A new era begins

Today marked my first day on the job at Ontier, maker of the Pixetell communications solution. My morning turned into afternoon so quickly that I forgot to get lunch. I love the pace! Look for some upcoming posts about a Portland start-up taking off like a rocket and leaving the competition in its wake.

Gainfully employed again!

Quite a Thanksgiving all the way around. While dining at a "Thanksgiving drift" party at Linda's on Wednesday, I got a call from Ontier Inc. asking me to come work for them. The party suddenly went up a couple of levels in hilarity and celebration.
Ontier makes a product known as Pixetell that is essentially an enriched email solutions for users that want ultimate flexibility and clarity in their web conferences. Click on the headline for this blog to learn more about Pixetell and the company.
The same day, our daughter got an acceptance letter from Tulane University with a huge wad of academic merit scholarship money included. And in New York, where our son is attending college, word came to him that the 7" LP his band (Empty Vessel) released earlier this year had received a rave review from a top punk rock fanzine.
Teresa had to bask in the reflected glow this time, altho I think the rest of us can probably thank her for making our achievements possible. Thanks baby!

It's all working out for the best!

Suddenly, opportunities abound! What a difference a few weeks can make, especially when you have the right people in your corner.
I’d had a fairly productive run as a contract writer and editor. The highlight was writing web articles in the wiki format this summer for a local start-up, AboutUs.org. But I was longing to get back into a fulltime job where I could throw everything I had into one organization’s mission.
Then within a few weeks, the way was paved for that to happen. An editor at The Columbian in Vancouver, WA, asked me to write a feature on a local Special Olympics coach. The story grew into a terrific feel-good section front for the paper’s Living section. A week later, I pitched a story to Reuters News Service, another of my clients. That story turned into the “most read” article among Reuters clients for three days running.
Suddenly, I had momentum—and I was getting emails and phone calls from friends and strangers in the journalism community. In the middle of all this excitement, the editor at AboutUs.org contacted me to say that a local tech start-up, Ontier, was looking for someone who could research, write and manage content. She recommended me highly, and the next thing I knew, I had a job offer with “dream job” written all over it.

The prospect of landing a job like this in Portland was a huge relief to my family. We were considering relocating as my job hunt intensified. I've included a view of Mt. Hood from the Ramona Falls-Timberline Lodge section of the Timberline Trail to underscore the fact that the Ontier Pixetell job means we can continue to enjoy this splendid view for years to come. Here, the Timberline Trail follows the Pacific Crest Trail, and I don't think you can find a more scenic section of the PCT.

Echoes of Past Treks

When my friend Paul and I recently hiked a 6-mile section of the Timberline Trail (it was 12 miles roundtrip), I was reminded of the four-day trip Tom and Paul Balmer, and my son and I, took around the 47-mile loop a few years back. Below is a little essay on that experience.

That Seductive Little Loop Trail

As my son and I fought our way out of the White River Basin on a twisting, bone-dry trail, it occurred to me that maybe next time we should do the Timberline Trail in counterclockwise fashion. Going in that direction, we'd be doing this torturous stretch of the 47-mile trail on the first day--not the last.

On the other hand, I consoled myself, the beer I knew awaited me at Timberline Lodge would probably be the best tasting beer I would ever have in my life--if we ever made it to the lodge.

The Timberline Trail beckons serious hikers and backpackers from around the world. Describing, as it does, a loop around stunning Mount Hood in the Cascade Range in Oregon, it offers a tempting combination of gorgeous views, varied flora and fauna, challenging stream crossings and just enough ice and snow to test your skill traversing the white stuff.

It's not the toughest trek on the globe, nor even in Oregon. But the western hiker who doesn't have a notch on the belt for the Timberline Trail will always be a second class citizen on the trail.

That was the argument that led my son and me to that last stretch of trail on a blistering hot day in late August. Our friend, Tom Balmer, decided I needed to get the Timberline Trail loop onto my hiking resume. His son and mine, both 14, were pals. Why not make it a father-son? expedition?

Why not indeed? Plans we made, and on the appointed launch morning, the judge nosed his Chevy into a parking space at the Timberline Lodge lot. We hoisted our gear, and, with a jaunt to our steps, we set out to add that notch to our belts.
For those who pay close attention to elevation gains and losses, the Timberline Trail will prove especially rewarding. On a map, the dotted line of the trail looks more or less like a lazy loop around the summit. But when you're hefting a 45-pound pack over the trail, you come to appreciate all the ups and downs that await the hiker.

The first day (when taking the clockwise course) begins with a pleasurable "flat" (there being no such thing as a flat trail in the mountains) couple of miles. Then, without warning, the path plunges downward. A series of switchbacks leads to the roaring (and dangerous to cross) Sandy River. One follows the uphill sloping trail to beautiful Ramona Falls. But why camp here when there's another campground just a couple of miles on?

Oops! That couple of miles is straight uphill! As dusk approaches and packs sag heavily, we finally find the primitive campground. Oh, to drop our loads and never move again! As we learn, elevation gain and loss is a signature characteristic of the Timberline Trail.

But in the end, we did battle our way up and out of the White River Canyon. Tom and I savored our beers, the boys their root beers, and we toasted our feat.
Today, the trek offers a new degree of difficulty: A key section of the trail was obliterated by a landslide shortly after our triumph. A Herculean effort is now required of hikers to cross the washed-out section.
Yet the belt-notchers are still out there every summer, intent on conquering this seductive beast of a hike. I'll do it again, soon, I'm sure. And probably drag along someone who has yet to claim this particular notch on their hiking belt.