Webmaster
05-07-2007, 10:35 PM
I asked the folks who administrate the “In Your Neighborhood” section at the Tacoma News Tribune (TNT), if we could have a blog about Greenwater. They were kind enough to establish this heading and for my effort I got the honor of posting the first entry into it. If you’d like to use this blog all you have to do is register with TNT. Following is the article I posted:
Greetings from Greenwater!
by Tracy Lebenzon
For my first post I wanted to share a story about how being open to new ideas can influence your life. Many years ago I took a ski vacation to Sun Valley Idaho, at the encouragement of a friend. It was my first vacation as an adult and I had a fabulous time. One evening during that trip while channel surfing, I came across a ski movie. It was by the legendary Warren Miller. Warren’s movies are extraordinary. They capture one of a kind moments, and also portray a purity of the fun loving spirit that is at the core of snow sports. Warren combines scenery, subject, and camera use to create movie sequences that empowers the film to stand out and touch your emotions as well as your eye.
One short story in particular that Warren narrated during this movie did just that for me. Warren described a chair lift ride he shared with a woman he said was in her 80s. According to Warren, the chair lift was at Sun Valley. Warren asked this woman why, at her venerable age, was she still skiing? Her response was that in all her life she had never met anyone who didn’t regret spending more days at work.
Well, I've been a workaholic since shortly after starting my college career and the comment made by this lady struck a chord. The chord was one that there are indeed greater horizons to be enjoyed. Ever since then I've made a major effort to spend time away from work. Because I love my work, this change hasn’t been easy. The pursuit of time away from work eventually lead me to Greenwater, where wilderness is right outside the door.
Prior to discovering Greenwater, I only went out to enjoy exercise in the outdoors at ski resorts. I was raised in the suburbs, after all, and for me “going out” typically meant a trip to a local park, or a drive to a store, a restaurant, a movie theater. Shortly after my Greenwater exploration begin, I found that winter is not the only great time to visit the mountains. In fact the great outdoors is inspiring any time of the year!
This was a remarkable revelation and a blossoming contrast to my life in the suburbs. In Greenwater, “getting out” typically consists of a walk along a mountain trail, riding a bike along forest service roadways, enjoying the rivers and alpine lakes, and even hiking up the occasional modest peak. But mostly getting out is about opportunities to explore. Part of this experience for me has also lead to the recent founding of a web forum, called www.explore-greenwater.com, which, as the name suggests is about the area. I encourage you to come and check out the site and contribute if you’d like.
This time of year marks a transition for the area. The winter snow is receding, but because we got a lot of snow this year so it will be receding slowly. The trails at lower elevations are free of snow and drying out nicely, and the signs of spring abound. My next two articles will be about two of my favorite early spring trips.
Just as my friend’s recommendation to take some time off has altered the course of my life, I encourage you to take the opportunity and explore Greenwater. Bring some comfortable hiking boots and set a pace as you’d like. Life is a journey and the destination for all of us is the same, so the importance ought to be on the time spent until then. The area offers a lot to explore and enjoy, and your life will be better for the experience. To borrow a quote from Warren Miller: “Adventure is the invitation to common people to become uncommon.”
Thank you for reading this and many thanks to the kind folks at the Tacoma News Tribune for the opportunity to use this space!
Source: http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/neighborhood/?title=greetings_from_greenwater&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
These articles generally are posted only on their web site. To add a little to the story, the folks at TNT published my article last in last Sunday’s paper! It was the first newspaper article I've had published. I felt pretty good about that!
So if you'd like to post something about Greenwater at TNT you have a place reserved. Your efforts just might make it into print :cool:
Greetings from Greenwater!
by Tracy Lebenzon
For my first post I wanted to share a story about how being open to new ideas can influence your life. Many years ago I took a ski vacation to Sun Valley Idaho, at the encouragement of a friend. It was my first vacation as an adult and I had a fabulous time. One evening during that trip while channel surfing, I came across a ski movie. It was by the legendary Warren Miller. Warren’s movies are extraordinary. They capture one of a kind moments, and also portray a purity of the fun loving spirit that is at the core of snow sports. Warren combines scenery, subject, and camera use to create movie sequences that empowers the film to stand out and touch your emotions as well as your eye.
One short story in particular that Warren narrated during this movie did just that for me. Warren described a chair lift ride he shared with a woman he said was in her 80s. According to Warren, the chair lift was at Sun Valley. Warren asked this woman why, at her venerable age, was she still skiing? Her response was that in all her life she had never met anyone who didn’t regret spending more days at work.
Well, I've been a workaholic since shortly after starting my college career and the comment made by this lady struck a chord. The chord was one that there are indeed greater horizons to be enjoyed. Ever since then I've made a major effort to spend time away from work. Because I love my work, this change hasn’t been easy. The pursuit of time away from work eventually lead me to Greenwater, where wilderness is right outside the door.
Prior to discovering Greenwater, I only went out to enjoy exercise in the outdoors at ski resorts. I was raised in the suburbs, after all, and for me “going out” typically meant a trip to a local park, or a drive to a store, a restaurant, a movie theater. Shortly after my Greenwater exploration begin, I found that winter is not the only great time to visit the mountains. In fact the great outdoors is inspiring any time of the year!
This was a remarkable revelation and a blossoming contrast to my life in the suburbs. In Greenwater, “getting out” typically consists of a walk along a mountain trail, riding a bike along forest service roadways, enjoying the rivers and alpine lakes, and even hiking up the occasional modest peak. But mostly getting out is about opportunities to explore. Part of this experience for me has also lead to the recent founding of a web forum, called www.explore-greenwater.com, which, as the name suggests is about the area. I encourage you to come and check out the site and contribute if you’d like.
This time of year marks a transition for the area. The winter snow is receding, but because we got a lot of snow this year so it will be receding slowly. The trails at lower elevations are free of snow and drying out nicely, and the signs of spring abound. My next two articles will be about two of my favorite early spring trips.
Just as my friend’s recommendation to take some time off has altered the course of my life, I encourage you to take the opportunity and explore Greenwater. Bring some comfortable hiking boots and set a pace as you’d like. Life is a journey and the destination for all of us is the same, so the importance ought to be on the time spent until then. The area offers a lot to explore and enjoy, and your life will be better for the experience. To borrow a quote from Warren Miller: “Adventure is the invitation to common people to become uncommon.”
Thank you for reading this and many thanks to the kind folks at the Tacoma News Tribune for the opportunity to use this space!
Source: http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/neighborhood/?title=greetings_from_greenwater&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
These articles generally are posted only on their web site. To add a little to the story, the folks at TNT published my article last in last Sunday’s paper! It was the first newspaper article I've had published. I felt pretty good about that!
So if you'd like to post something about Greenwater at TNT you have a place reserved. Your efforts just might make it into print :cool: