The changing seasons of a northern Indiana lake and the high country of Colorado are the scaffolding for travels in remote mountains, twilight in the desert, battles with fears we rarely read about, honest thoughts on superstition, and the overarching goal of restoring the wonder of youth, all told through the lyrical poetry of nature.

Along the way we put our thumb on the remotest spot on Earth, rescue snapping turtles, go AWOL from the Army, elope, suffer the humiliation of being outwitted by a squirrel, subject a pileated woodpecker to psychoanalysis, winter in the frosty sunlight of Mackinac Island, gaze out over the rim of the Lover’s Leap at Hanging Rock, and other adventures in the heartland.

In the mountains of the second year, we listen for the singing dunes in the Mojave, seek spirituality beneath the Joshua Trees of California, discover the mining town that consumed itself (Bisbee), walk the hallowed grounds of the Cochise Stronghold, the ancient ruins of South Park, visit the Battle of the Bulls, the writing table that sits in the shade of the Lawrence Tree (Taos), and wander the thin air and rare light of high mountain summits along the Continental Divide.

Among these journeys are dark times: searing after-images from a jungle war, the loss of my son, daughter, and sister, and the struggle to feel again. Those losses instilled hard truths about mortality, and the need to seek out and find serenity through reading, traveling, continually searching out fresh experiences.

This book is about escaping the digital imprint, resetting our heart compass, seeking out wildlands to explore, feeling joy learning new things, tickling our wanderlust, and restoring a youthful sense of wonder. Pack an overnight bag and prepare to join the quest.