chatting with David Huggins

I work for an outdoor school as an instructor, and I spend weeks (and sometime months) away from my desk.

I enjoy the time teaching in the mountains, and I’ve found that the weirdness factor in my life sort of evaporates when I’m out in the Wilderness.

When I returned from a winter ski expedition at the end of January (of this year, 2009) just a few minutes after arriving in my cabin, the phone rang and it was David Huggins.

David is a fellow I’ve never met, but we’ve had a bunch of delightful phone chats. He’s a lifelong experiencer, and he is also a passionate artist and many of his paintings are visual recreations of his strange encounters.

Oil painting by David Huggins attempting to describe his memories of strange encounters

I’ll add that he has been enormously supportive of my attempts to make sense of my experiences, and he has encouraged me to draw (or paint) my memories.

That phone call in late January was curious, coming just minutes after walking in my door. I'll add that the next two months were awash in ongoing weirdness and synchronicities. Actually, it was TOO much, and I was overwhelmed and sort of freaked-out.

Okay, lets fast forward to last night. I have been in Alaska for almost a month teaching for the same outdoor skills school. I had a wonderful time on a ski-mountaineering expedition in the Chugatch mountains with a great team. I arrived home, tired after almost 24 hours of traveling, and I lay down on the couch.

The thought occurred to me that the last time I came home from a big trip, David called, and maybe it would happen again. I drifted off to sleep, and after about an hour I woke from my nap and lay there feeling refreshed. Then the phone rang - and it was - as usual - David Huggins. It felt like he new I needed a nap before calling me.

And - as usual - we had a delightful chat, and he was supportive and encouraging.

[audio interview with David]