One Good Memory for sure!

I thank the folks at Silver Birch Press for including “Sunlight Seas” in their One Good Memory Series. It was a good memory indeed! https://silverbirchpress.wordpress.com/2023/01/16/sunlight-seas-by-robert-walton-one-good-memory-series/

Tryst – a ghostly mountain tale

“Tryst” began as sketches for  a fairly tedious novel. After residing among ancient computer files for fifteen years or so, I got it out, trimmed away most of it and refashioned what was left into a ghostly climbing tale. It won a prize and publication. Please let me know what you think!

Here’s the link: http://www.theghoststory.com/tryst

Mountain Rules 2

I’ve had many great rock-climbing partners over the past forty-two years. Two of the first and best were Ed Foley and Lincoln Hatch. We learned the sport together and shared its great joy: stepping into and joining with mountain beauty. Sometimes we stepped into more than just beauty. That’s where climbing tales begin. Editor Larry Upshaw of Ageless Authors liked my account of a springtime adventure on Tuolumne’s granite. They awarded the story first prize and included it in their upcoming anthology. I’ll let you all know when the tome is actually published.

Mountain Rules

Son Jeremy and I atop Pywiack in May of 1988 on an ideal day!

In May of 1987 Ed Foley, Linc Hatch and I went to the Sierras in May for some early season rock climbing. We ended up having more of an adventure than we’d planned – as sometimes happens in the mountains – when a violent snowstorm hit us mid-climb. I wrote about our “epic” in my journal and later polished it up a bit for potential publication. It looks like that will happen pretty soon! The reminiscence won a prize in the Ageless Authors competition. I absolutely make no claim to being ageless, but I’m glad they liked the story. I’ll share it with you when it’s available. Meanwhile, here’s a link to the article: https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/487742565/california-senior-writers-awarded-top-ageless-authors-prizes

A view of Tenaya Lake from Pywiack’s summit on a sunny May day in 1988

Pinnacles Forever!

Mike Russell, Bill Hunt and Bob Walton in the West Side parking lot, 1977

Friend, neighbor and civic leader Karen Jernigan invited me to speak at a meeting of Pinnacles Gateway Partners on March 14th. This group is devoted to sustaining, supporting and promoting Pinnacles National Park. My very pleasant task was to share some climbing stories and photos with members of the group, many of whom have no experience with rock climbing. Longtime leader of the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth founder David Brower initiated technical climbing at Pinnacles in 1934. Tens of thousands have enjoyed the Park’s crags since then. Aside from enjoying our sport, climbers have also shouldered the burdens of protecting and enhancing Pinnacles. We work with the good people of the NPS to support their mission. Climbing culture is strong at Pinnacles and that culture is one of stewardship. I shared that with the Gateway folks. Here’s a link to an article about my presentation:  https://benitolink.com/features/pinnacles-gateway-partners-welcomes-veteran-rock-climber?fbclid=IwAR3a8ES_MGZmY78LN8b83Zb41rZF7lXYjYuTdh4UyID36Z2nWdjTDxxkYZk

A Bear for Lunch

Editor Richard Loller generously added this Yosemite reminiscence to his Preservation Foundation site. When you take teenagers to mountains where bears reside, they will inevitably meet. Here’s the link:

http://www.storyhouse.org/robertwa2.html

Dawn Coyotes

Photo by Ed Haskell

John and Audrey Miller and I visited Courtright Reservoir earlier this summer for some high Sierra hiking and climbing. I got an earlier start to our first full day than I’d planned. Coyotes gathered on Spring Dome’s eastern slabs, fifty yards or so from my cot, and greeted dawn with great enthusiasm – woke me up! I wrote a poem about it and Nature Writing’s editor Ron Harton included it on his fine page. Especially note Ed Haskell’s photo! Here’s the link:

https://naturewriting.com/dawn-coyotes/