Category: The Moosilauke Letters

the Wildernessalways The fashion show is over.  It is not about how killer awesome the latest gadget performs, how you’ve managed to shave the last ounce off your pack, or how pretty the synthetic fabric shirt is, or what kind of bargain you got when you purchased it.  It is about the fact that if… Continue reading Why the Hell We Do It

Thunder SwampPennsylvaniaJuly  1998 There is a complex of hiking trails in eastern Pennsylvania at the Stillwater Natural Area, including Thunder Swamp.  Our trail description and map are fifteen years old, but the trail looks easy to follow.  We think. Maybe not.  We find ourselves on private property when the old dirt road that is our… Continue reading Gun Boy

MassachusettsMay  2014 Driving south in western Massachusetts, having summited Mount Greylock, somewhere along the road is this oddity. Yah, it’s a chair.  To see a chair alongside a road is in itself not much of an oddity.  Heck, visit Pittsburgh during snow season and you’ll see chairs in the street all over town.  Folks use… Continue reading Sit On It

World’s End State ParkPennsylvaniaSeptember  1998 A large tree fell some time ago.  It lies here, moss growing profusely on its surface.  A chipmunk speeds along the fallen, now horizontal trunk, running along on legs that move so fast I can’t see them, looking like a speeded up, bumpy version of a hover craft.  Y’know, the… Continue reading Speed Demon

Rachel Carson TrailPittsburghApril  2020

PittsburghPennsylvaniaalways and forever Most folks never hear this word until they come to Pittsburgh.  Jagoff. Yeah, jagoff. The word jagoff is an ancient word that probably originated with the Shawnee, the native tribe that once resided in western Pennsylvania. No it isn’t.  That’s totally ridiculous. Jagoff is truly a Pittsburgh word, through and through.  We… Continue reading Jagoff

Frick ParkPittsburghOctober  2013 At first I think it might be a Toxicodendron radicans reaction.  You know, a poisoning by urushiol, the histamine-producing substance in poison ivy, or one of those allergy-generating, contact dermatitis plants. Umm, it isn’t. My dermatologist calls it, and these are the exact words she uses, “Itchy Red Bump Disease.”  Guess what… Continue reading Mistaken Identity

McKenna TrailLaurel HighlandsPennsylvaniaAugust  2018 Hike long enough, and hike a lot of miles, you too can get your own trail.

PittsburghPennsylvaniaNovember  2018 Walking home from an appointment here in the city, I come to a busy intersection.  The crossing guard greets me and we have a little chat.  “It’s been a long time since I had help crossing the street,” I tell her. “Are you warm enough?” she asks. I point to my down jacket… Continue reading The Crossing Guard

Amargosa ValleyNevadaMarch  2019 We’ve been almost a week in Death Valley National Park in southern California.  Leaving this strange and somewhat unfathomable land, hot, dry and low, we drive east to Death Valley Junction, a “town” with an official population of four.  4.  One, two, three, four. We were surprised by how few critters we… Continue reading Area 51, a Gallows and a Cow