Mount AscutneyVermontSeptember 1984 We are on our way up-trail to the summit of Mount Ascutney, a former volcano in Windsor, Vermont. Our snack stop is on Blood Rock. Blood Rock. In 1925, a self-important gentleman named Houghton Hoisington was using a hand ax to carve his initials in the stone of the overlook. As he… Continue reading Blood Rock
Author: asiwentwalking
Rough Ride at Red River Gorge
Red River GorgeDaniel Boone National ForestKentuckyMay 1998 The publicists, in their usual inclination to the obvious, didn’t resist the play on words, calling this area “gorgeous.” And it truly is, the little of the place we saw. There were stunning rock formations, hillsides loaded with sassafras, and the mountain laurel and giant magnolia were in… Continue reading Rough Ride at Red River Gorge
Plant I D
Mount RogersVirginiaJuly 2011 We start up the Rhododendron Trail which leads to Rhododendron Gap. There’s a certain symmetry in that, don’t ya think. The Rhododendron Trail follows a wagon road over the hill but we are on a re-route. My guess is this new section was built to let the land recover from erosion caused… Continue reading Plant I D
Pennsylvania Series: The Blob
Downingtown2024(There are 27 columns in my Pennsylvania Series. Behold!) The Blob is a horror movie made in 1958 in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, about 29 minutes west of Philadelphia as the crow flies, or 45 minutes as the crow drives. The Blob is about an exuberantly growing amoeba thing. You know, a blob. It starred Steve McQueen… Continue reading Pennsylvania Series: The Blob
Walking Statues
Greene River TrailPennsylvaniaSeptember 2014
Just Say Yes
The Long TrailVermontAugust 1996 My backpacking buddy, Alecia, and I are hanging out at the intersection of Kelley Stand Road and the Trail, where we parked our car. This road has some history. In 1840, the great orator and senator Daniel Webster delivered the Kelley Stand Speech in this very spot. Fifteen thousand and two… Continue reading Just Say Yes
Hot Rock
Death Valley National ParkCaliforniaJune 2009 A number of rules tell us what not to do on land overseen by the U S National Park Service. Here are some of the rules. Do not… . remove rocks, plants, fossils or antlers. pan for gold. gather wood, nuts, berries or fruit. feed wild animals. climb, walk on… Continue reading Hot Rock
New England Seasons
VermontAugust 2013 Our weather today is pleasant, comfortable, delightful even. We have wispy clouds, reasonably warm temperatures. It’s August, it’s summer, one of New England’s seasons. Summer is followed by autumn, of course, and then by stick season. When Earth is on the other side of the sun, spring for most, New England experiences mud… Continue reading New England Seasons
How Much Wood?
Wheeler PeakNew MexicoJuly 2013 Halfway down from the highest high point we’ve climbed so far (13 161 feet,) in the nearby rocks, is a marmot. Before we see him, we hear his whistling. Or maybe its his chirp, or yip, trill, cluck, bark or chuck. We call his call by a lot of call names. … Continue reading How Much Wood?
The Devil’s Wife
Mount GreylockMassachusettsMay 2014 It rains on our hike to the summit, but lightly enough that we don’t even put on our jackets. There’s an odd sky. Which puts me in mind… Let me take you back to the days before cable television, or whatever we have now, even before Saturday Night Live. On a few… Continue reading The Devil’s Wife