My motivation for penning (typing, I suppose) these ruminations was my learning of the passing of Dean Torges.
Although I never met the man, nor communicated with him, through his writings I came to admire him and marvel at his skill with the written word.
I have exhaustively read every story and blog post on his website. He may well be the greatest outdoor writer of our time.
For too long I have written down my thoughts and experiences and shared them too sparingly. Partially because I am insecure in the knowledge I am uneducated and untrained, partially because I hoped to one day have them published, and otherwise because I was selfish.
The Internet is a double-edged sword. Without it I may never have come to know Mr. Torges. And without it I would never have learned of his passing. When thoughts drifted to him, I would have only imagined him expertly stalking his token squirrel or happily laboring over one of his beloved selfbows.