Rick Van de Poll – författare

The wild is speaking. Are you listening?Step into the quiet places where nature reveals its stories—through curious bears, elusive mountain lions, and even the unexpected charm of flirtatious porcupines.In Crossing Paths: A Poetic Journey in 45 Days, ecologist, science writer, and poet Rick Van de Poll invites readers into an intimate encounter with the natural world. Drawing from a lifetime devoted to studying and protecting the environment, Rick shares the daily moments of wonder that arise when we slow down and truly observe the living world around us.For forty-five consecutive days, Rick wrote one poem each day inspired by his encounters with wildlife and the ecosystems they inhabit. The result is a thoughtful and beautifully illustrated collection that captures the rhythms, mysteries, and quiet wisdom of nature.Each poem becomes a small window into the wild—reminding us that every creature, every forest path, and every shifting season has something to teach us.Inside Crossing Paths, you'll discover:• Encounters with the remarkable diversity of wildlife• A refreshing and accessible approach to nature poetry• Reflections that inspire curiosity, exploration, and wonder• A deeper understanding of the ecosystems that sustain life• Gentle reminders of the role we each play as caretakers of the EarthThis collection is more than poetry—it's an invitation. An invitation to step outside, to notice the hidden stories unfolding in the woods and fields, and to reconnect with the natural world that surrounds us.Crossing Paths encourages readers to pause, observe, and make one simple choice each day: to pay attention.Because when we truly listen to the wild things, we rediscover our responsibility—and our place—within the living planet.If you love nature, poetry, and the quiet magic of the outdoors, Crossing Paths will guide you back to the secret places where the natural world still speaks.

What do mountains know that we've forgotten?Stand at the base of a mountain and it appears silent, unmoving, ancient beyond comprehension. But climb high enough—step by step, breath by breath—and something begins to change. The world opens. The noise fades. And suddenly, the mountains begin to speak.Crossing Higher Ground: Poetry from the Mountaintops is an invitation to listen.In this second book of the series, ecologist, science writer, and poet Rick Van de Poll brings readers into the rare and powerful spaces that exist high above the valleys—places where wind sharpens the senses, horizons stretch endlessly, and silence carries its own kind of wisdom.These poems are not simply about mountains. They are born from them.For more than fifty years, Van de Poll has wandered through wild landscapes, climbing ridges, crossing alpine passes, and standing on peaks where the human world briefly falls away. Along the way he has learned what every mountain traveler eventually discovers: the climb changes you.Mountains are not conquered.They are encountered.Every ascent tells a story—the effort of the climb, the uncertainty of the weather, the quiet exhilaration of reaching the summit. But beyond the physical journey lies something deeper. Mountains invite reflection. They strip away distractions. They remind us how small we are within the vastness of the living Earth.Through lyrical poetry and evocative imagery, Crossing Higher Ground captures those moments when landscape and insight meet.Within these pages you will discover:• How mountains quietly become our teachers• Why the struggle of the climb mirrors the struggles of life• How standing above the world changes the way we see ourselves• Why ancient peaks hold stories older than human memory• And how their wisdom reveals itself slowly—to those willing to listenMountains carry the memory of the planet within their stone. They have watched glaciers carve valleys, forests rise and fall, and countless generations of life come and go. From their summits, time feels different—longer, deeper, more profound.Van de Poll's poetry invites us to see through that timeless perspective.As you move through the book, you will walk alpine trails, pause beside wind-swept ledges, and stand in the quiet brilliance of high places where clouds drift below the ridgeline. The accompanying illustrations deepen the experience, creating a visual journey that mirrors the emotional and spiritual terrain of the poems themselves.But the mountains offer more than beauty. They challenge us.They ask us to slow down. To breathe. To notice. To consider the kind of world we are shaping and the kind of legacy we will leave behind. From the mountaintop vantage point, the story of humanity becomes part of a much larger narrative—the unfolding history of Earth itself.And that perspective changes everything.Crossing Higher Ground is both a celebration of wild places and a meditation on the lessons they hold. It reminds us that the path upward is rarely easy, but the view from the top reveals truths we cannot see from below.If you have ever stood on a ridge and felt the vastness of the world stretch before you…If you have ever paused in the quiet of high country and sensed something ancient stirring in the wind…If you have ever wondered what the mountains might say if we truly listened…This book is for you.Step onto the trail.Follow the path upward.And discover the stories waiting on the mountaintops.