Big Woods: Northern New Hampshire

Here is some video from a weekend up north. I spent the weekend walking in soft and hard woods, steep ridges and clear-cuts. I was looking for Moose antlers that fell off during the late winter season. It was amazing! Tell me what you think?

Diamond Valley Camp: Errol, NH from Dawood Yasin on Vimeo.

Yemen: On the Permaculture Map

What more can I say...Geoff & his wife Nadia making it happen. Beyond talk there are actions.

Yemen: On the Permaculture Map

Zaytuna Summer Arabic Language Intensive--Berkeley CA

Hiking in the Berkeley Hills ZSAI 2008

Sakina Grome

Bismillah Ar-rahman Ar-raheem

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful

As part of the first Zaytuna Summer Arabic Intensive program held this year in Berkeley, California, students had the opportunity to participate in many local activities and gatherings. Besides attending classes and regular lectures, students were invited to local mosques, lectures, gatherings and other events taking place within the local Muslim community.

Throughout the program, our teachers encouraged us to become actively involved in our communities on all levels, to engage with whichever environment we find ourselves in, and to find solutions to the problems around us. There were many ways, they stated, that we could get involved, and they taught us that we are all leaders in one sense or another.

Our teacher and imam, Dawood Yasin, offered to lead us on a hike after the morning prayer on a Saturday morning in the Berkeley Hills. Many of us were already waking up to perform prayer and to recite a daily litany in congregation. We performed our prayer as usual, but instead of reciting the litany inside, we decided to read it as a group at the top of Strawberry Canyon after hiking up.

The hike occurred early into the course and I remember that it brought many of us together for the first time. It was a great outlet to the week of studying and working hard, while still giving us healthy motivation to keep focusing our attention and efforts towards striving to please Allah.

It was extremely pleasant to be in such a beautiful natural environment, and the experience even served to reawaken some of us to the bounty of Allah’s creation and our responsibility to care for it. The light that morning was stunning, and the collective witnessing of such a scene served to bring our hearts together and renew our spirits.

By the time we reached the top, pushing to get through the last stretch, the fog that had previously settled on the hilltops had cleared and as we sat in the remembrance of God under the shade of the trees, we could see all the way out to the bay. When we came down later that morning, there was a definite shift in our awareness and a contentment that filled our hearts.

Reading The Sands

In 2004 I read an article called Reading the Sands, and was glad to see something positive coming out of the Gulf region regarding the environment and the outdoors.  Here is a brief section of the article.


When I mention that tracking schools have been established in the United States in recent years that keep alive some of the knowledge developed by Native Americans, Abdulhadi Saleh notes the decline of tracking skills in his own country, without any such schools on the horizon as yet. Other than his own thesis, he cannot recall a single recent book in Arabic on the subject of tracking or desert guiding: In Saudi Arabia, he says, there are only living practitioners, and their numbers are declining.

“In the past, trackers emerged and were picked for their specific skills as well as for their character. It was a big responsibility and an honorable status within any tribe and clan. Trackers were decision-makers and often leaders,” he explains. “You’ll see their ability today.” Click here to read the entire article...

I connected a lot the material in the article with a book I am reading by Tom Brown  in his book, Tom Browns Field Guide: Nature Observation & Tracking he says, "Nature is far more colorful and fascinating than most of us can imagine. But our minds are so clouded by modern thought patterns ans stimuli that we do not perceive the pure and natural except through a distorting lens."

Queeche, VT Balloon Festival--2010

I am posting some old photos from the Queeche, VT balloon festival a few years back. We had a great time OUTSIDE, it was Father's day, and as you can see in one of the photos I got lifted with my G's. Great weather + great company = a great time. I'll say it again...Get Outside!

California Dreaming--Yosemite Summer 2011

It took me four summers to get to Yosemite, and all I can say is...It was worth the wait! I was fortunate enough to tag along with Yusuf O'Connell and Erin Bliss--seen in some of the photos. We only had 36 hours, it felt like our time was stretched us. What an amazing trip! I hope to get back there soon, this time...for like a month. Get Outside!

X-Mass Day Outside

Last year on X-Mass day we headed out to Occom pond to get on the ice with our skates. It was crazy cold, but that did not stop us from getting outside. When the weather is challenging we experience our surroundings in all situations, warm, cold, hot, windy, rain, or anything else. It's a great reminder of our limited control. What ever condition you find, make it work!

This year on X-Mass day I headed out with the G's on a short hike. The plan was to build a fire and grill some venison kabobs for lunch. The challenge was to start the fire without matches or a lighter. We did not take it to the the level of a Bow Drill, but we did use a Steel and Flint set up. They loved it! The temps were a little warmer than last year, nonetheless, it was in the low 20's. There were a few complaints about cold toes and fingers. However, once they started eating, all discomforts were forgotten.

Don't use the weather as an excuse to remain inside. Remember, there is no bad weather only bad gear and bad preparation!