Riley Part 4
The memory of the ancient redwood grove stayed with him all through his school years. It featured prominently in his dreams. His parents never took him back to Oregon after that trip. Mother went back to work shortly afterwards and his father was so obviously uninterested in traveling that any vacation time was related to school or youth organizations.
He was actively encouraged to join the boy scouts, and found there a profound love of nature and the outdoors. Still not social by nature, he spent many nights away from the campfire and the other scouts, listening to the wildlife, the forest or even the grass. Longer backpacking trips were what he really enjoyed, because once a base camp was established he could wander by himself all day through the trees. There were a few solitary times, alone there in the high forest, when he was able to once again experience the sense of wonder he had felt before. (more…)
