. Craig Romano has rewritten and updated Harvey Manning and Ira Spring’s original 100 Classic Hikes in Washington book from 1998, including some of the initial hikes, but adding some new…
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Panorama Point, Mount Rainier Trip Report, 8/25/16
Ah, summer! Time for big adventures, getting up to high elevations, wildflowers, mountains, and glorious light. Last week I let the kids each bring a friend along to Mount Rainier. We were hoping to catch the wildflower show, and we did see some flowers, but we also did an amazing hike up to Panorama Point.…
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Book Review: Lassoing the Sun by Mark Woods
The Centennial of the National Park Service has inspired many people to take journeys through the parks and write about them. Mark Woods planned a year-long odyssey to twelve national parks to ask questions about their future. Each park was supposed to symbolize a different issue the parks are facing in the future. He ended…
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Trip Report: Grand Tetons, June 2016
Day 6 of our Grand Road Trip, Continuation: After we finished visiting Yellowstone back in June, it was time to move on to Grand Teton National Park. We drove into the north entrance from Yellowstone, and the landscape changed from volcanic lodgepole biome to more familiar flowers and shrubs. We drove through Lizard Creek Campground,…
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Trip Report: Yellowstone National Park
Our family was fortunate to be able to take a big road trip this summer, and we chose Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons for a visit. We were gone for nine days, driving and camping along the way. We stopped at Craters of the Moon on the way back. Wow, what a trip this was!…
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Book Review: Leaflets Three, Let it Be! by Anita Sanchez
I recently received a book for the purposes of review that I’d like to share with you today. Leaflets Three, Let it Be! is a picture book for children about identifying poison ivy. But it also shows the many uses of the plant through the seasons. It is written by Anita Sanchez and illustrated by…
Got any book recommendations?