Harts Pass no. 806

Always satisfying to sneak a little science and cuteness into the same comic :) Keep it up, Kit!

Harts Pass no. 805

The smoke season is in full swing these past few days. And while you kind of want to "make the best of it," it also just pretty much sucks...No incredibly local fires right now, but lots of eastern Washington is dealing with this right now and the smoke travels far and wide. Stay safe out there!

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 :) 

Harts Pass no. 776

 It's been a little while since my last haiku comic, but here you go for the end of 2025 and the always wide-open threshold of the new year ahead! 

Harts Pass no. 775

Fun as always to play with language and to try an adapt this traditional Christmas lyric into something that works for the wolverines and for the current state of the world. School is out as of Friday the 19th and I am looking forward to a little break and hopefully a little more snow :) 

Merry Christmas to all!

Harts Pass no. 774

Kit, like my daughter, is always pretty great at putting a positive spin on things. Hard to do when the last few days of rain should have been 4+ feet of snow and you are a wolverine that relies on late-season snowpack (and thusly any season snowfall) but here she goes again. And the mud puddle snowman drawing worked pretty well :)

Harts Pass no. 773

A few years ago I tried the "Walk in the Woods Wednesday" on for size here at Harts Pass Comics. I love the idea. I don't always put it into practice. That being said, I also DO feel Thor's pain when it comes to that rush of emotion over the last few weeks before the giving of gifts, etc.. I love making things for people. I don't always find myself with enough time to pull it off. The end result is stress and a little more worry than necessary about getting something that seems right. Excited to have family coming to visit and a change in the ebb and flow of the weeks and days regardless. It will all work out in the end :)

Spike's Zagtastic Day!

A little while back, author friend of mine (and New York Times Best-Seller!) Dan Gemeinhart and his Gonzaga University classmate Jabez LaBret, had the idea to publish a kid's book specifically for their  alma matter alumni. Potentially... this could even grow to an audience of other colleges and universities, but the idea was to create a book with a targeted appeal and also to leverage a percentage proceeds going back to the university or the university alumni association(s). Bright Dog Studio was born and I signed on to illustrate their first book! 

After a false start or two and working out a few of the kinks in any new venture, we are excited to say that Spike's Zagtastic Day is off to print and ready for holiday orders :) 

The full-spread cover wrap is shown above and a little bit of Gonzaga marketing should be heading out soon. While this little project was slightly unconventional in its origins, it is a full-fledged hard-cover picture book and the 28th of my career!

Missing my xc coaching days (2011-2023) for sure, but the last two seasons of free weekends and just a little less "scramble" to practices and meets and all of the stuff have enabled some additional art time that I was also craving. This book marks my second "return" effort to the kids book world (see If I Were a Fox)  and I look forward to getting more stories and artwork out n' about in the years to come!

With much gratitude to all involved... and a few more Spike preview images below.

- Erik

Harts Pass no. 767

For quite a few falls I pretty much missed the hunting season because I was coaching. And by that I mean I was never overly concerned with recreating out n' about in the woods when the hunters were out. I was gone every weekend at races with the team and the overlap just didn't factor into thinking. The last two falls... I definitely gave it some thought. No disparaging of the hunting crew here, just an awareness of shared use. But with "homecoming" upon us, the woods are a little less active. Onward and upward!

Harts Pass no. 766

Alas, this one had to happen quickly. I like the haiku of it, but I'm less enamored of the darker value scheme and the relative plain-ness of the backgrounds. Days like this...

 

Harts Pass no. 765

More wildfire smoke - a constant source of "inspiration" for this strip. That and my ever-positive kit. The later - AMAZING! - for former I could do without. Selfishly, at least I'm no longer coaching XC in the fall and no longer bear the responsibility for devising creative solutions to indoor athletic restrictions for days at a time. Thank you, Liam and co., for all of the excellent work that you have taken on in coaching those kids!!!