Deep Green

As Neil walked along the rutted two-track that wound its way through Clayton Woods, the familiar sound of crickets grew louder as dusk settled in. Although only nine years old, Neil McKinnon loved being outside and wandering in the old-growth oaks and hickory trees of Clayton Woods, which itself was part of a vast tract of forest overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. His father, Alistair McKinnon, was District Superintendent of the Greater Nawbosh/Ockanagan Area, which included Clayton Woods and several thousand acres of stately Oregon forest.