Author Archives:

About

For half a century, Tamia Nelson has been ranging far and wide by bike, boat, and on foot. A geologist by training, an artist since she could hold a pencil, a photographer since her uncle gave her a twin-lens reflex camera when she was 10, she's made her living as a writer and novelist for two decades. Avocationally her interests span natural history, social history, cooking, art, and self-powered outdoor pursuits, and she has broad experience in mountaineering, canoeing, kayaking, cycling, snowshoeing and skiing.

Getting Up After a Fall While Snowshoeing

All webfooted wanderers stumble sooner or later, and that’s when the trouble begins. So here’s a guide to getting up and moving on after your snowshoes have let you down.
______________________________

by Tamia Nelson | February 15, 2019
Originally published in different form on March 5, 2013

Snowshoeing has long been our favorite mode of winter travel, and we’re not alone in this. Snowshoes make it easy to break free from the groomed trails that attract droves of skiers (not to mention packs of snowmobilers), allowing the modest plodder to strike out cross-country more or less at will. After all, there really isn’t any terrain that snowshoes can’t handle, though snowshoers, like all winter wanderers, are well advised to exercise extreme care when crossing frozen lakes and streams, and the most prudent course is to avoid such crossings altogether.

Once safely off thin ice, there are few, if any, insurmountable barriers. Steep, forested slopes that are off-limits to skiers pose no problems for experienced big-footed travelers, and while snowmobiles wallow and sink helplessly in deep powder—most … Continue reading »

Isn’t It Time You Sno-Sealed Your Boots?

You waxed your car. You painted the deck. You brushed the dog. But when did you last Sno-Seal your boots?
______________________________

by Tamia Nelson | February 11, 2019
Originally published in different form on November 11, 2012

I like leather boots. And when I find a pair that fits, I want to keep it going as long as possible. Farwell has some work boots that have been resoled five (or is it six?) times. But they’re old-style boots, made back in the day, when every small city boasted at least one cobbler and it was no big deal to get a pair of boots resoled. Those days are long gone, of course. Ours is now a use-it-once-and-toss-it-away economy. True, most modern hiking boots are good for more than a single outing. But just try getting a worn pair resoled…

Still, there are a few things you can do to get the most out of your investment in footwear. You can treat the leather with a preservative from time to time, for instance. I use Atsko Sno-Seal. It … Continue reading »

It’s Hunting Season! How to NOT Look Like a Deer When Biking and Hiking

Every year there are unfortunate incidents during hunting season, and this year is no exception. A mountain biker on a popular French trail was shot and killed by a hunter who mistook him for a deer. So do your bit to avoid a similar tragedy, and that does not mean having to stay out of the woods.
______________________________

by Tamia Nelson | October 19, 2018

In France, close to the border with Switzerland, a 34-year-old mountain biker was shot dead by a 22-year-old-hunter while the cyclist was riding a popular mountain track. The hunter is reportedly suffering deep shock, and his father claims that the young man mistook the cyclist as a deer. This tragedy is a sober reminder to all cyclists and hikers who take to the trails during hunting season to do what you can to avoid “looking like a deer.” I don’t know of any deer who wear “hunter” or international orange clothing. (I have never seen a deer that rode a bike, either, but that’s another issue.)

Most of the year, I’m … Continue reading »

The Maternal Line: Eulogy for a Beautiful Woman

A father. His daughter. His daughter’s daughter. A river. No, that’s not right. The River. Theirs is a story that began long ago. But it hasn’t ended yet. And The River flows through it.
______________________________

by Tamia Nelson | May 10, 2018
Originally published in different form in different places in other years.

The girl found The River irresistible. Whenever she could, she scrambled over the cliff that rose precipitously from the swift waters. The snowmelt‑swollen spring torrents carved deep potholes in the cliff’s sheer walls, and when the floods receded, the girl sometimes found stranded trout in those dark recesses, swimming frantically in futile circles. That’s when she taught herself how to tickle trout, catching the imprisoned fish in her hands before returning them to The River. It was a difficult job, even a dangerous one at times, but seeing the trout swim free was all the reward that she asked — or wanted.

When she wasn’t climbing the cliff, the girl often dabbled in The River’s shallows, turning over cobbles to see who might be living under them. And … Continue reading »