Travel Writing - How to get to know the rest of the World !

 Afghanistan and Travel Writing

I just finished reading A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, by Eric Newby. This classic travel lit book has been sitting on my shelf unread for several years.  I love crazy exploration stories, I love mountains, but I had a hard time making myself read this one.  The country of Afghanistan makes me angry. I think of the Taliban and I want to cry.  Years ago I read The Kite Runner and that lovely book upset me so much I threw it against a wall and broke the spine.  Since that time I have avoided anything to do with this part of the world.  But, I have a deep desire to study and read travel lit, to learn about all countries, and to be open for learning.  The point, at least one good point of travel lit is the opening up of our experiences to understand people from other places and cultures. If reading is a way of destroying prejudices, then I have to put aside my prejudice in order to read. 

 A Short Walk was written in the 1950’s, when two Englishmen decided to just up and travel to the Afghanistan area and climb a 19,000 foot mountain as well as explore a region that was fairly unknown.  Eric Newby writes as if he and a friend chose to take this trip on a lark, and that he and the friend were just regular guys, having to learn how to climb and to wear crampons and use ropes.  He manages to get across the folly of their lack of skills, as well as the difficulty of the trip in such a way that the reader might think he or she could just hop up and do the same.  His style of writing hides his adventurous spirit and the fact he and his friend were skilled, healthy, perhaps crazy, but also capable of taking on this adventure.  I was exhausted with him when the trip ended, and I loved the final paragraph when he meets another hardened traveler.  

I searched for the Hindu Kush on Youtube, and found a couple of guys walking in a National Park that looked stunning, beautiful and reminded me a little of Colorado or Montana.  The elevation was high, and the ground was covered in low brown grass, with pines and cedars along the edges of the trail. In the distance rose tall snow covered mountains, hiding the fact that these bald hills were already at an extremely high elevation.  The person filming used a cell phone, and he rushed the camera around dizzyingly, but the area seemed empty of human life, desolate and truly wilderness.  I also found a video by a British woman who was much better at her filming skills. She walked the streets of Kabul, visited a couple of markets, restaurants, and interviewed people in their homes.  This was uploaded only 3 weeks ago, since the return of and horrible regulations from the Taliban.  She is allowed to visit, video and walk the streets but the women she talked with could not be filmed. They were excluded from being in any of the shops, the parks, and most of the restaurants.   When the videographer met with one woman and her children they discussed the importance of the education for the boys.  The fate of the entire household weighed on the boys shoulders as she couldn’t work, her girl children couldn’t study or work and her husband had run off.  Not only are these decisions cruel they are stupid, hamstringing families, and communities from the progress they could have with better policies.  

But, watching the video I also watched the faces of the regular men and boys, and some smaller girls, and people were friendly, hospitable, and open. In the background I could see women, and at that time their faces weren’t covered, they were shopping and walking with families. There were enforcers about, but the average person seemed relaxed and happy to have the war over and violence gone.  Perhaps over time as a new generation is raised by people who remembered the world pre Taliban, however short that was, perhaps they can return to something better for all of their citizens.  

Of course, since the Youtube video was released, rules have changed for the local women, and now faces and voices of women are not permitted in public.  Despite the hospitality and friendliness of the people she met, women are loosing ground daily.  They are basically non-citizens in their own country.  

When A Short Walk was written, women were generally kept out of sight, or covered their faces when the men walked by.  Some of the communities seemed worse for the women than others.  In at least one town the writers saw women and girls enjoying life, laughing and living.  In another town women were working, carrying baskets so heavy their fingers shook as they held the baskets of firewood, and they were obviously worn down.  

Both the book and the videos gave me more hope than despair, and that was better than I expected.  If Afghanistan ever opens up and becomes a modern world, it will have some of the most beautiful nature, rugged mountains and friendly people any explorer could hope to visit.  

Campmeeting memories - by Shelley Hopkins

                                    Camp meeting memories.

This morning I started the day drinking coffee on my back patio, sitting under a 50 year old tree and listening to the morning sounds, the cicadas and tree frogs.  Instantly the sounds and feels transported me back to mornings at camp meeting.  As an adult I would get up early, sit on the porch with my coffee and watch the day wake up.  The sounds, the cool air under large trees, and the neighbors in their tents waking up and preparing for the day, it is as familiar as my life is today.  As a child I started the day on the porch, but quickly moved to my bike, or to the swing, or playing with barbie dolls on the picnic table.  I was a bit of a stranger at camp meeting, my aunt and uncle had a tent and I spent every summer meeting there, but I didn’t know well the other kids.  Frankie and Collins invited me and my cousins, and we had wonderful times racing around outdoors, or playing on the squishy beds in the tent.  Frankie never enforced the rules with me, you might say she spoiled me a little, but there was nothing like the feeling of love and belonging she cultivated.  As I said, rules weren’t enforced, so my strongest memory is of sitting on the bed playing barbies with a cousin or two during the church services.  Frankie would sit on the porch, and Collins would be singing in the choir.  Windows and doors were always open, and while playing, we could hear the singing.  Once the choir was done the preacher would start, and we could usually hear him until the sun went down and his voice was drowned in cicada song.  We kids would become involved in our play and start speaking and laughing a little louder, and Frankie, in a not so quiet voice, would whisper yell, “Shush. Quiet.”  We would giggle, and try to keep the noise down.  After a moment I would step outside, letting the door slam.  “Shush, church is still going on.”  Frankie would loudly whisper.  Our neighbors told me later they could easily hear her, she might have been louder than we kids were.  It was all very funny.

Our daytime was spent outside, running from one end of the large shaded campus to the other, looking for kids to play with, or swings to try out, or running to the stand to buy candy.  My favorite candy choice was the long stick of pixie dust. Camp meeting had 4 swings at the 4 corners, but the swing in front of our tent was the highest and most popular.  It was just a single board with a hole drilled through it and a thick rope knotted under the swing. The other end of the rope was wrapped around a high tree branch.  The brave person sat on the board, and held on tightly to the rope. A friend or an adult would grab the rope hanging from under the seat, and pull the swing up high, maybe even over his head, then jerk and let go.  The swing would fly up into the air.  A second person would jump, grab the rope and repeat.  The rider went higher and higher, shrieking and laughing.  When they had had enough, the rider would wrap his or her legs around that bottom rope so no one could get it, and the swing would slow down.  Sometimes the rider was treated to a special stop ,a super stop we called it, when the friend would grab the rope above the riders head and swirl the swing and person around and around until the momentum was gone. If that didn’t make them sick, that person would jump back in line for another turn.  That swing was the highlight of every day, and the scariest part of the day as well.

Another wonderful memory for me took place at night.  Once again I think we were supposed to be in our tents after a certain time, but Frankie let me stay out.  I would lay down on the concrete picnic tables and stare up into the sky.  The tables are gone, and the darkness of that night sky is going away as well.  Then, in the 70’s, I could see so many stars while laying on that table, that at times I would feel dizzy.  The air was cooler, the camp was quiet, and the stars were crowded across the sky.  I never wanted to go back inside.

Camp meeting is about church, and growing spiritually.  I attended church services some as I got older.  I loved the idea of “going to church” but still being able to hear the insects and watch the lightning bugs.  The sounds of the choir and the congregation singing mixed with the night sounds.  When the services were over we kids would run away from the arbor and race to the stand for our nighttime treats of candy or ice cream.

When I was a kid the folks at camp meeting held water balloon fights in front of the tents, between them and even a few people would launch water balloons from above, standing on the rooftops.  After a few years of this the water balloon fight was moved outside of the circle.  Now only those that wanted to participate get wet.  

When my kids came along I brought them to camp meeting as well. They enjoyed all the same things I did.  They loved having water balloon fights down at the water pump, jumping on the beds in the tents, listening to the songs from the arbor church meeting and of course, candy from the stand.  I think one of the special parts of spending a week at camp meeting is the freedom the kids have.  They can run out of their tent in the morning, and play and explore all day, wandering back home as they get hungry.  The tents are built in a circle, and everyone sits outside so the kids are under many watchful eyes, but the feeling of freedom is strong.  With no air conditioning, everyone sat outside ready to visit, watching as different family groups and friends wander by, and sharing meals and sweet tea.  I hope those things are still the same, as the tents become modernized.  I realize how lucky I and my kids were to have these camp meeting experiences, and I am very thankful for my aunt and uncle and all they did to make our family a part of this magical time.  Thank you Frankie and Collins Thompson and tent 49!

Great Book - Travel Literature Blog by Shelley Hopkins

 

Once again I am reporting on a great book.  I reread the book “The Women I think about at Night, Traveling the paths of my heroes” by Mia Kankimaki.  The book is translated from Finnish.  Mia says she has “night women,” they are the women she loves to read about, thinks about, is inspired by. She calls them “night women” because she thinks about them at night, when she is unable to sleep.  

Who are her “night women?” They are adventurous ladies who explored, wrote, and lived unconventional lives in a time when women were not supposed to be doing such things.  The first half of the book follows Karen Blixen, of Out of Africa fame.  When reading the book Out of Africa, Karen comes across as a strong woman, someone we could idolize but not someone most of us could imitate. She runs a coffee farm alone, shoots lions, cures diseases and cares for all her employees as judge and doctor.  But, when Mia researches, reads her letters and really analyzes her life she finds a sometimes neurotic, often sick, worried woman who struggles the same as everyone else. Even more exciting to me, Mia goes to Africa and lives with a local family for several months. She goes on safari adventures, faces her fears and deals with the discomfort of the life there. She is extremely open about her own fears and neuroses, which to me make the book better.  I can imagine me doing the same things she is doing.  She doesn’t paint a picture of herself as this grand adventurer, she paints a realistic picture of a woman who has doubts, and yet goes out and has the adventures.  Some of my take aways from the Africa section are as follows.  Lions roar in a low threshold hard to describe or record.  The darkness at night is just that, deeply truly dark.  She explored Tanzania and Kenya, which can be hot, dry, buggy, full of wildlife that wants to kill you, and still, also, just a place to live. The people of Tanzania care about the land they live on, and the wildlife that is there. Life is hard, but not impossible, friendships and family are what matters, not so much whether the electricity or water is working all the time.

A friend recently went to the same locations Mia writes about.  He took a commercial safari, and stayed in a luxury hotel.  They road out into the Park and saw elephants, lions, wildebeests, hippos and tons of birds and prey animals. He never mentioned how dark it gets at night.  He never did without electricity or hot water. He loved the sunsets and sunrises, and the landscape left him in deep awe.  On the Safari he saw many people in other tour groups, and even a couple walking outside of the safe cars.  Mia writes about seeing no one, and standing on a dirt road and being able to look for miles in any direction without seeing another person except her guide.  I want to go there, but I want Mia’s experience.  Or maybe I want Karen’s experience.  At least I have the book.  

Mia writes about Nelly Bly, another woman I admire.  I have read several books about her, each one including this one making me want to only learn more. Nelly was an investigative journailst, putting herself in danger to get the stories she wanted.  Thanks to her, the world learned about how dangerous mental institutions were, especially for women. Nelly also circled the globe in less than 80 days, carrying a single handbag for her luggage. Mia writes about Isabella Bird, Ida Pheiffer, and of other ladies I have not heard of before this book.  Each one managed to travel to far off lands and live the lives they wanted, at least while on their travels.  She writes about woman Renaissance  painters, women working in a time when their only purpose was to marry and produce offspring. 

 I think the reason I enjoy this book so much is I get the feeling of traveling with Mia, while learning about these ladies of the past.  A travel story with a lesson, presented in such an interesting way.  The last section of the book is the story of Mia trying to write the book, kind of a story of the writing of the story as I am reading the story.  Although it is strange to read about the difficulties of writing the book I am reading, it gave me courage to perhaps try to write myself.  I suffer from all the doubts and fears, I get headaches and tired, I want to travel and tell stories about what I have learned.  Just like the author shows there was more to Karen Blixen, the soft nervous side, she also shows her own version as well. 

Who are my night women?  I think Mia herself would be one.  I have always loved reading about Amelia Earhart, Anne Lindbergh, and Beryl Markham.  I’ve always been drawn to Laura Ingalls, and Helen Keller, and of course to her teacher, Anne Sullivan.  I like people that go out and explore the world, but I also respect those who can write and share in their adventures. I like women who write well, who share their philosophies of life, and in sharing make me think harder about my own worldview.  To be a night woman, she needs to think, write, adventure, and create.  She does not need to see herself as strong or brave, she just needs to get out and do.

Cliff's Walk

                               Cliff's Walk

                                                                         By Grandma  - Shelley Hopkins

Cliff and grandma went for a walk.  It was a hot and sunny day.  First they visited the chickens in their neighbors backyard.  A red rooster ran to the fence, clucking and bobbing his head.  He then said, “Cock a doodle doo.”   Two chickens waddled over.  Cliff laughed as the rooster nibbled at his outstretched hand.  The chickens were fun to watch.  One chicken pushed her bill through the fence, and the other chicken wandered off to eat blackberries.  Cliff and grandma said goodbye, and continued on the walk.  

They walked on the sidewalk.  Grandma looked down and saw her shadow.  “Look Cliff!”  Cliff looked down and saw his shadow on the ground.  Grandma’s shadow moved when grandma moved.  Grandma’s shadow hands waved in the air.  Cliff giggled.  

Cliff had an idea. He ran in front of grandma, and his shadow disappeared.  His shadow was part of grandma’s shadow.  Grandma laughed.  Grandma said, “Where is Cliff’s shadow?  Where are you shadow?  I’m going to move…..to the right.”  She jumped to the right, and her shadow jumped too.  Now Cliff and grandma could see his shadow again.  Cliff jumped in front of Grandma again.  His shadow disappeared.  Grandma said, “Cliff’s shadow, where are you?”  She pointed her shadow hands to the left and jumped away.  “There is your shadow!” 

Now grandma and Cliff and Grandma’s shadow and Cliff’s shadow all walked down the road together.  At the next house a man was working on his truck.  The front hood was open.  The man waved at Cliff. “Hi young man."  Cliff walked over and touched the truck.  It was very large and shiny.  The tires were big, this was a good working truck.

At the next house Cliff saw a pile of logs.  “Grandma, broken tree.”  Grandma looked.  “The tree has been cut into logs.”   Cliff looked closer at the sticks and logs.  He found a stick just his size.  The stick was perfect for swinging and hitting the logs.  Cliff liked the sound of the stick hitting the log, bam, bam, bam.  He hit the ground.  Bam bam bam.  He swung at the tall grass. Swish, swish.  

The mail truck drove by.  Grandma always held Cliff’s hand when a car or truck was on the road.  They watched the mail carrier stop in front of a mailbox.  She opened the box and slid a package in.  She also slid in two envelopes.  She closed the mailbox and drove to the next house.  She opened the mailbox again and put an envelope inside.  She turned around at the end of the street and drove up to Cliff and Grandma.  “Hello.  How are you?” 

 Cliff said, “Mail, correo.”  The mail carrier said, “What did he say?”  Grandma laughed.  Cliff is learning Spanish.  He said "Mail" in Spanish.”  The mail carrier smiled. “You are very smart.  Can I give you some animal crackers?”  Grandma nodded, “yes."  Cliff said “Thank you.”  The mail truck drove on to the next house and the next street.  

Cliff and Grandma were getting tired and hot. It was time to go home and drink some cold water.  Now their shadows followed behind them.  Cliff heard a dog bark.  The dog was behind a fence.  They walked some more.  

Cliff heard another dog bark.  This was a tiny dog, and he was not behind a fence.  He ran fast.  Cliff stuck out his hand for the dog but Grandma said, “No, we don’t want to pet strange dogs.  We have to ask the person first.”  But, there was no person.  The tiny dog barked louder and louder.  Grandma and Cliff walked away and the dog followed.  Did he want to play?  Cliff wanted to pet the dog.  The dog only wanted to bark. Grandma said, “Go home doggie.  You need to stay in your own yard.”  The dog turned and ran back to his yard.  Cliff said, “Good doggie.”  

Cliff was so tired and so hot he could not walk anymore.  Grandma picked Cliff up and carried him in her arms.  It felt like a walking hug.  Soon Cliff and Grandma arrived at Cliff’s house.  They sat on the porch and drank good ice cold water.  Grandma said, “Cliff, what was your favorite part of the walk?”  Cliff had to think. Was it the chickens?  Was it the shadow?  Was it the stick and cut wood?  No, it was everything, the whole walk!

                              The End

The Cabin by Shelley Hopkins

It is a slightly shabby building, with an old front porch, a faded red door hung crookedly and a bent pear tree shading the porch and yard.  One picnic table has completely fallen apart, the wood lying in the grass and covered in lichen.  The cabin, we call it, but it isn’t really a cabin so much as a shelter.  The cabin began it’s life as an old corn bin built in 1953 when this area was tenant farmed, and early in the 70’s my grandfather had it moved to the current spot overlooking our pond.  The pond is big enough to paddle around on, and has some fish, lots of turtles and many singing frogs. At night the frogs can be so loud it is hard to have conversations. A pair of herons live on the pond, the frogs sing their great chorus every night, and fish and insects ripple the ponds waters every day.  

 When my grandmother got a new kitchen in her home her old cabinets were installed to create the kitchen. The cabin has a tiny stove, a fridge, and her little yellow cabinets. When my aunt divorced some of her nice furniture was moved in, so the cabin also has a mahogany buffet, china cabinet and dining table.  Across from the kitchen area we had an old yellow couch, a dirty brown recliner and an old bookshelf with kids nature books and National Geographic magazines.  Every time we visited the cabin I read all the books and some of the magazines. Our home didn’t have air conditioning, but the cabin did, so in the summers we often would spend a couple of nights sleeping on cots stored in the added bathroom.  

Many birthday parties were held in the cabin, with grandmother and mom cooking all the food. My brother, cousin and I would play outside, and then we would settle down on the couch or around a folding table to eat.  My favorite dinner spot was outside on the steps to the porch.  After supper we would run outside to catch lightning bugs, or crickets for the fishermen, and to toss balls and explore in the woods.  As the sun set my grandparents would decide it was time to go home, and we would pack up the cars.  I often rode back to town in my grandparents car in my favorite location.  I would crawl up into the platform under the rear window, and lay on my back watching the stars above me as we drove home on those dark roads.  I would be dropped off at my house, and begin to prepare for bed, tired but happy.

We gardened down on the farm, and after the work of planting, or weeding, or harvesting, we would go down to the cabin to cool off in the air conditioning and to drink the extra sweet cold water from it’s well.  Even now, the cabin has the freshest best tasting water anywhere.  When it was time to can the vegetables we did the work at the cabin, in the tiny kitchen, again because the cabin had air conditioning.  Sometimes, years later, I think I can still smell the cooked cabbage we canned as sauerkraut.   A couple of years ago I was walking down the farm road to the cabin and found tiny shoots of asparagus growing up between the gravel.  I pulled them up and ate them raw.  So good!.

When I was a teenager, we used the cabin all the time, and we had a television down there. Grandaddy couldn’t miss his beloved tar heel basketball games.  One time we drove down to the cabin to see burglars had taken the television, another time someone had taken the air conditioner.  The cabin is deeply isolated in the woods, and my grandmother worried there would be another robbery.  After they replaced the television, she wrote out an elaborate schedule making it look like different family members would be visiting the cabin every day.  She put the schedule up on the fridge.  The idea was, when a burglar broke into the cabin, he would take the time to read the schedule and realize someone would possibly be driving down the dirt road at any moment, and he would flee, leaving our possessions behind.  

Grandma decorated the walls with her own paintings, including a painting of the cabin from across the pond.  I have that hanging in my house now, and it always makes me smile.  She also covered the walls with photos of the family, all taken down at the pond.  We had memories of birthday parties, memorial day and labor day parties,  fishing days and just times to gather.  Many times my parents, brother and I would be down at the cabin, maybe just sitting on the porch, when we would hear a car driving slowly down the gravel road towards us.  It was almost always our aunt and uncle, the ones that lived nearby.  They would drive down and hang out for a while, visiting on the porch before heading back home.  It was always a nice surprise to hear a car winding down that road. 

 I loved to walk on that road. It wasn’t long, but it felt isolated and wild.  The road had been cut through the woods, and was covered and surrounded by tall trees.  I would step off the cabin porch, and walk alongside the pond, looking at dragon flies and looking for signs of turtles. Then the road turned up into the woods, and I walked into the quiet tree covered shade.  It was like walking in a tree tunnel, and at the end of the tunnel, after turning along a curve, was a bright sunny window where the trees ended and the fields began.  I would walk through the fields, sometimes tall with corn or other times hay or wheat, and stop at the county road.  I would look both ways even though, at the time, it was rare for cars to come along.  I would cross the road, and continue the walk on our other fields.  These fields were farmed, but the road followed the edge of woods.  On the pond side there were more pine trees, on this side were more hardwoods.  Many times we would scare up a deer, but even more exciting to me was when I scared a covey of quail.  The birds would be settled into a bush, and when I walked by they would all flap wings and jump out of the bush with a loud noise that sounded like a gun shot.  I never understood how birds would make such a noise, but I loved being scared that way.  Now, heart racing, I would walk on through a patch of woods to another two sets of fields.  If no one was working there I would walk on, circling the fields before turning around and walking back, crossing the hard top road, and continuing back through the woods to the pond, and then the cabin. I would retell my adventures of the walk, and my grandpa always said, “great, good!” when I told about wha animals I had seen.  He liked detail.

(We celebrated my grandfathers 90th birthday down at the cabin, inviting all of our family and friends.  A tent was set up with tables, because there was no room for so many people inside the cabin.  We had a nice lunch, cake and sweet tea and soft drinks.  A woman, a friend of my grandaddy, played the accordion.  She chose the Irish song Danny Boy, in his honor.   We wanted all the grassy area in front of the pond to be free for people to mill about, enjoy their food and enjoy the view, so we set the field above the woods as our parking area. Grandaddy was 90 years old and many of his friends and family were also older. The walk is short, but would have been difficult so we borrowed a golf cart and gave rides to and from the parking area.  What tickled me was how many young people expected the ride, when walking would have been more fun.  I guess my idea of fun might be different from many other people. maybe

My daughter and I used the cabin to host a reunion with one of her friends and her mom, my friend.  We slept in the cabin, walked in the woods, and enjoyed a bonfire under the stars.  I remember sitting around the fire chatting, when my friend noticed the stars had moved.  She probably knew that the stars seem to rotate during the night as the evening passes, but this was the first time she had actually observed it happening.  The pond is one of the few places in our area that is still dark enough to really see the stars, and to really be in the dark when night falls.  All of our kids have grown up being in nature, and enjoying nights in the dark under the stars, listening to the bull frogs, and struggling to be heard over the deep frog songs. I learned to fish in that pond, as did many cousins and friends.  We watched tadpoles slowly turn into frogs, we watched turtles float lazily, and fish jump in the water. That old corn bin, and the small pond have been our fancy vacation home since I was a child, and I am very thankful for such a place.  Just wild country, tall grass, quail and bobwhite, fish and turtles and frogs, and space.  Beautiful space.

 

Nature, I love you!

 Walking and Wondering   

 Love of Nature

Today I walked along a new trail behind the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge.  During January and February this area is covered in Sandhill Cranes, but they have all returned to their summer homes by now.  The walk was quiet once I moved away from the road.  A few songbirds flitted about, and I heard a couple of woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, I think.  The trail starts in scrubby woods, then borders open fields.  Farmers use these fields and leave some of their crops for the cranes to eat in winter.  Continuing along the trail I cross a slough, still water covered with old water lily plants and not much else.

  I looked along the muddy banks and saw no footprints, no birds or raccoons or anything.  At first I saw no insects except wasps, but finally I spotted three water striders.  Looking in the water I saw no fish, no tadpoles, nothing at all.  Perhaps it is the wrong time of year to see much, I walk on.  The trail crosses a land bridge between two sections of water, and finally I hear a splash.  Water rings spread out from where I think a carp has jumped and slapped against the water.  On the return to my car I see a vulture and wonder what even he can find.  All I have seen is a few bugs, a couple of other walkers like myself, and one tractor.  In January during the same walk I would hear the cranes calling, their strange warble like sound caused by ridges in their long throats.  I love that sound, and love seeing them fly overhead when I am out.  This year the center counted 6 whooping cranes mixed in with the hundreds of sandhill cranes.  The whooping cranes are always mentioned as a success story from near extinction.  I’m not sure six birds are much of a success, but six is better than none.  I think there are supposed to be around 500 whooping cranes in the entire of the eastern part of the US, up from 15 in the1940’s, so I guess six dropping by Alabama is OK.  While walking I thought about the book I’m reading and I tried to imagine how I could impress on my friends and family the need to protect our wild home, our wild house and neighbors.  If I were an excellent photographer, maybe, I could take the kind of pictures that would make people care, or if I were a better writer I could paint the picture with words.  I really can’t paint, no one would know what my message was in that medium.  I am a teacher, and I hope to inspire my students, but I teach a World Language, not biology or nature.  What do I do?  I walk.  I enjoy.  I hope.  

The book I am reading is called “The Invention of Nature, Alexander Von Humboldt’s New World.”  I have learned so much about one of the most prolific and famous scientists of his time, now nearly forgotten.  Humboldt was a scientist in the naturalist style.  He took measurements of everything, kept records and then had the skill to understand and explain to others what he had learned.  He realized how interconnected all of the natural world is, and he created an atlas/mountain style drawing to demonstrate how all the plants, animals, fungi and even geology on the planet are connected.  He wrote about the movement of continents before plate tectonics was ever thought of.  From comparing the plant life on the west of Africa to the plant life on the east of South America, he believed those continents had been connected at one time.  The big revelation of his thinking was the interconnectedness of all the world.  He invented a way of looking at nature that another writer later coined Ecology.  This other writer, also a famous scientist, Ernst Haeckel, wrote about Humboldt:  “All the earth’s organisms belonged together like a family occupying a dwelling: and like the members of a household they could conflict with, or assist, one another.  Organic and inorganic nature made a ‘system of active forces.’  he wrote in his own book, using Humboldt’s exact words.

This was the book I was thinking about as I walked, looking and trying to see any kind of nature being connected to any other type of nature.  

Childish Journals of Wonderful Adventures

(Once I found my journals again I decided to read all of our family trips.  I enjoyed reading my childish writings, and relived a lot of adventures we took together.  I hope you dad enjoy reading these as much as I have enjoyed copying them out.  I few times I couldn’t make out what I had written, so I just wrote a question mark. )

Backpacking trip, probably 6th or 7th grade  1975-76?

We are planning for the hike.  It took us a long time to plan.  We are leaving on Tuesday.  Monday supper was banana sandwiches.  I’m excited and nervous.  I walk up the hill and I have on my backpack.  It’s kind of hard but fun.  It feels weird when you take it off.

Tuesday

It’s morning and I’m nervous.  Richard is going to grandmas.  One of the kittens will be Rocky.  Richard will take care of everything at home.  At one of the pullout’s there was a big bear.  There was a bear jam.  We came upon another bear jam with a cub.  I’m surprised a mother didn’t come.  Daddy wants to be a ranger.  The bears were cute.  

I’m mad.  We can’t go till Thursday because of permits.

Wednesday

We are filling time.  Can’t wait till tomorrow.  Around 8 it rained.  We have a ride in a red pickup truck.  I don’t like those people.  The man spits, saw a bear on the Cade’s Cove road.  The ranger got him and carted him away.  We did the loop agin and counted 40 deer and that was in the rain.

Thursday

We hiked beside a wall then it got fun.  It  was wet, wet, wet, all puddles.  We got to the Mt. Collins lean to. A squirrel on a limb was angrily chattering at us.  Another one sneaked into the lean-to to get the food.  Daddy hung the food up.  Later one went into the lean-to and got a package of Ritz Crackers and ran.  Daddy chased him as if it were his last morsel of food.  The squirrel looked at daddy and dropped the cracker.  They had already been bitten into so dad put them on a log.  Three squirrels, they one at a time went after them  There were a lot, ten, laid out there.  Mamma said they are just little kitty cats.  They were probably brothers and here they are plotting against each other.  All three came out fury mad.  On knocked the other off and they ran away.  Too funny.  One tried to take my socks.  He bunched it up to take it.  Richard put a building block in daddy’s pack.  We saw a rabbit eating grass.

Friday

Back to the trail.  Beginning  it was hard.  The pack felt fine.  Then my shoulders hurt.  We thought we heard a bear but it was trees rubbing together.  We were walking, mom in front, when she stopped and said, “There’s a bear.”  I was so scared it was terrible.  He ran away.  Dad was carrying a stick.  He started joking saying “You better get out of here or I’ll turn you into a big jelly glazed bear.”   Only daddy could say that.

Parts of the trail were pure swamp.  At the lean-to after the squirrels were finished we lay down and a man came.  He is very strange.  He went into the woods for a long time then he went to sleep beside the lean-to.  I hope a bear comes after we go to bed and daddy shines his flashlight on him.

Night

That guy started ?breaking up sticks and stuff.?  It was fun to close my eyes and pretend.  Then he went outside and sat.  When he went to bed it was still light outside.  I love this trip.  I like this man.  Daddy was telling him about bears.  Some more people came in with a kid that was 9 years called Shelly.  Everyone spells my way.  It rained last night.

Friday

We hiked 8 miles today.  Started easy till we got to Mount Love.  I hate Mount Love but I love to get to the top.  We went on Clingman’s dome.  People stared at me.  I practically died.  A little 3 year old stared at me all the time.  He was walking backwards.  We went on another “rocky” trail to get on the AT  I felt sick and all when we were going.  While I was using the bathroom the guy who camped beside us came by.  He’s at the lean-to.  Welcome to the hard part and I am exhausted.  The murder was a man at the lean to was in a hammock.  His girls weren’t friendly.  Silers Bald.  They don’t enter into conversation much.  This lean-to is smaller because the fence is closer to the bunks.  7 of us are sleeping here so far.  One of the men popped popcorn during the huge rain.  I’m chilly and hungry and dad won’t give my any ??

Dad is trying to loop the rope over the poles on the top. He hooked it to a stick and tried to throw it over.  I am having fun.  I am going to have hot chocolate and I am cold and it’s going to be good.  Only one left.  We started a fire.  The first one burned out but this one is slightly going.

Saturday

We started going and I got sore.  We went up a long hill and I decided to rest at the top.  When I got to the top I didn’t need to rest.  I felt strong and big and it was unbelievable.  I felt like Rocky.  Cold Spring Knob.  When I get home I’m going to start running.  I led the east hill to the Derrick Knob lean-to and I wore mom out and dad out.  There are two guys at the lean-to.  One is 15 and wears glasses.  He looks good without them.  He ought to wear contacts.  He’s planning to be a wrestler.  We saw a garden snake.  Mom washed her hair and I changed clothes at the spring.  That’s the best spring ever.  Tomorrow we are going over Thunderhead and I dread it.  Everywhere we go we talk about Yellowstone.  It started raining and it still is.   Three guys came in, then two more.  Only two bunks left.  There is a good looking blond headed guy.  We have a good fire going.

Sunday

It rained! We had to hike in ponchos and that made it harder.  Later we put my poncho just on the pack.  Thunderhead is not as hard as I thought.  It was fun.  I wanted a view.  We came to the lean-to, Spence Field, and no one was there.  We went on the field and took a poncho to sit on.  The grass was so green and soft and wavy.  We came back and found a six year old.  His mother won’t let him go bare footed.  

I found out she isn’t his mother.  I hope he doesn’t mess with the skunks.  He brought walkie talkies.  Her name is Roberta.  His name is Michael.  He is cute but I wish he didn’t come.  He didn’t want to but when he went on the field I think he will have fun.  Two more guys came in.  I have mixed feelings about leaving.  A skunk came by and was beautiful.  It had two stripes and one down his nose. He didn’t come in.  I hope we see a lot.

During the night I woke up as daddy opened the door and a skunk ran out.  Mom said a skunk had been all over me and my face.  I didn’t know it.  A rat ran across the floor.  Dad got up and shined his flashlight on a boar.  He came close some could see him.  He walked around and we saw him.  He was big and fat and I don’t see how he could run.  I am glad I saw him.  A rat ate some of our toilet paper.  

(A few years later, at least my writing isn’t quite so childish.)

Shining Rock backpacking

We left later than usual for our trips.  Richard had his own small daypack.  We packed and left. We parked a dirt road and hiked.  There was this orange vine all over the plants.  I see them a lot on the AT.  Then we went up and down a long way.  On top of one mountain dad said that if we were placed on this bald we would think we were at home in a field because the fog was so thick you couldn’t see anything.  At first we were scared it might rain, then we went up to a real tall mountain and down so steep was like steps because we were stepping down on rocks and roots.  I fell down a lot.  Then we came to a clearing and a dirt road.  There were a lot of people with pick up trucks and tents picking blueberries, the people were.  Then we went up the hardest up but it wasn’t that hard.  There was a funny looking dead tree.  I took a picture of it.  It didn’t rain.  We were racing time.  The sun was close to going down.  We went down to a clearing and passed a trail that went out to a mica mine.  We’ll go on it on the way back.  Then we passed a clearing and walked down a shady trail and came to where we were camping.  Dad put up the tent and we had supper in the dark.  Soon I put on my jeans and our neighbors invited us over to their fire. They were college boys.  I liked two of them.  The full moon came up and I found out we were in Transylvania County.  Full moon, with bats flying around.  We hiked up to the quartz rocks near the top of this mountain.  We climbed all over them.  Everything looked weird in the dark.  Then we went down and to bed.  In the morning dad and Rich went to the rocks.  Then we started hiking to Cold Mountain.  That’s a hard trail.  we started from the rocks and had to almost make our own trail.  All through up there were blue berries.  We ate them and ate them.  We got to the main trail and stopped a mile from Cold Mountain.  The whole hike would have been 3 miles.  Then because Richard and I were too tired we went back.  When we were almost there we found hundreds of blueberries.  We ate and ate.  Then when we had rested we picked blueberries, filled a pail of them and went up to the rocks.  We ate them all.  Mom said my teeth were blue.  Me and Rich found where we went down real far from everything else.  Then we found a place we could climb out on a rock.  It was hard. We did that a bunch of times.  I took some pictures.  Then we ran real fast down.  Later after supper we, all but mom, went up to the rocks and watched the sunset and took some pictures.  Then we ran back and sat at the fire until time to go to bed.  Then in the morning I had hot chocolate.  We, me and and Rich went up to the rocks and played for a real long time.  Then went down and picked a bucket full of blueberries.

(I’m not sure if that was  the trip with the blueberry dream, but if so I didn’t mention it in the diaries.  We went there so many times, I imagine it wasn’t that time.)

(This is a copy, word for word, of my description of our Canada trip.  At the end of the paper it says, written whenI was 14, the trip was taken when I was 13.  1977)

Almost all year we planned for this trip.  We would ride up to Canada and back, having a good time.  Sunday mom bought me a pack of dominoes.  I would place them in a row and knock one down,  It would form a chain reaction.  I played with them all day.  We had to go to bed early.  Tomorrow we were leaving.  Everyone was excited.  The next day we got up at 8:00 and had cantaloupe for breakfast, then we were off.

We, me and my brother Richard played  with stuffed animals and things.  We stopped for lunch at a picnic ground in Virginia.  We ate lunch then I climbed a tree, and Richard and I went exploring.  We found a  a tall wooden building.  Up some stairs and we found a room like a look  out tower.  We saw Mom and Dad packing up the lunch things in the back of the car.  Then they joined us.  We walked around awhile then were back on the road.  We came up to Mabry Mill.  It was an old water wheel and it was running.  We bought some corn meal made here.  I took a picture.

Then we came to a campground.  Our site was full of trees.  I played cars with Richard, using the dominoes as building blocks.   We walked around the loop.  I heard two ladies who were staying in trailers took about a stray cat.  One lady was leaving out some food for it.  We hiked around a lake.  There was an old timey cabin.  In the pond we would see trout jumping out of the water.  Everything was so pretty and wet.  Water was on the weeds, and they brushed against my legs.  Since I was wearing shorts it tickled.

Later we drove to the ranger station to register.  Afterwards, when dad tried to drive away instead of going forwards he went back.  We almost hit a VW Volkswagen.  Two good-looking guys were sitting in the car.  They joked at us for a while then we went back to camp.

We went to see a slide presentation.  It had some pretty pictures but it didn’t teach anything I didn’t learn in the 3rd or 4th grade.  Then a lady ranger took us on a nature walk.  She called it a night prowl.  We all held hands, then the ranger took Richards hand and had him close his eyes and feel trees, sticks and rocks.  Then he took my hand and did the same thing. we did that all the way down the line, it was fun.  When we were leaving we heard an animal in the bushes but we never saw it.  Before we left the hike, everyone picked up a small rock without looking at it.  We learn what the rock felt like, then everyone threw them into a pile.  The ranger had us find our rocks.  I couldn’t find mine.  On the way back to our site we found the cat.  She was a very pretty orange cat.  Mom stayed with her while Dad, Rich and I tried to find her owners.  We couldn’t and came back to where we left mom.  She was gone.  We walked around looking for her then drove around.  Back where we left her was at the ranger station.  She was there talking to a ranger while the guys we almost hit in the Volkswagen held the cat.  No one knew who’s cat it was. The men kept it in their car overnight, fed it and the next day gave it to the rangers.  We packed up then, across from the campground was a 2 mile trail to an old timey farm.  We hiked down to it.  On the way back we met the cat.  Then we rode on.  Richard was getting tired of riding.  He complained some.  We came to a campground, still in Virginia.  It had a few trees.  It was terribly cold and very windy.  Me and Rich played dominoes and on rocks.  We tried to build a fire, but it was too windy.  We went on a nature hike.  It was very boring.  The ranger said things like, trees can’t grow in this field.  Then she showed us baby trees growing in the field.  We went back to camp, and to bed early.

The next day was Wednesday.  The campground had showers.  Me and Mom took one.  You put a quarter in, then fixed the water. By the time the water was just right I had to put in a new quarter.  The shower sure felt good.  We left Virginia, rode through West Virginia, Maryland, and stopped in Pennsylvania.  We went into a beautiful campground.  There was a swimming pool but we couldn’t go swimming.  The site had a lot of trees, and smooth pretty rocks.  Behind it was a steep hill.  Richard and I walked up the hill, rested then ran down as fast as we could while dad put up the tent.  

We went into Gettysburg and saw where the battle went on.  You could almost here the gunfire.  We climbed on statues and walked on the grass.  I got a good history lesson and enjoyed it.

Then we went to another ranger show.  It was a movie about fires.  Richard and I talked to the ranger then we went back.  We had a nice fire, me and Rich had a fight, then we went to bed.

Today was our longest ride.  We rode through Amish country.  It was beautiful.  I couldn’t believe it.  We got off the highway and rode through the country.  We stopped at a restaurant in a barn.  It was delicious home cooked food.  They had beef salad, fried chicken, ham, cream corn, and a bunch of good food.  I loved every bite.  We saw people in old timey clothes, and rode carriages pulled by horses.  We saw people playing with 6 to 8 horse teams.  Then we rode into New York State.  The only campground we could find was private.  It was behind an airport where no planes ever came. It was kind of spooky and pretty.  There was a river going around the place.  There was a peninsula going out to the water.  Richard and I played out on it, and went exploring.  Dad not only put up the red tent he put up a small pup tent for me and Richard.  There were only a few mosquitoes but they bugged me.  We all stayed up real late talking about Tarzan.  Whenever we go on trips together our family gets real close.  We were close that night.

Today, Friday, we rode into the Adirondacks in New York city.  We came into the most beautiful spot ever.  There was a large lake called Blue Mountain Lake, and right above it was Blue Mountain.  There were lots of pretty trees.  The only thing wrong with it was mosquitoes.  They were thick as the air itself.  I was swarmed as soon as I stepped out of the car.  We found a trail and walked down it a while then back.  On the way back we invented a hiking game called Caboose.  The person in the back tries to get up front but the one in front keeps him from doing it.  It’s so fun.  I laughed till my sides ached.  At supper mom made pizzas out of hamburger buns.  They were great.  That morning we had pancakes.  We were staying here another night.  We rode through town and found a trail to the top of Blue Mountain.  It was a fun hike.  At the top was a fire tower.  It was so windy, when I climbed to the top of the fire tower it felt like I was going to blow off.  You could see forever.  Dad climbed in the tower.  I carved my initials on a picnic table then came down.  

We called home from a gas station then went back to the campground.  Richard and I were playing cars and we built a city out of the sandy dirt in front four pup tent.  That night it rained hard.  Our tent was flooded. I was half asleep but I felt wet..  We were practically swimming in the tent.  We carried our sleeping bags into mom and dads tent.  Richard’s bag was too wet to sleep in so he slept in dads bag and dad slept in the car a while but it was too cold.  He came back into the tent.

We got up, had breakfast and left.  Today was Father’s day.  We rode into Canada.  At the customs all they asked us was how long were we going to be in Canada and why we were going in.  Dad told them we would be in for around an hour and the reason we were here was to be able to say we had been in Canada.  Quebec looked just like America.  It was the flattest ground we had ever seen.  The road signs were in French.  While we were riding around Dad taught me to count to ten in French.  Just before we left Canada we bought a Canadian coke, and we got Canadian dimes.  The words on my coke bottle were written in French.  I kept the bottle.  We rode by Montreal.  There was a giant bridge leading into the city.

We came into America into Vermont.  The customs into America were much stricter than out.  They wanted to know why we were in Canada, how long, what we did, what we bought, why, etc.  Then we couldn’t find a campground anywhere. We rode until we were about a mile from New Hampshire.  We found a small Motel.  It had cabins.  I was uncomfortable because of all the mosquito bites and there were a few of those insects here.  We tried to call home but the pay phone wouldn’t work.  We went into the town and ate.

Monday we rode into New Hampshire and camped at the base of Mt. Washington.  On the way we saw some of the most beautiful mountains ever.  The campground was beautiful.  Dad walked up to register.  While he was gone we met Jesse James.  I was sitting at the picnic table when a chipmunk ran between my feet.  He had half a piece of bread in his mouth.  His hole was right in front of our tent.  Richard put an Oreo cookie beside it.  When Jesse found the cookie he was delighted.  He took the top half and tried to fit it into his hole but it wouldn’t fit.  He ate it all around, nibbling a bit here and there until it did fit.  He was adorable.  Then he did the same with the rest of the cookie.  Dad came back but didn’t get to meet Jesse.  We left two raisins for him though.  Then we went into town and washed clothes.  I put on my Barry Manilow T shirt.  It felt good to change clothes.  We bought a magazine, and some post cards.  During supper it started raining and we had to eat in the car.  It was so boring sitting in the car so we walked all around the campground, in the rain.  We found a marker on the site where Dolly Copp had lived long time ago.  This campground was named after her.  She and her husband had built their house where the marker was.  Dolly did embroidery and sold it, and they kept borders.  They became pretty well off.  After 50 years of marriage they split up.  They decided they had been married long enough, so they divided all the money they had and went their separate ways.  Neither was heard from again.

When we went to bed it was still raining.

In the morning we hiked up Mt. Washington.  The trail was very rocky.  You could see how the climate changed from the vegetation.  On the way up we could see snow fields in the distance.  For a while Richard counted his steps.  He reached over 1000 before he quit.  We hiked all the way to a cabin for skiers to stay in.  There we had lunch and talked with some people.  It rained a little, and because of the weather we couldn’t go to the top.  It was snowing at the top.  We did go up to a snow field, take a few pictures and watch the people ski.  The trail was getting so rocky we had to climb over boulders to get where we were going.  When we got down we drove to Maine.  We camped at the beach and I stuck my hand in the water.  At an eating place I ordered a hot dog with mustard, ketchup, and slaw.  They were shocked  They had never heard of slaw on a hot dog.  The houses up there were wild.  Some look like they were built just to look off balance.  I loved it.  We ate at the beach then at the campsite we couldn’t even start a fire.  There was a huge pile of wood beside the bathrooms.  All  four of us took as much as we could carry, and we didn’t even have a fire.

We are heading for home now.  I really don’t want this trip to end.  We rode through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and stopped in Connecticut at a beach.  A family beside us was from Illinois.  They were very friendly.  They had three kids, Nichole 9 Cathy 7 Mark 4.  Richard had a crush on Nichole and I think she liked him too.  Cathy did. She kept picking on him and he was meant to her.  Rich and I were walking around barefoot in our bathing suits when he stepped on a bumblebee.  I know that hurt.  He cried a little.  We went to the beach and played.  The water was freezing but I went in to my knees.  Rich went in to his shoulders.  That’s what I call brave.  We built a sand castle.  Later Nichole, Cathy, Rich and I explored the bathrooms.  We showed off some then went to bed.  It rained almost all night but I didn’t know.  We had to get up early because today we were riding all the way home.  We left at 7 am, sharp, almost.  We rode across a bridge that was 4 miles long.  We looked down the river and I thought I could almost see the buildings of New York City.  We went through a tunnel that went under a bay.  I was excited, so was Richard.  I started wondering what would happen if the roof of the tunnel developed a leak.  Of course it didn’t.  We crossed another river.  Looking down it we could see Washington DC.  I could barely make out the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and Capital.  Then we rode into Virginia.  Everyone was getting tired of riding.  We ate at a rest station and Richard and I had a tickle fight, to get rid of our energy.  It was soon night.  Both Richard and I drifted off to sleep.  I woke up when we were entering Monroe.  We stopped at a Food Town then went home.  It was exactly 12:00 midnight.   This had been a fun trip, all the way to Canada.  We managed to play in the snow, and played on the beach on the same day.  We met new people and visited new places.  All in all it was a great vacation.

(Yes I know the Adirondacks are not in New York City, but that is what I wrote at the time.  No idea why.)

July Backpacking Trip maybe 9th grade  1978

Monday night

We packed and I tried on Mom’s boots to wear.  Me, mom and dad are going backpacking.  This is my second real trip.  I am nervous.

Tuesday

I can’t wait until tomorrow.

Wednesday

Dad woke me up at 6 and I could hardly move.  We had toast.  Then we rode forever.  I slept most of the way.  Lunch at McDonalds, a Quarter pounder with cheese. Then we rode a long time on a cool dirt road. Then we stopped, I braided my hair and put on mom’s boots and we started.  I kept getting more and more tired.  We rested a lot and drank out of each stream.  That was the best water ever.  Finally we reached Beech Gap and took our backpacks off.  I spilled a punch of MnM’s and played with them.  Those were the best MnM’s and peanuts ever.  Then we went up as usual.  Dad kept saying this is the last hill but we went up at least 3 giant hills which wasn’t bad compared to the 3 miles of uphill.  But it still was fun.  We then leveled off.  I forgot to tell about the nettles.  You brush up against them and sting yourself.  Also the flowers.  There are lots of Mountain Laurel and Indian Paint Brush.  rhododendron is a lovely flower.  We saw it pink which was lovely but the white was the best.  At the lean to its very crowded.  Laurel Gap Lean to.  There’s a girl a little younger than me who has a harsh way of talking with an accent.  Her mom is neat, her dad is OK.  There is a girl and boy, and two boys.  Only one is cute.  Curly blond hair and friendly.  Then there is a kinda chubby woman with a skinny man.  Oh, and a fat man.  There’s still one or two more.  All these people, packs and a picnic table inside a lean to.  We had cherry Koolaid.  This is the best and the second backpacking trip ever.  I’m loving it.  In the lean to there is only one bunk left.  Everyone was talking and laughing together.  I love it.  Then everything was quiet when these 2 men came.  One has a black beard and mustache.  Ahhh, good looking.  He winked at me.  He reminds me of Jeff.  They had permits for the wrong lean to.  Then two more people, boy and girls came.  The men put up a tent.  we have a fire going and everything’s cozy.  The new girl has a terrible blister on her ankle.  The little girl is from Florida.  Not too friendly.  The two new boy and girl couple are very affectionate. The boy I don’t like.  The man I like is called Bob.  The new ones were trying to put alcohol on the girl’s blister and she screamed.  They are loud and dumb.  They act like they know everyone is watching them.  Everyone is real nice.  Bob and his friend popped popcorn, and the girl my age is called Sarah.  She talks a lot.  She’ll be in the 6th grade and doesn’t like hiking much.  She likes soap operas a lot.  Bob and his friend teased me and Sarah.  Ahhh.

Thursday

We woke up about 8:00 and took a long time before leaving. Then we walked a long time.  I didn’t ask to stop but there was no uphill that was bad.  Then we came to a bunch of briars.  They were all over the trail, you couldn’t avoid them.  I put on mom’s wind pants.  Then we walked a real long time before we were out of the bad briars.  At the worst you couldn’t see your feet.  Still was fun.  We had lunch right in the middle of the trail.  Right out front there was the most beautiful lovely view ever.  It was of mountains, a lot of them.  I took a picture.  Then we walked on for a long time until we came and walked on the AT.  Then we came to Tri-Corner Knob.  It’s in a hill and the roof is touching the ground almost in back. It’s too large and pretty.  There is a lot of green around.  We’re here at 1:00 alone and I’m bored.  Then a man, woman and 11 year old girl came in.  She had long blond curly hair  We talked a whole lot.  She’s from Canada and has a swimming pool.  later a man and his 10 year old son and a good looking son about 16 came.  We had supper and went to bed.

Friday

We hiked 12 miles.  The girl’s father asked  us to let him know where the trail to the top started.  We left a pile of stones in two places.  This hiking was awful easy.  There was a place where you could look out and on a clear day see forever.  But today all I saw was white.  I couldn’t see the faint line of a mountain or anything.  It was if the whole mountain floated away.  We stopped for lunch at Pecks corner.  That was good.  There was a man who reminded me of Jeff.  We stayed for almost an hour.  Then we walked till we came to what looked like Roan Mountain in a way.  There was a trail that led straight up to a good view of Charlies Bunion.  Wow, it’s lovely.  All of the trail from the beginning is very lovely and beautiful.  I even like the uphill.  Then we came to a very narrow cliff like trail where we walked on a rocky thin trail 500 foot drop off.  Mom was so scared she was hugging the rock.  Then we walked up, up.  I was so dead but even so it was a little fun.  Finally we came to the lean to.  You can see real good in the mountain far away.  It was pretty  There were all 12 people.  2 slept in a tent anyway.  There was a girl with 3 ponytails.  She looked 13 or 14 but she was without anyone except 2 guys she met.  She was probably in college even so.  There was a girl and her dad from Chapel Hill.  Yeah!  She had stayed at Mt. LeConte cabins.  We all can’t wait. Oh I forgot to say the name of the lean to is Ice Water Springs.  We are kind of worried about the water at Pecks Corner.  Someone said it had worms in it.  Four guys came and talked all night.  They were outside and they built a fire  In the morning a lady ranger came by.  We left for Mt. LeConte.  At first it wasn’t bad hiking.  This is a lot like what we’ve been seeing but I forgot to describe.  The ground along the trail is greener than anything.  There is wood sorrel and moss and spruce trees.  Its super lovely.  We then went up, up, up very steep like.  There are some great views.  After forever 5 miles we reached Mt. LeConte.  I forgot yesterday, 12 miles.  WOW. Lots of people say I did pretty good.  I hope so.  We have 2 more days.  WOW.  LeConte is the best.  The ? is on the side and the top bunks are real high.  We went to get water near the lodge.  The water is great, real cold.  I wet my new old bandana, used to be Mom’s and washed.  I also changed shirts. Anyway we walked out to these cliffs and looked at the view.  WOW, WOW and double WOW.  Dumb us didn’t bring the camera.  The mountains are so lovely, up and down with valleys and peaks.  They’re so lovely I can’t even begin to describe them.  You have to see it.  Then we came back and I sunbathed for a long time.  So far we are alone.  Then we walked 1/2 mile for the best view ever.  WOW WOW WOW and triple WOW.  Again, no camera.  This was wonderful.  It was better than the first.  This one is for watching a sunrise, the other is for sunset.  I love it.  Then we came back.  The lean to and all is great but the insects are awful.  But who cares.  We had soup and potatoes as an appetizer.  Soon supper and still alone.  Then two men, a boy and man, they came from Pecks corner where we are going and are very tired.  The young one is very good looking.  Then 2 more guys came and we all were outside.  Then someone said, “Oh my gosh.”  There was a bear!  We slowly headed for the door.  At first we didn’t go in and she left.  Every once in a while she came back.  Then everyone else but us went for water.  There seemed to be two bears.  We were in the lean to.  The bear was at the door.  Dad was holding the door open and looking out.  I made a noise at her.  She looked off in the distance and ran.  Dad started to follow when mom yelled.  A bigger bear streaked across the front faster than anything.  WOW how fast he ran.  Dad moved pretty fast too, getting inside.  The two bears had a fight and the loser left.  Then the other campers came back.  They had met the loser.  He growled at them and they found a new way here.  the bigger bear was standing right at the wall less than 10 feet from the door.  A bunch of rich people, staying at the lodge came running down.  At first just one, Dad yelled at him to stop.  He told the rest and soon all the richies were in the lean to.  There were at least 15.  I liked that.  Soon after, they left and we started being normal.  The other two men came, sad they had missed all the excitement.  I liked it a lot.  We had eaten, all except one, who was cooking slow rice over a fire.  Bruce, a neat guy said, “Who wants to go looking for a bear?”  I said, “I do.”  We went out, he looked at the stars.  There was a bear!  Before we left we saw a cub in a tree.  We went inside and watched him.  He stayed until we went to bed.  We had popcorn.

Sunday

We have more than 12 miles.  We did 13 miles.  At first it was downhill.  We had a rest and I found a pretty china plate, fork, and knife.  Then we went up and up and up.  We retraced all the way back to Peck’s corner.  We stopped for lunch at Ice Water Springs lean to.  Then we got water to carry all the way to Peck’s Corner.  Dad carried a bunch and got tired.  We did go up and down and up and down.  My feet hurt so much they were tingling.  They hurt.  Then we went downhill and came to the lean to.  There is a very quiet man and his 9 year old son.  When we get home I’m saving for a real good camera.  With where you could focus, do the light, set the shutter speed and everything.  I need to save about 300 dollars.  WOW  We talked and went to bed.  There’s a note about a man who saw a bear and three cubs.  We didn’t.  A man came who works in Charlotte.  (the water in the spring wasn’t bad and didn’t have worms. Rice had been spilled around the opening of the spring.)

Monday

we hiked up and down, at first mostly up.  We are kinda worried about crossing Raven Fork River.  Very worried.  We then go on Enlo Creek trail.  The nettles are terrible.  Worse than briars.  I hate them.  We walked beside Enloe Creek and then took off our shoes and waded across.  WOW that was very cold.  Then we hiked level and down. Then we came to Raven Fork river.  It was about 30 feet wide.  Not very deep or hard where we crossed.  We went wading and Mom went under water.  I kept trying.  Then I ate a few crackers and went in again.  Boy the water makes me high.  When I went under I could feel the cold engulf me.  I forgot to say all this going under was in a pool in the river beside the crossing.  Then we went up and up forever. At least the nettles weren’t bad.  Then we went down until we came to the dirt road.  We laid our packs against a tree. Dad walked down the road for our car.  Mom and I waited.  While we waited it began to rain.  We were under a tree and didn’t get wet.

Backpacking trip June 18 - 29.  1979

Monday

We are camped at Deep Creek Campground.  We don’t leave until Wednesday.  Here in Bryson City it’s so pretty, I would love to live here.  We went to the library first thing so mom and dad could get information on Horace kephart.  Then we planned to go wading in the river behind the campsite, but the water was so cold we just sat and watched people riding inner tubes down the river.  They really looked like they were having fun.  We might do that tomorrow, we could rent inner tubes for a dollar for all day.  We walked down the river to some pretty falls then campe back and fixed supper.  We’re having lost beef, rice and gravy.  For dessert we had what was left of the shoo fly pie mom made for father’s day.  

For lunch today we stopped at McDonalds.  I had a hot fudge sundae which was very good.  We rode for what seemed like forever until we got here.  I can’t wait to try out my new boots.  As a matter of fact I can’t wait til the hiking start.  Tomorrow we are  going to West(ern) Carolina for more information on Kephart so mom and dad can write an article on him. I hope they don’t take too long so we can tube down the river.

After supper we walked down Deep River trail, the one that will start the hike and mom fished in the river for almost an hour.  I read a lot in my book, and watched the water flow.  I like to think about where each drop of water has been and is going.  Then we walked around the campground.  Sometimes I miss Richard and sometimes I don’t.  It depends on the mood I’m in.  I wish he were older.  I enjoy going on trips alone with mom and dad.

Tuesday.  9o F

The college is so pretty.  we stayed around 4 hours while mom and dad got information on Horace Kephart.  He’s the man who helped turn this area into a National Park.  There were others too. We went to his grave site.  There was a huge rock from Mount Kephart for his headstone.  When we got back I wanted to go tubing.  I was the only one until I talked dad into it.  Then we rented 2 tubes and I carried them up to a bridge.  I stepped in the water and felt the icy coldness flow into my shoes.  I flopped down onto the inner tube and my rear was cold.  The going was smooth at first then I hit some rapids.  Bounce, and get soaked is the way you go.  That is so fun, some parts you go speeding down the river, then you lazily float by.  The only 2 bad things are one, when you get caught on a rock and sit there.  Then you have to get up, pick up the tube and pick a better place without the current pulling you away.  The second is when I went under a fallen tree and scraped up my arm.  Still it was lots of fun.  

At this campground the sites are so close you can hear people talking quietly.  I forgot to say that mom, who is afraid of water also tubed down the river.  We all took turns and had a good time.

Wednesday

We started out ok.  My pack was heavier than usual which made it harder but all in all it was ok.  We walked by the river the whole time.  At first it was level then we started going up and down.  We did this for a long time.  We stopped for lunch early because everyone was hungry.  Two guys walked by and as usual for backpackers they stopped to talk.  One said a 400 pound bear was raiding the campsites in this area.  After lunch it got hard.  There was more up than down.  Finally we stopped for a break at Bryson’s place, a horse campsite.  We rested a while and walked down to a marker for Horace Kephart.  Then we went on.  I was sore all over.  A group of one man and 6 teens passed us, then it started raining real hard.  We even had to wade across a newly formed stream with our boots on.  Dad said the campsite was right ahead.  He was as wrong as could be. We walked forever until we finally got here.  Poke Patch Campsite.  There’s a bunch of people here.  We changed clothes and let them out to dry, but the sky is cloudy and it’s cold.  The supper we’re having, tuna helper with ?

The worst thing about this trail is it’s so low there’ is a lot of gnats.  They sure drive you crazy.  I’m sore all over especially my feet but it feels good to rest. My pack hurts, actually I hurt all over.

Thursday

We put on our wet clothes and I thought I was going to freeze  Then we had to wade over a knee deep stream.  I didn’t want to, and that was that.  Mom did, but me and dad straddled a huge log and went across like that.  Then we went straight up hill.  The first part was steep, then it leveled off some but still was hard.  I really had a tough time because my feet hurt so bad.  The toes I bumped all the time hurt and I felt like I was getting a blister under my moleskin.  I really was tired.  We stopped a lot, but the last bit I really wondered if I could make it.  Finally we reached the road.  Before that dad selldown and I realized he was really tired.  We crossed the road and got to the lean to.  I was so tired I just wanted to quit and we walked through the prettiest part of the mountain almost and I didn’t even see it.  This cute guy at the lean to had a fire going, and we ate soup plus lunch.   we hadn’t eaten in almost 5 hours.  Dad was real cold and was worried.  Finally he got in the sleeping bag and went to sleep.  I ached all over and can barely walk at all.  Also I’m freezing.  I’m shivering pretty bad.  The fire isn’t helping. 

I’m kind of worried about dad but I’m sure he’ll be ok.  We only have 1 pair of dry clothes apiece, and this is the second day.  I’m hungry.  Here at Mt. Collins I miss seeing the squirrels. I’ve finished my book already, and miss having something to read.  It was Watership Down, and it was good at the scary parts.  I was shaking. For a little bit mom and dad talked about going home.  I didn’t really pay attention.  I don’t think they mean it either.

Friday

I woke up to hear mom and dad seriously talking about going home.  Everyone hurt, me and mom were so allergic to mosquitoes, and dad’s blister.  He had an awful blister on the back of his foot.  Friday instead of 10 days we are going home.  None of us want to, plus dad feels its all his fault and I hate for him to feel that way.  We hiked down Clingman’s Dome road which was closed for the season.  We saw bear tracks on the way.  He was probably wondering where all the cars were.  We ate our last lunch on the trail then kept on going down for about 5 miles.  Then we were off the road and at a pull off, with a lookout. There we tried to get a ride.  There were some Hara Krishna people selling books and an old man almost got into a fight with them because he wanted his money back when he saw how dumb the book was.  I do’t see why anyone bought it.  We finally got a ride in the back of a pick up truck with an elderly couple.  They drove over 65 mph on the curvy roads.  I was scared but it was still exciting.  Then we walked all the way through Cherokee.  We were trying to get to our car at the  Bryson City Campground.  I was so hot and tired, and my feet hurt.  My boots had been soaked, but now they were dried out.  Finally an Indian in a neat van picked us up.  He had Bob Seiger, Ted Newton, and Kiss tapes he was playing real loud.  He drove us all the way to our car.  We were lucky he picked us up.  While mom and dad packed up the car I stuck my feet in the river.  On the drive home I was so tired I was super silly.  Sleeping in a bed was good, but I wasn’t used to being alone.  Even with all the problems and having to quit early the trip had lots of fun points.  It was really pretty around Mt. Collins especially.  My tummy flattened a bit.  Later on at Mt. Collins it warmed up and so did Dad.  He put out a cracker and got pictures of a squirrel.  Then this adorable animal came as close as 3 feet beside me.  A ranger came up carrying a gun.  I played my radio and we saw a small bear.  The mist left for a while.  All this I left out and I felt I should write it.

Easter backpacking 1980

Friday April 4

We are packing for this easter trip.  All four of us are going for a change.  I’ve got a brand new pack!  It’s a Kelty, red and very comfortable.  I can’t wait.  It should be fun.  

Saturday April 5

We have stopped for Richard to rest.  This is an easy, pretty trail.  There are more footbridges.  The longest footbridge in the Smokeys is on this trail and it feels dangerous.  There’s a lot of rhododendron but it’s not in bloom.  We’ve been following a river, which is beautiful.

We are now at the campsite.  It’s pretty.  Right beside us is a stream with a footbridge.  The trail goes on.  We’re in a clearing with a few trees and its getting chilly. We have a fire going right now.  I love my new backpack.  It’s like it was made for me.  The trail was easy, hardly any hills at all.  There was one place where we went up a while, but nothing bad.  We  saw two graves.  In one two men are buried who were killed during the Civil War on April 1.  Four days ago and we’d be seeing ghosts.  We crossed 14 bridges and three more rivers without.  It’s hard to cross rivers on backpacks, as I found out.  I’m cold now

Our neighbors are two ladies and another group  I can hardly see.  The ladies came over to talk.  They are from Michigan.  One’s a school teacher.  They have a dog, which is against park regulations.  The flowers we’ve seen are - Spring Beauty and blood root.  Not bloomed are - Gaylax,trillium and rhododendron.  Rich is going good.  During the hike he complained some but not too much.  This is the first time he carried a real pack.  He is using the green one I used to use, and doing ok.  I have my hair in braids and my braids on top of my head.  It was good while we hiked but now my neck is cold.  Tomorrow is Easter and goof off day.

 That dog growled and barked at me. I don’t care, he’s small.  Rich is playing cars and hasn’t been bad about begging me to play.  After supper the two ladies came over to talk. They are Joan and Sarah.  Sarah is the school teacher and we all talked till real late.  It was awfully cold and we went to bed at 9:00 and I slept well.

Sunday April 6

Happy Easter!  The easter bunny visited last night.  He left us eggs to find and candy.  After Richard and  I played some, but we had our own little Easter service.  I read some from the Bible and we prayed.  I read about doubting Thomas.  Then we left for a short hike up on Double Gap Trail.  The guide book said 2.2 miles but that’s the longest 2.2 miles ever.  It was all uphill.  There was a large poplar tree and a large black cherry tree.  The poplar tree was larger than me with my arms out  It was pretty. On the top of the trail was a large cow pasture with the white rocks dotting the side.  A fence lined the side up the hill. You could look down into a small town.  The wind was blowing and it was freezing..  We ate lunch up there.  It took 2 1/2 hours to go up, 2 to come down.  There were a lot of rivers and fallen trees to cross.  On one we had to wade across barefoot and that water was cold!!  I yelled.  But it felt good in a strange way.  Back at camp Rich and I played near the river for a while until our supper of noddles and ham.  Later on it got colder.  Right now we are sitting around the fire waiting on it to get dark.  I’m fixing to have some soup.  There’s a pile of rocks near s which mice live in, they came out last night.  It’s not as cold as it was last night.  It’s a little cloudy.

Monday April 7

We got up and had breakfast.  I had an awful headache.  We goofed off a while packed up and started hiking.  I started off tired but soon as I started walking I was OK.  We saw a very large poplar tree.  All 4 of us couldn’t reach around it.  That was some tree.  We hiked uphill.  We were on the side of the mountain and it was beautiful.  The whole side was covered with plants and it looked like a green carpet.  There were several flowers in bloom.  Spring beauties, Trout Lilly, Dutchmen’s Britches yellow violet, Hepaticus and more we didn’t know.  It was beautiful.  Then it got clouded and got colder.  We got higher.  We came to a trail intersection and ate lunch, then went downhill.  Our campsite was great.  It was beside a river.  At this river a bunch of trees had blown down and if you were very careful you could walk across the fallen trees to the other side.  It was like a playhouse, but with the tunnels and things.  Rich and I played there.  Later on I turned on my radio and the weather said for the nigh a 50% chance of rain and  Tuesday a 70% chance.  We only had 3miles to walk to the car and one was to a road.  Finally we decided to eat supper and hike out.  I was disappointed but I didn’t want to get wet.  Rich and I played till supper, which was spaghetti.  It was good too.  The packs were all packed so we hiked on out.  The trail went by an old house, and the rest was an old driveway.  Then we got to a dirt road and stopped.  There was a huge meadow and a mountain in the background.  It was beautiful.  Dad got a ride back to the car and we left.  Then, on the way out we saw 7 deer.  They were at the road and were beautiful.  One crossed in front of us.  We stopped at a lookout and from the looks of things we would’ve been rained on.  So we had a great trip and a happy easter.

Backpacking Trip. July 22 - 25 1980

Monday

Tomorrow we leave for the mountains.  This trip is a 3 night 4 days.  We’ll stay in lean-tos, first Mt. LeConte, Kephart’s Prong, Peck’s corner.  We bought all our groceries and are now getting ready.  I can’t wait.

Tuesday

We’re at Mt. LeConte.  We started hiking at Newfound Gap and it was easy, up hill slightly.  Then we came to a small clearing, the trail became level.  It was hot, humid and cloudy.  We got on a level down hill green trail, and it started to drizzle.  This place is as I remembered. beautiful.  We got on the regular trail to Mt. LeConte and soon we were going up, up.  I thought we’d never make it.  There were places on the trail where there had been landslides and we had to “make Mom brave,”  They weren’t as bad as she remembered.  When we got to the lean to there were 5 people there.  Two older women and man, and a man and his son.  Two college age girls were here but not at the lean to.  As soon as we walked up the kid said, “Did you see the bear?”  We wondered if it was the same on we saw two years ago.  Dad and I went down to the spring and I took a couple of pictures of the lodge.  When we got back Mom and I sat outside, I was writing.  Mom goes, “Shell, go inside.”  I looked up, bear.  I took two pictures of him and then dad made me come in the lean to.  We ate supper and the bear came by a few more times.  The little boy is running around acting like Rich.  At least he isn’t bugging me to play or anything.  The two girls are playing cards and seem real nice.  I’m outside sitting on a log, I’m the only one outside.  I want a bear to come by but I’m nervous.  Inside they are trying to start a fire.  The boy caught a pretty little butterfly by his hands.  I sort of wish he wasn’t here.  No, that is mean of me.  I wish the same people were here that was here two years ago.  Ah, they’ve got the fire burning.  The college girls are from Ohio.

Wednesday

I woke up cold!  All night I was a little chilly.  Last night we walked around for almost half an hour, then the older man, David and his mom and us stayed outside telling bear stories.  Today I discovered blisters on my heels.  Dad showed my how to change the film in his camera and now we are fixing to leave.  Mom thinks we will be the only ones at Kepart Prong.  I almost hope so but I’ll be nervous in a big place with so little people.  We’ll see.  Right now dad is fixing my feet.  Kepart’s lean to.  We are now at the lean to and I’m in pain.  When we left LeConte it was cloudy.  Just as we started to go downhill we heard a jet and it sounded like it was right on top of us.  I first thought, Oh boy maybe wi’ll see it.  Even so, the clouds were hugging the mountain.  It got louder, till my ears wanted to bust and suddenly I thought, Oh no, it’s going to crash.  I was terrified. It passed over us with no incident, but I was shaky.  While we were hiking down my blisters really started hurting.  I had moleskin on my heels.  We ate lunch and dad gave me another padding of moleskin.  When we started walking again it still hurt.  We were going down hill.  When we started going up it was real agony.  Dad mentioned us hiking out.  We were close to the road.  I said no, I didn’t want to at all.  We stopped where we turn off onto the trail to the lean to.  Except for my blisters I felt fine.  Two people were eating lunch there, a man and wife.  They were going some place, and then same as us, Pecks corner and a backcountry site.  We laughed at that.  The trail down was 3.6 miles and a real horror.  My feet ached like never before.  I was more tired than I’d ever been in my life.  I thought we’d never finish.  My legs and feet were pounding.  After each step I marveled at how I made myself move and I wondered if I’d be able to go any further.  Dad started singing and soon we all were.  Corny as it sounds, it really helped.  We sang every song we knew and even made up our own.  It was fun, and without it my day would have been ruined.  Finally we turned and there was the lean to.  We crossed on a bridge over a real pretty stream and I took my boots off.  That felt good.  This lean to and the whole area is real pretty, it’s kind of chilly though.  Even with my tennis shoes my blisters hurt.  Mom thinks we should go to the car tomorrow instead of finishing the trip.  I said NO!  This has been our only long backpacking trip this year, and it’ll be the only one till next summer.  I’m not quitting now.  This is just our second day, I want to finish.  Even so, my blisters do hurt when I walk and they are bad.  If they get worse Dad keeps saying I wouldn’t enjoy the trip or the rest of the summer.  I guess we’ll just wait and see.  Everything is so green.  Coming up the trail we ate some wood sorrel leaves.  They are bitter, sweet and pretty good.  A group of people headed up to the lodge saw us and one girl said, “Look, she’s eating clover.”  That was funny.  The clouds are leaving and the sky’s real blue, and pretty.  But I’m sad.  Tomorrow would be all up hill and my blisters are bad, so we’ll hike out tomorrow.  That makes me mad even though I’m then who decided to go down.  We just ate supper and now I’m eating pop tarts.  Another couple came in.  A very skinny guy who had a nice face, in a way.  The girls has auburn hair, short and a round face.  THey’re kind of strange in a way.  We talked to him for a while.  He was real quiet and did more acting out than talking.  He seemed nice.  Later on I was inside and she was standing at the door.  I needed to get out.  I walked up and she saw me and I said, “Hi.” and smiled.  She just looked at me and walked on by.  Strange..

Right now I’m outside sitting on a rock.  To my right is the lean to and people.  My left and down a hill is the stream.  In front of me is a fire and lots of trees.  It’ll be good sleeping here with the river running.  Dad is telling people about hanging up food.  He tells people about it all the time.  It would be funny if he’s telling people and someone says, I know that, I always do that.

Thursday

This morning it was bright and sunny.  Last night we had an outdoor fire, and everyone sat around and talked.  The couple from N. J. and the other couple who it turns out is from Germany.  They speak English some, but not too well.  It was fun to listen to them talk.  Today we had to leave, we hiked down a real easy trail.  I had on my tennis shoes because of the blisters.  The trail crossed a river 4 times and we had to cross small skinny foot bridges.  Right now I’m sitting on a bridge waiting on dad.  He’s hitchhiking back to the car.  A lot of people drive by here and stop to look at the river.

(Dad, I hope this has been fun to read and to enjoy the memories.  I had the best childhood, and we spent some wonderful times together, hiking and exploring as well as walking on the farm, playing tennis, painting old buildings and gardening.)