Message from the Mountain

August 2026/Issue #26

The Terrorist Within

Rob Jones is a retired U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant, combat engineer, Paralympic medalist, and motivational speaker. He lost both of his legs in Afghanistan to an IED. Rob has pushed the limits of human endurance by completing 31 marathons in 31 cities in 31 consecutive days.

Rob cycled 5,180 miles from Maine to California for veterans charities. He won a bronze medal in mixed double sculls rowing with Oksana Masters at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London. He wrote a book titled Put Your Legs On, which is an outstanding read.

Something that grabbed my attention the most in his book is how he struggled with "the terrorist within himself, or the terrorist inside." I found so much meaning in that concept of our inner struggles and the terrorist inside who tries to make us quit. It is so easy to just lay back and give in, almost reassuring that all will be okay. But no, we have to push through, no matter the struggle, the pain, the uncomfortable feeling of change, and the unknown.

Rob rode his bike through the ice and snow of Missouri, something that I know a bit about. I cannot even imagine someone on a bicycle in the brutal Missour-ah winter. He did it, and he succeeded in passing right on through. This Devil Dog is an inspiration to all of us and a good reminder to not listen to the terrorist inside.

The Summer Happenings

By Jeffrey Pryor

The cool breeze of fall is just around the corner. I can smell it, I can feel it in certain bones, and I can see it in the trees. As it approaches, I see the scramble for food by the rest of nature. The deer are growing, running faster and faster. The birds are hopping around and fluttering like crazy, pulling bugs and other hors d'oeuvres out of the ground.

The bugs run for cover and hide but still do their thing, whatever bugs do. This is the cycle of life that we live in, and if we are lucky enough to pay attention to it, we can learn a thing or two. Interesting things, for instance, did you know that bears think that bird suet tastes like Hostess Twinkies? Well, they do. And they will relocate the bird suet, cage and all, in the process of eating that Twinkie.

Chipmunks will go through extraordinary measures to get to a food source. I am surprised that I have not seen them form a cheerleader-like pyramid to climb. Squirrels get furious when you cut off the food supply from their reach. I could swear that I heard them curse at me. Everyone is having a good time in nature, just trying to survive. Meanwhile, I am making a move on Making Nature Accessible and hoping that it works. More to follow on that. Thanks for reading, and be sure to take some time to watch the nature around you for a few minutes. You might be surprised by what you see.