Category: The Moosilauke Letters

Driskill MountainLouisianaJune  2012 Kill.  Probably not what you think. The suffix kill, as in Driskill, is a Native American word with a less gruesome translation than the English meaning.  Kill means “creek.”  It is a name popular in eastern Pennsylvania and New York state, with names such as Schuylkill, Bushkill, Cobleskill, Peekskill, Wallkill and many… Continue reading Kill

DarlingtonPennsylvaniaFebruary  2021 This is one big son of a bitch.  Standing 18 feet tall, Zuverman is the fantasy embodiment of Bob Zuver, a Southern California Muscle Beach bodybuilder. There was a six-foot Zuverman statue but it just didn’t cut it.  Mr Zuver saw himself as a much larger presence.  He started preparations for a 50-foot… Continue reading Zuverman

Boyce Mayview ParkUpper Saint ClairJanuary  2016 Minding our own business, taking a comfortable day hike on the snow-covered trails, we are still remarking to each other about the wonder of the owl.  Specifically the barred owl that seems to have taken up in the crook of that sycamore tree.  I believe that it was dozing… Continue reading Owl and Deer

Simply stated, hiking to the summit of Guadalupe Peak is mentally and emotionally to this point the toughest hike I have ever done.  And I’ve done a lot of hikes.  Throughout most of our three thousand foot ascent on Guadalupe, I’m feeling just about creeped out, one banana short of a bunch, an ant short… Continue reading Fear IV — Why I Am Doing This

When it comes to fear, The Book of Lists (by David Wallechinsky) reveals some surprises.  The list of the top ten fears manifested in humans looks like this… 1    speaking before a group2    heights3    insects and bugs4    financial problems5    deep water6    sickness7    death8    flying9    loneliness10  … Continue reading Fear II — Fear of Falling

In 1977, construction on the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia was completed.  It spans a half mile chasm at the bottom of which is the New River.  Before the bridge was installed, the drive from one side of the gorge to the other — down into the gorge and up again on the… Continue reading Fear I — Phobias

Quebec Run Wild Areatraining hike2015 Back to the soldiers in their ACUs (Army Combat Uniforms) in the woods.  I say, “I notice you are using map and compass.  I don’t see a single piece of electronic gear.” “You mean like GPS?” “That’s exactly what I mean.  It’s all the rage among hikers who think it… Continue reading Hooray for Maps!

The WildernessAny Time Camping Sure, we know how to start a campfire.  Just do what they do in the movies and television shows.  Rub two sticks together and in about eight seconds, that fire is just bursting at the seams. There’s also the flint and steel method.  Heck, I saw an ancient American Indian on… Continue reading Lint Rat

MurphreesboroArkansasJune  2012 So yes, after our hike at Mount Driskill, or Driskill Mountain if you prefer, the highest point in the state of Louisiana, we travel north, driving through the Pelican State, the state that handwrites its name on its license plates, Louisiana.  We cross the border into Arkansas and enter the town of Murphreesboro. … Continue reading Queen of Diamonds

Grayson HighlandsVirginiaJuly  2011 The equines here in the land below Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, are ponies.  Contrary to popular belief, ponies are not baby horses.  To wit… In comparison to horses, ponies…. endure the cold better. are stockier with shorter legs, wider bodies, shorter thicker necks and shorter heads with broader foreheads.… Continue reading Ponies