The Casita Crawl
Instead of making the trek up the mountain, Alfonso and I, along with our crew of fellow naturalists, researchers, and organic farmers, decided to bring the night life to us.
Jon Gorter (‘17) lives in Athens, Georgia, where he works as an arborist. He spends his time walking neighborhood streets, visiting farmers’ markets, and cooking Thai curries. Jon graduated from Calvin with degrees in English and environmental studies and holds an MS in natural resources from the University of Michigan.
by Jon Gorter | Feb 28, 2023 | 0 comments
Instead of making the trek up the mountain, Alfonso and I, along with our crew of fellow naturalists, researchers, and organic farmers, decided to bring the night life to us.
by Jon Gorter | Jan 28, 2023 | 2 comments
Lurking the rocky bottom, deep in the black abyss of Bear Lake, the walleye patrols his kingdom
by Jon Gorter | Dec 28, 2022 | 0 comments
Living in the shadows of 14,000 foot peaks, the mountains offered ample lectures on living with limited light.
by Jon Gorter | Nov 28, 2022 | 0 comments
Let me tell you, dear reader, nothing so wrenches the heart like turkey tears.
by Jon Gorter | Oct 28, 2022 | 0 comments
Cemetery-learned drivers make for slow, steady drivers, who may or may not still bear the mental turmoil of having learned to drive surrounded by dead bodies.
by Jon Gorter | Sep 28, 2022 | 2 comments
I remember the first time I had coffee that didn’t taste like sludge.
by Jon Gorter | Aug 28, 2022 | 1 comment
There was always another plant to look for, another mushroom species to find, and the possibilities of foraging were endless.
by Jon Gorter | Jul 28, 2022 | 2 comments
I smell the sweet river dew and hear the rush of water over rock, and I’m launched back in time to my hunter-gatherer roots.
by Jon Gorter | Jun 28, 2022 | 2 comments
My friend had just described a hypothetical scenario of someone living in direct opposition to the laws of the church, and there I was, right beside him, living that life, deserving of reprimand.
by Jon Gorter | May 28, 2022 | 0 comments
Rainy days have always felt exceedingly genuine.
by Jon Gorter | Apr 28, 2022 | 0 comments
Temporary is the only kind of time there is.
by Jon Gorter | Mar 28, 2022 | 0 comments
Are we one, two, or three-ply people?
by Jon Gorter | Feb 28, 2022 | 1 comment
The selective pressures that sculpted the genes of our ancestors left deep imprints.
by Jon Gorter | Jan 28, 2022 | 0 comments
Anything I do on top of sleeping and eating a few cookies registers as an accomplishment.
by Jon Gorter | Dec 28, 2021 | 0 comments
Despite the poisonous potentials, the potato would steal the hearts, via the stomachs, of the world.
by Jon Gorter | Nov 28, 2021 | 1 comment
That’s when the client’s mailbox gets pummelled to the ground.
by Jon Gorter | Oct 28, 2021 | 0 comments
I reach quasi Tour de France hill climb status.
by Jon Gorter | Sep 28, 2021 | 8 comments
“I guess you might still be sleeping and that’s OK, we can talk soon.”
by Jon Gorter | Aug 28, 2021 | 2 comments
There’s no time to let my mind wander when a two-ton Water Oak limb is hurtling toward the ground.
by Jon Gorter | Jul 28, 2021 | 2 comments
It is a frequent casualty claimed by the trail.
by Jon Gorter | Jun 28, 2021 | 1 comment
He’s the uncle that snores so I don’t like him, but he’s also the uncle that catches all the fish.
by Jon Gorter | May 28, 2021 | 1 comment
The bear ascended a steep rhododendron-covered slope which cut the distance between us and him in half.
by Jon Gorter | Apr 28, 2021 | 2 comments
The earth will teach you to pay attention if you listen to it, and it might even reward you with cool toads and tasty free snacks.
by Jon Gorter | Feb 28, 2021 | 6 comments
We’d set off toward Kice Island and everything would go as planned.
by Jon Gorter | Jan 28, 2021 | 9 comments
The mantra for dealing with predators is summarized succinctly by the three S’s: shoot, shovel, and shut up.
by Jon Gorter | Dec 28, 2020 | 1 comment
This was it. This was the moment my entire family would oust me from the clan.
by Jon Gorter | Nov 28, 2020 | 3 comments
Was this an encounter with some forest guardian, a mountain sprite who hikes miles through the misty mountains and sips water at hidden springs?
by Jon Gorter | Oct 28, 2020 | 3 comments
If you were placed into a story about first dates, you’d better know your fish diseases.
by Jon Gorter | Sep 28, 2020 | 5 comments
Buying a feeder isn’t something one does on a whim; it takes planning.