2021 When I walk, I move forward by placing my feet, alternating one by one on the ground, pushing backward. Using my hamstrings, I am pushing Earth away from me, back toward where I was. I’m staying in the same place, but my mighty hamstrings push the entire planet backwards. The illusion is that I… Continue reading Moving the Earth
Author: asiwentwalking
Theory of Universal Compensation
Mount RogersVirginiaJuly 2014 We take a short rest at the junction where the Appalachian Trail meets the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail. We get to chatting with another couple of hikers. These two are checking their maps, looking around, squinting, scratching their respective heads. They are trying to decide how strenuous the hike up Wilburn Ridge… Continue reading Theory of Universal Compensation
My Man
Monongahela National ForestWest VirginiaJuly 1992 Another time in Dolly Sods as I am making my way up the trail a few days after a storm, I come upon a downed tree. A tall, muscularly chiseled woodsman is chopping through the log which is blocking the trail. He’s using an ax. His flannel shirt lay on… Continue reading My Man
Dolly Sods
Monongahela National ForestWest VirginiaJuly 1992 A German family settled in this area in the 1700s. Their family name was Dahles, pronounced “dollies.” “Sod” is a term for an open grassy meadow. Hence this place became known as Dolly Sods. I had been on the trail for several days when I came to a clearing. Some… Continue reading Dolly Sods
By Shank’s Mare
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
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