Thomas Trock

Mountain Cathedrals: The Outdoors From a Different Perspective

Moondog/Stardog/Cosmos

Salmon Spawning VI

Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever. – Deuteronomy 34:7 NLT The kokanee salmon are spawning once again in my part of the world. In prior posts, I’ve mentioned how these fish sometimes spawn in water that is very shallow, or what some fishermen call thin water. They spawn here in spite of the fact that eagles and osprey often cruise overhead, using their keen eyesight to locate their next meal. A close-up of these fish over their spawning gravel can be seen at Salmon Spawning III. …

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Salmon Spawning V

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD! Psalm 150:6 NKJV Well, it’s that time of year once again, and I can’t seem to help taking some pictures of these remarkable fish (and a remarkable dog this time too). It is sometimes difficult to get a perspective on just how shallow the water can be where these kokanee salmon spawn. To get to this particular place, we had to wade across a fairly large stretch of river. Actually, I waded whilst Cosmos opted to swim most of the way. Since this area gets little human disturbance because …

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Mountain Vapor and Clouds

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. James 4:13-14 There are many reasons I like to hike the mountains, especially off of man-made trails. One reason I’ve mentioned before is that I never know what type of treasure I’m going to find as I crisscross ridges and valleys (see Mountain …

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Moose I – Moose on the Loose

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 There are times when my main goal as I head for the outdoors is to do what this verse says. I struggle with concentrating on one thing for long periods of time, but by His grace I can sometimes come close to searching for Him with all I’ve got. When I toss my own agenda for the day and stay focused on seeking Him, amazing things can happen. A few years ago, Star the ever alert Wonderdog and I were sitting …

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Unexpected Adventure

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. Isaiah 40:28 I stumbled across this draft which, for what ever reason, I had not posted in April of 2015. Oh how I miss Star the Wonderdog. Had an interesting hike yesterday. Stardog and I trekked up a steep mountain to a natural basin of sorts. The basin is large, perhaps a mile or more across. It contains mostly small brush and grass, with occasional thick pockets of trees scattered …

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Otters

You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145:16 Perhaps it is because I rarely see river otters that I enjoy watching them so much. That, along with their unusual but almost constant chortling and purring grunts make them delightful entertainment as I spend a day on the water. The North American river otter has a life span of about ten years in the wild. It weighs between ten and thirty pounds and seems to be constantly on the move during waking hours. Otters need to consume a lot of food to fuel their high …

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Eternity in Their Hearts

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 I’ve been very fortunate to spend time with and to study various animals. I grew up in farm country, and we always had a few shelter dogs around the place and a couple of cats and horses in the barn. I seldom went out to the woods without a four-legged companion by my side. Going behind the scenes at some fascinating wildlife research facilities or sanctuaries …

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Joy and Peace

For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  Isaiah 55:12 It was some years after our beloved Harvest Moon died that we started to look for another dog. We knew Moon could not be replaced, and we were right – he never will be. There was something about Moon that seemed to radiate peace and strength to those he met. Many folks at the nursing home didn’t know my name, but they …

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Huckleberries

He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth. These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season. Psalm 104:14, 27 A nice perk of the mountains where I live is the occasional discovery of various foods to munch on whilst hiking about. Late summer and early fall yield a lot of different kinds of berries, many of which are safe – and quite tasty – to eat. Once when I was with our old yellow lab, Moon, …

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With All Your Heart

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters Colossians 3:23 NIV Last year at this time my wife and I were in Alaska working with wounded veterans. The injured military personnel and their spouses come for a week as guests of Samaritans Purse’s Operation Heal Our Patriots. At OHOP, the veteran couples find spiritual/mental refreshment and enrichment for their marriages. Many of these couples struggle daily with lasting effects of traumatic injuries and experiences that can cause their marriages and families to crumble. See Veterans Day The Beating Heart …

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Deer Swim

For through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him.  Colossians 1:16 NLT I have missed my share of photo opportunities whilst traversing the mountains. And once in a while I’ll get a picture of something from a bit far away, but the uniqueness of the moment seems worth posting for others to enjoy nonetheless. Such is the above photo of three deer swimming a nearby …

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Stardog Shakedown

You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai, his voice shook the earth, but now he …

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Puddles

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10 Hiking in the springtime with Stardog can be a thrill a minute. I don’t believe Star has ever met a puddle she didn’t like. She may truly believe all puddles were created for her to cool off and romp around in. I’ve seen her back up several yards from a large pool and then just run full bore straight through …

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Mountain Treasures II – The Treasure Hunt

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-3 It is treasure hunting time once again where I live. A lot of the mountains at higher elevations are still inaccessible, but I’ve been fortunate enough to find a few places to hike while waiting for the high-country snows to melt away. Hiking the mountains in the early spring is often a mixed bag of events. Sometimes a cold, …

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Elk Bait

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10      Star the Wonderdog and I were recently hiking in an area new to us. It’s a tract of land not too far from our home. In the few times we’ve explored it, we’ve seen sign from deer, elk, moose, bear, wolf, and cougar. The area has had some extensive human activity, but there are still large pockets of semi-wild country within its borders.      …

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Living Water

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-39      I’ve often been amazed at how life thrives around water. Even if it’s not much water, just a little seems to draw a …

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Springtime in the Mountains III

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. Galatians 6:14-15      A while back, Star the Wonderdog and I were seeing lots of bear sign during a springtime hike. Quite naturally, I had bears on my mind, so I kept Star close by as we ascended the mountain. …

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Queen of Quirk

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.  Genesis 2:19 NIV.      Sometimes I think Stardog is a bit too smart for my own good. There are moments when I’ve caught her studying me with a most inquisitive look of wonder on her face. I’ll think “Hmm, that’d make a really good picture.”      Star will watch me carefully as I pull out …

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