Tray Mountain stood before me, its massive presence reaching toward the heavenly expanse and eclipsing the final efforts of the sun. Sitting on a log beside the trail, I took off my pack and reached for my water bottle. I estimated that I had an hour before the final remnants of the day gave way to darkness.…
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“We’re almost there,” my hiking buddy panted as he continued his slow gait in front of me. For the past couple of hours, the rhythmic clicking of his trekking poles had set the pace of our ascent like a metronome meters a slow, melodic song. We had already climbed well over a thousand feet as we sought…
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“That’s not how we do it here.” Those words, when said by an authority figure such as a boss or team lead, can stifle innovative thinking and cap the creative juices that are necessary for an organization to adapt to a changing environment. I recently listened to John Kotter’s book by that title, That’s Not How…
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Imagine for a moment being a naval explorer from antiquity. You set sail from the Old World, plotting a course that will take you across the vast and deep sea toward your foreign destination. The trip will be long and wrought with dangers. Headwinds will hinder your progress. Crosswinds will blow you off course. Storms will rise,…
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I like to read. I find it relaxing, I find it entertaining, and I find it informing. I like a wide range of books. Over the past year, I’ve read non-fiction books on leadership, on behavioral economics, on beekeeping, and on hiking the Appalachian Trail. I’ve read fictional works like Dune, The Old Man and the Sea,…
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I stood motionless, training all of my senses toward the faint whisper of sound that had caught my attention. Frozen in the middle to the trail, I strained to hear the sound again. Moving my head slightly to the left, I listened intently. My eyes darting back and forth, scanning the underbrush for a sign. Did…
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It doesn’t matter if you like it or not. It doesn’t even matter if you acknowledge it or not. You are being watched. Your actions and your words, your expressions and your emotions are being watched and mirrored. Your team is looking to you for guidance. Of course, they are looking for direction for toward their…
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In one fluid motion, I raked the spine of my knife down the length of the firesteel propelling a steady stream of sparks toward the small metal can. The denatured alcohol in my homemade SuperCat stove instantly ignited into a translucent blue flame. In less than 10 minutes I would enjoy the steaming, bold, liquid…
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Tall trees reached heavenward and poison ivy blanketed the ground around me like an itchy green photosynthesizing snow except for in this small patch of well worn earth directly in front of me. It looked as if a multitude of hikers had camped here over the years. I scanned the area looking for the next blaze.…
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The pack creaked as I hoisted it onto my back. Or was it my back that moaned under the load? I wasn’t really sure which had protested more. The pack weighed more than 50 pounds, way too heavy to carry for the next 137 miles. Yet that was my goal: 137 meandering miles along the mountains…
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