On January 3, 2022, I am moving out of my apartment and starting my long drive from Spokane, WA to Carrboro, NC (via Los Angeles). I purchased a cargo van specifically for this move, and in order to get all my things in it I need to downsize a bit. My virtual garage sale has been unexpectedly successful at lightening my load, and the money … Continue reading Farewell, Little Buddy
I read a lot. And this year I’ve been devouring books depicting the exploits of various thru-hikers and adventurers. Grandma Gatewood on the AT, Cheryl Strayed on the PCT, Erling Kagge in the sewers beneath New York City. Each hiker’s story, though often on the same trail, is an entirely different experience. I’m currently reading Thirst by Heather “Anish” Anderson. I’ve only just started it—about … Continue reading Getting Got
I’ve recently been thinking a lot about what it means to want a thing. Probably because for the past few weeks I’ve been exploring the options that might successfully move me and my household goods across the nation. Sadly, like everything these days, any transportation-related service isn’t cheap. A U-Haul truck that cost me $3000 when I moved to Spokane in 2020 is currently priced … Continue reading Musings Over a Van
Part 1: Preparation I regularly pull a tarot card to ascertain a new perspective on everyday predicaments. As I shuffle the deck I meditate on a question. What do I need to know about _____? What viewpoint am I missing in regards to _____? I then let intuition tell me when to stop rearranging the cards and confidently choose one. The one that feels right. … Continue reading Rim to Almost Rim to Rim
DAY 21 Today I headed south. Left downtown and climbed up up up along High Drive, Latah Creek to my right. I imagined this land before modern development. Steep bluffs and exposed basalt left behind by prehistoric cataclysmic floods. Bald eagles on bare branches, antlered elk scrubbing through shrubs, marmots anxiously absorbing midday sun. I made a note to learn what this area was named … Continue reading Every Street Spokane: Days 21-25
DAY 11 These walks are beginning to resemble my ultra training. Back in those days I’d do long runs back-to-back without giving my body the time to fully recover. I’d run twenty-five or so on a Saturday, then a similar distance on Sunday. This would trick my body into thinking I did the two-day total all at once. Some people run 26.2 as a training … Continue reading Every Street Spokane: Days 11-15
DAY 5 I like making stickers then sticking them all over town. Any flat surface will do, though I tend to be a back-of-sign and not-on-private-property guy. I’ve gotten pretty good at it, too. I used to wait until the sun went down and my heart would race as I rushed to peel the back, stick it on, and erratically flatten out the air bubbles. … Continue reading Every Street Spokane: Days 6-10
DAY 1 On March 4, 2021, I began walking all the streets in Spokane. Left from my apartment on West First Avenue and walked, my back to the sun, toward Brown’s Addition, the oldest neighborhood in town. I was excited to get this project underway. Brown’s Addition’s spacious and ornate architecture tells the story of its original residents. This is obviously where the money lived. … Continue reading Every Street Spokane: Days 1-5
This year I read 34 books. I was hoping for more (like, closer to 50), but over the summer I traded my reading time for an abundance of quarantine running and biking and got in the best shape of my 40s. I also wrote a couple books this year. So maybe 34 books in the bag ain’t too shabby after all. Overall, there were some … Continue reading Books Read in 2020
Tom Griffen 