A walk leads to revelation

Nobody's going to confuse "A Walk in Autumn's Mist" with "Jonathan Livingston Seagull," but this literary stroll takes readers to similarly beautiful places.

We're referring to a little-known book published 14 autumns ago by a well-known local personality. We're writing about it today because of the valuable lessons it imparts, lessons that withstand the tests of many seasons. One of the most important of these is, don't judge a book by its cover.

"A Walk in Autumn's Mist" blends a well-told sports story with strong elements of philosophy, leadership and romance. It's funny, it's touching and at times, its prose rings poetic.

The book tells the story of three longtime buddies playing their annual round of golf after everybody else has put their clubs away for the season. Dealing with autumnal elements and challenges in their personal lives, the trio remind readers how much competition and companionship can elevate the human experience.

The sensitive soul who penned "A Walk in Autumn's Mist" dabbled in the adventure for almost a decade. He started in 1990, when he and his wife had just finished their first year of teaching in Kingston, Idaho.

"At times I stayed up all night writing," a note About the Author says. "Other times I would not write for months. I never thought of publishing the story until my wife, Jan, brought it up."

We're glad she did - and that he did, too. Because we would not have guessed that Pat Whitcomb had this in him. We would not have thought the hulking, nationally recognized wrestling coach at North Idaho College possessed the intellectual and philosophical depth, as well as the tenderness of one blessed with such compassion, revealed by "A Walk in Autumn's Mist."

It leaves us wondering: How many other Patrick Bryan Whitcombs are out there being judged by the generalizations that their profession or their personal appearance might suggest? How often do we seek to understand the people we encounter beyond a title or a small body of evidence? How much better would we all work together if we spent a little more time and effort getting to actually know the people whose paths we cross?

Thanks for this important exercise, Coach. If we don't see you at the gym, we'll probably catch you at the library.