Harts Pass no. 804

Melanie loves scrolling through the MSN "news" feed on a discarded iPhone as much as the next mustelid, but it IS a little alarming when a headline proclaims your imminent demise! That being said, since the main threat to the wolverine as an endangered species is probably the loss of late-season snowpack related to climate change...we were probably hardly going to move the needle on that one much regardless. Now the endangered sage grouse or spotted owls on the other hand...they probably ARE at greater risk since land development and tree cutting are much more immediate and likely to change quickly. Nothing really positive in that, but you see what I mean. GRRR!

Harts Pass no. 803

I won't say this week's comics was totally prescient, but the temperatures were definitely headed up and yes indeed the lightning from last week had started a few small fires in the more unreachable parts of the wilderness. Yesterday was nice enough (although 100+ degrees), but the smoke plummed up in the late afternoon...and dropped like a ton of bricks into the lower lying valleys (like ours) overnight. The mid-summer smoke season has now arrived. Definitely NOT my favorite time of year!!!!

Harts Pass no. 802

 

At least from the standpoint of the wolverines that populate this comic strip, a new standard for greed and profiteering -- an the expense of any remaining "greatness" that this country holds -- has been reached by this administration. A bit of a sticky wicket too, because the pushback in the courts could potentially do more harm than good. In 1995 the court upheld the definition of "harm" as it currently stands, but today's more conservative court might see fit to go against precedent and make an eventually unraveling of this purely "presidential" rule change harder to undo. Onward and...

Harts Pass no. 799, 800, and 801

Immediately following an AMAZING week in Denali National Park (see previous post), I took a road trip from Seattle to Los Angeles in order to fully immerse in the second phase of summer - my MFA residency session with Vermont College of Fine Art (at CalArts.) Thanks in large part to the WIFI that is available at State Park campgrounds in OR and CA, the comics didn't skip a beat...

and Thor got his chance to express his thoughts in this little series of "Summer Soapbox" comics. 

Harts Pass no. 798... and Alaska!

Pretty much IMMEDIATELY after the last day of school, I finished packing and headed to Alaska. My wife was already one day ahead of me due to work/meeting/scheduling needs, so I drove to Seattle and then met her in Fairbanks... 

...where given our proximity to the summer solstice, THIS is what it looked like at 1:30am when I landed at the airport. It was darker when I took off from Seattle at 10pm then it was when I landed :) 

I promise to circle back with more photos at some future time this summer, and I will almost certainly make a similar post to my Substack (if you like that format better.) This was our view of the north face of Denali from our little slice of Camp Denali...

...and this was our AMAZING cabin and sleeping quarters for the duration of our visit. 

A quick note of thanks and appreciation to Tom, Sony, Dave and Anne - the friends with whom we shared this adventure, and also to Lili (above) and to ALL of our amazing guides and hosts for each and every day that we were in the park. 

And lastly - many thanks to my wife, Sarah - who makes ALL of these visits and adventures decidedly more and never less. It was AMAZING walking the tundra and spending time on Camp Ridge with you. This photo is truly one of my favorites ever! And those endless slopes of the Alaska Range...GRRR!

Harts Pass no. 797

This comic is about the use of language...but it is also about leadership and honesty and truth. We are currently at war by choice. We are currently risking lives and spending billions of dollars by choice. And we are currently abusing our standing in the world and trading away our future influence on potentially MUCH more valuable things -- by choice. our And by "we" I mean the president. His choice. No one that voted for him really wants this. And everyone that didn't vote for him feels the same way. This whole conflict is a wasteful disgrace and it has gone on for far too long with no truthful end in sight. GRRR!

Harts Pass no. 796

Happy graduation class of 2026! "Adapt and survive" the ever-constant motto of the wolverine! You all are ready. Get out there and show 'em your stuff! GRRR!!!!

 

Harts Pass no. 795

Sometime you do just need to shout things into the void. Step back. Move away. Refocus and analyze at some point a little down the road. Perspective - as they say... And summer is almost upon us!

Harts Pass no. 794

The staff here at Harts Pass Comics are long-time Timberwolves fans. I mean, it only makes sense. The wolves were an NBA expansion team early in our formative Minnesota teenaged years...and it's been exciting to see them having some long-time-coming success in the post-KG era. GRRR!!!

Harts Pass no. 793

These "spring" comics are pretty routine for me. Something about the return of the light. Something about flowers :) We DO have a totally unique version of the sunflower here (in these 'thar hills) called the Arrowleaf Balsamroot. Its a more widespread western species, but there is a particular version that you can only find here in the Methow Valley. Pretty cool. I don't know anyone who is allergic to this plant...but it looks nice and it fit with the haiku :)