Spruce KnobWest VirginiaMay 2014 We are hiking to the peak of Spruce Knob, the summit of West Virginia. What better song for us to be singing than If You Wanna Be Happy by Jimmy Soul. As the music winds down, Rod and Diane tell us about the monkey balls. They were vacationing in Manuel Antonio… Continue reading Monkey Balls II
Author: asiwentwalking
Monkey Balls I
Hoosier HillIndianaMarch 2012 Girding our loins for the ascent from the parking lot to the summit of Hoosier Hill — this consists of putting on our jackets, which obviously doesn’t actually have much to do with loin-girding — we step from the car, trying not to trip on the monkey balls. Lisa comments, “Hmm, smells… Continue reading Monkey Balls I
Antheraea Polyphemus
Kennerdell TrailPennsylvaniaJuly 1999
Gnats
Humphreys PeakArizonaJuly 2013 Throughout the day, the only wildlife we see are chickaree squirrels, a couple of woodpeckers and other birds, and herds of hikers. Grandma, back in the Ranger District office on the telephone, warned us to be careful of the ticks and snakes. No need. There are none. What we do see other… Continue reading Gnats
Kudzu
AlabamaNovember 2013 Oh, look. Alongside the road. The vine that ate the South. Kudzu. Back in the old days, the Japanese gave a 100th birthday present to the United States. It was kudzu. Americans loved the attractive sweet-smelling kudzu gardens that were mostly ornamental but could also be used as a forage crop. Soon other… Continue reading Kudzu
Max
FloridaNovember 2012 At the age of 95 years and 8 months, my mother fell down. As sometimes happens with folks her age when they fall down, her hip broke. Two days later she was in surgery, having the broken part replaced with a new part made of space age materials, possibly one of the used… Continue reading Max
Throw This Column Away
Britton HillFloridaNovember 2013 Visit Lakewood Park in Florida. We do when we summit the Sunshine State, by climbing to its high point at 345 feet. We contemplate and celebrate this thrill, and we wander around in the open, grassy area of the park. At the far end of the picnic area, we see this sign.… Continue reading Throw This Column Away
Women of the Grove Run Trail
Grove Run TrailPennsylvaniaApril 2001 The Grove Run Trail is a comfortable little loop that brings you up 800 feet from Linn Run to a nondescript summit. It’s a great trail if you want some mild hill training but don’t want to sweat too much. The entire trail is within a thick hardwood and evergreen forest,… Continue reading Women of the Grove Run Trail
Togue Pond Gatehouse
Baxter State ParkMaineAugust 2012 We cross the Park boundary and continue to wind through the woods, passing the Visitors Center and pulling up at the southern entrance, the Togue Pond Gatehouse. And now we sit. Our first significant Maine traffic jam. There are five cars in front of us. What an enormous crowd, actually taking… Continue reading Togue Pond Gatehouse
The Berkshires
ConnecticutMay 2014 We summited both the top of Massachusetts and the top of Connecticut on this trip. Both tops are in the Berkshires. What do I know about the Berkshires? Certainly it is a pretty area. I’m told that the Berkshires and the nearby Green Mountains are the result of a collision between Africa and… Continue reading The Berkshires