the Appalachian Trail To walk; to see and to see what you see. Benton MacKaye said this, commenting on the ultimate purpose for hiking on the Appalachian Trail. MacKaye was an early 20th century forester, conservationist and visionary, one of his visions being the Appalachian Trail. He is the guy who dreamed it up. I… Continue reading By Shank’s Mare
Author: asiwentwalking
A Little Bit of Discretion
Quebec Run Wild AreaPennsylvaniaMay 1999 The Quebec Run Wild Area is on the eastern slope of Chestnut Ridge in southwestern Pennsylvania. In order to retain the wild and natural character of the land, the area permits no development of a permanent nature. How wild it is however, we are about to discover. The forest is… Continue reading A Little Bit of Discretion
Cattle Guard
Mount SunflowerKansasMarch 2013 Up the road, a right turn at the hand-painted sign… MOUNT SUNFLOWER Bump Ba-Bump! Over the cattle guard. I don’t recall ever seeing a cattle guard in the eastern U S of A. While it’s true that Kansas has almost four times as many cows as my home state of Pennsylvania, we… Continue reading Cattle Guard
Carl Sandberg
North CarolinaJune 2015 Halfway from Charlotte to our destination in the Great Smoky Mountains, we pass the village of Flat Rock. Carl Sandberg lived here, as fine a writer and poet as ever wrote and poeted. Here is Happiness… I asked professors who teach the meaning of life to tell me what is happiness.And I… Continue reading Carl Sandberg
Bunny Levitt
MassachusettsMay 2014 Before we get to our summit hike on Mount Greylock, we drive through Springfield, Massachusetts, home of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Lisa and I try to name all the professional basketball players we can think of. Lisa scores big, naming many, many more than I do. “Oh yeah?” I challenge her, trying… Continue reading Bunny Levitt
The Cornish-Windsor Bridge
New Hampshire/VermontAugust 1983 Marc was my boss at the Co-op in Pittsburgh. That’s how we met. Our friendship has lasted far longer than any employment relationship. Somewhere along the way, Marc moved to a cabin in the woods of New Hampshire. A city boy he’s not. Lisa and I visit with Marc and his wife… Continue reading The Cornish-Windsor Bridge
Cop Speak
Quebec Run Wild Areatraining hike2015 On the trail we notice up ahead a group of young men and women dressed in their ACUs, Army Combat Uniforms. Technically, the term fatigues is no longer used, so ACUs it is. These folks are clearly engaged in some kind of training. All the firearms I see are holstered… Continue reading Cop Speak
Cow Chip
Black MesaOklahomaMarch 2013 Just 137 miles east of Black Mesa as the crow flies, or 161 miles as the crow drives, but still in the Panhandle of Oklahoma, is a town called Beaver. Beaver is — did you know this? — the Cow Chip Throwing Capital of the World. It is here in Beaver, Oklahoma, that the… Continue reading Cow Chip
Pettecoat Junction
Pine Creek GorgePennsylvaniaMay 1997 Our sleepover location is the Pettecote Junction Campground, along Pine Creek. We find a postage-stamp-sized piece of land insulated from campers moored to electric posts two sites away on either side. Pettecote Junction Campground is set up to service the many vacationers who drive to this touristy area in their campers… Continue reading Pettecoat Junction
Rock n Roll Highway 67
ArkansasJune 2012 We have summited Mount Magazine, the high point in Arkansas, and we are on our way to Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in Missouri. We wind through the Uplands, the Ozark Plateau. Arkansas is nicknamed the “Natural State” because, before they began to build stuff, someone noticed that the area was quite… Continue reading Rock n Roll Highway 67