Wild Virginia Hike

On Sunday August 4th I led a group of folks up White Oak Canyon to Cedar Run Trail and the wonderful swimming hole and water slide there. What a glorious day! I do some volunteer hikes for The Shenandoah National Park Trust; this hike was both the Trust and Wild Virginia working together. It was an "awareness of wilderness areas" hike. It was a perfect day for a hike- 70 degrees in the mountains and the water temperature was a refreshing 58 degrees!

My American Dream

I wrote this poem a few days ago. I don't often write poetry, and am a bit wont to share it. I don't have an understanding of rhythm and meter; just sometimes a thought is deep inside me, and this is the way comes out. I feel like the Universe, along with many friends, family members, and people I keep meeting on my walk are encouraging me to keep on keeping on, living the life I live. It suits me. It embraces me. It rebels against the norms of society, but it somehow works for me, and supports me in this crazy world of ours. 

Living in the moment is my American dream,

Not planning for the future, 

Not working on a scheme.

Today I will go hiking, can't sit in an office all day.

I'll take in the vistas and sunshine,

and hug a few trees on my way.

Perhaps I'll go for a bike ride, exercise my body and mind,

Forgo the norms of society,

Forget the routine nine to five.

What of money you may ask, what of bills to pay?

Yes, I have a few of those,

These facts I too must face.

This'a job, That'a job I pick up here and there.

As long as I live simply,

I can live without a care.

I drive an old 4Runner; the adventures I find are free.

I sleep in a tent on vacation,

Where many new friends I do meet.

This simple life beats it all, less stress and discontent,

Much more of the good stuff,

Like time to dance with friends.

Give it up, let it go, embrace and honor yourself.

Live the life of your dreams,

Enjoy your free spirited wealth

That's the key to happiness, living one day at a time,

Live it to its fullest,

The peace will free your mind. 

Live Your Life

I read this on someone else's blog today: 

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." ~ Steve Jobs

It seems to be my theme these days. I get comments from friends and acquaintances all the time encouraging me to keep living the way that I do. Many tell me that they live vicariously through me by reading my blog or listening to me tell a story, or that they admire my sense of adventure, or my courage. It's a little bewildering because it just feels "normal" to me. This is my life. Some have said: "It's truly amazing Melanie, most of us could not live with such uncertainty." Well, actually, sometimes I can't either, and I drive myself crazy trying to figure out what's next. Or where the next paycheck will come from. Or, the big one right now.... where will I live come November when my condo sitting gig is up? Of course there are those as well that worry about my well being. Some like to kindly remind me that I am not getting any younger? Really? I feel young! 50 years young!! When I listen to them I worry too. I feel like I'm just not fitting into this world, or perhaps just this society. But then I'll hear from someone else saying: " Keep the faith that you're doing the right thing." Or this from a friend after I got paid to lead a group on a hike: "Hope you had a wonderful time today getting paid to do what you love best. And it makes me happy to know that for now, since you are housesitting, you are free to work a little less and spend the bulk of your time living your life to the fullest.  You do it well." 

I wish I had the words of a poem I heard someone recite/ rap last Friday night at The Bridge in Belmont. If I come across it I will post it later. It seemed to have been written just for me. But, it was written for all of us! Life is too short to work all the time, or more importantly, to work at a job that you dislike, that brings you down. Oh, there has to be a balance of work and play for sure, with perhaps a little more leaning to the play side ; ) It's worked for me for seven years now; The Universe supports me in all that I do. I always manage to land on my feet, to keep my head above water, and to support myself through this wonderful life. 

Just rambling for today... 

Here are a couple more favorite quotes:

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love, it will not lead you astray." ~ Rumi

"Let go of who everyone thinks you should be in order to be who you are. Honor yourself, be true to your spirit." ~ I can't find who said that, it may have just been something I wrote in my journal after someone reminded me of the fact that I'm not getting any younger! 

Happy Day~ OX

Greetings Friends~
I have been doing some volunteer work for the Shenandoah National Park Trust, and they asked me to organized this year's "Shenandoah Scramble." The Shenandoah Scramble is a fund raiser for the trust.

You can check out more about The Trust here: http://www.snptrust.org/

For the Scramble there are six hikes to choose from of varying lengths. I will be leading the longest hike of eight miles. I am also going to put together a team for this hike. So, I am asking any of you blog readers out there if you'd like to join me on September 22nd for a fun hike in Shenandoah National Park? If you aren't interested in joining me on this hike or one of the other hikes that day, please consider sponsoring me!

You can find out more information about The Shenandoah Scramble here:

http://shenscramble.snptrust.org/

I think it's pretty self explanatory if you just keep clicking through.

Happy Hiking~ Thanks For Your Support!

Not All Happy Stories

Wow, I haven't posted since last November! I've been home, leading a very normal life. Well, normal for me anyway. I have been doing a good bit of hiking, but haven't felt that I've had any hikes interesting enough to post about. I must say, every hike is a special experience, and I'm thankful that my work situation and lifestyle allow me plenty of time for getting to the mountains.

I shared this story with a friend last night and he thought it was worth sharing. It's something that upset me greatly and made me very sad....

Last Tuesday I drove to Saint Mary's to go for a short hike and a dip in the river. The Saint Mary's River runs through the Saint Mary's Wilderness and has several really nice swimming holes. It's a fairly short hike, I think it's maybe two miles to the falls where most folks swim. The hike is fun and refreshing too because the trail boarders the whole way and criss crosses the river many times. It's definitely not a time for hiking boots. Water shoes, Tevas, or an old pair of sneakers is best; no doubt, you will get your feet wet!

I made my way up the river and passed a small group of young people returning to the parking area. There was no one at the falls when I arrived. I crossed the river here and continued on to my personal favorite spot. Yay, I had the spot to myself! I quickly jumped into the water. And, I quickly jumped out again! Mountain water is always cold, it doesn't matter how hot the day is, and it's hard to stay in and swim around. I wanted to though, so I jumped in again. And, I quickly jumped out again! Oh, it is so refreshing, and I love how the cold water makes my skin tingle. I also love the peace that comes from just lying beside, and listening to the river roll by. I ate my lunch and laid out under the clouds. No sunshine on Tuesday, so the clouds had to do. It was still a beautiful and warm day. After my time of meditation I put my pack on and headed back down the trail.

At the falls there were two young men climbing high above and jumping in. Fun to watch others do it, but I'm not that brave! Just arriving at the falls was a mom and her 10 (or so) year old son. I watched them all enjoying the pool for a few minutes then wandered on my way. I passed many people heading up the river as I was heading down. Saint Mary's is quite a popular place, even on a Tuesday afternoon.

This is the sad part:
At one of the river crossings I stepped up on the far bank and there was a dead black snake in the middle of the trail. Turned belly up and covered with flies, I could see the rock that was used to kill it. I could see the spot in the trail where the rock had been pulled up and where it was tossed onto the other side. This sight broke my heart. I cried right there. And then I just felt so angry.

When I got back to my 4Runner I found a paper grocery bag and tore it open and with a black sharpie I penned this note which I left on a big rock at the trail head, held in place with small rocks on top so it wouldn't blow away.....

NOTICE!
To the Cruel and Ruthless Idiot that killed the snake on the trail today~
Why? Why would you kill that beautiful and innocent creature? Don't you know that this is a protected wilderness area? She had much more right to be here than you do. She lived here, this was her home. You were intruding in her space. She would never have harmed you. She wasn't even a poisonous snake. Not that that should matter either because even a rattlesnake won't hurt you. They rattle to say; "You are in my territory and I don't want you here. I am afraid of you, please go away." And, they too have every right to be there in the mountains, in the wilderness. If you have an unnatural fear of snakes then get psychological help! The wilderness is not for everyone. It is a special place, and a privilege for us to partake of. It is obvious the wilderness is not for you. Please go away, and don't come back. You are not welcome here.

I signed it: hikermel .... then,

P.S. Please take this note with you. It is for you, and I don't want to leave litter here either.

The culprit was still on the river and will definitely have seen the note. I only hope it made an impact.
mel~

Healing the Farm

Earlier this week I made the trek to Birch River, WV to visit my friends Greg and Verena, and to help them get some work done on their farm. I was supposed to be farm sitting for them this week, but after getting hit hard by Sandy, there was no vacation in site for Greg and Verena. Sandy dumped 30 inches of very wet snow on a good portion of West Virginia, snapping off tree tops, uprooting trees, blocking roads, and putting out power and phone lines. G&S were without power and phone for over a week. I've just posted over a hundred pictures that Greg took of the damage to their farm. While he's an amazing photographer, the pictures just can't capture the devastation from the storm. Seeing it in person was like a punch in the stomach. It was overwhelming to look at and see how much work there is to do to get back to normal. With five miles of fencing there is not a single section that wasn't affected. Trees and limbs have knocked the fence over. Greg and Verena have been out everyday slowing digging out, chain sawing, stacking fire wood, and piling brush to be burned later. They secured an area for the sheep, then another for the female goats. The male goats however have been in the barn for two weeks, waiting for enough fence to be repaired to allow them a place outside.

I arrived Monday at noon, and after a short visit over lunch, we headed out with the chainsaws to continue the clearing efforts. For two and a half days Greg and Verena sawed while I "swamped". That's what we call it when we're clearing trails in Shenandoah National Park: there are sawyers and swampers. I am a swamper because I don't use a chainsaw. Swampers clear what the sawyers have cut. Verena, who is 20 years my senior, is amazing with a chainsaw! What a woman!! Not to say less for Greg who is quite a bit faster with the saw than Verena, but still, I don't know any other nearly 70 year (young) women using a chainsaw in any capacity!

Friends, Jim and Martha arrived late Tuesday morning with another chainsaw and worked with us for the rest of the day, then again on Wednesday. It took all five of us with the three chainsaws one full day to clear the quarter mile or so of road between the upper and lower farm. It's clear now, allowing a truck or tractor to get through, but there's still much to do to get it completely cleaned up. Many piles of potential fire wood and brush still remain. There is still much firewood yet to be cut. Now that the road is open the female goats can be taken down to pasture there, and the bucks can be turned out where the does have been the past two weeks near the barn.

The fencing is the main concern, but many other repairs to be done as well. They had one green house structure completely collapse. It had been standing in that spot for over 30 years through all kinds of weather. A glass panel broke from the weight of the snow in the sun room of their house. Farm life is tough anyway; to look at all that needs to be done on top of the regular chores is overwhelming. But Greg and Verena are probably the strongest, healthiest people I know and with their determination and some help from friends and neighbors, they will get through. And, hopefully in the near future, they will get to go on that much deserved vacation, and I will get to farm sit : )

West Virginia

Last October I started this blog after a camping/ hiking/ backpacking trip I took to West Virginia. In that first entry I mentioned a couple that I met in the parking lot of the Cranberry Glades Natural Area. Greg and Verena pulled in behind me and struck up a conversation because of my bumper stickers. We walked the boardwalk through the glades together and became fast friends. With a promise to reconnect and visit in the spring when I planned to make another such trip to WV, we parted but kept in touch via email. And, although my planned trip to WV didn't happen in the spring because of my Alaskan plans, we made sure to get together this fall.

And, that's just what we did this past week. Thomas and I made the drive to Greg and Verena's farm in Birch River, WV on Monday. Arriving in the early afternoon, it was like reconnecting with old friends; we went for a short hike around their land and shared some easy conversation. On the farm are 17 goats, maybe a dozen sheep, several chickens, a bunch of cats, one dog and two donkeys. The donkeys "babysit" the herd of goats and sheep. Carla watches the goats and Carlo watches the sheep. Boodicka (not sure of the spelling) is the rather large dog that watches the house. It was much fun to be around all the animals as I learned the daily chores in preparation of farm sitting in a couple weeks.

Greg and Verena's farm was the first in the country to produce organic goat cheese and sell it commercially. They had at their peak a herd of 140 goats, and sold to places like the Greenbrier, Balducci's and Whole Foods. Now they are semi retired (if there is such a thing in farming!) and only produce enough for themselves. Thomas and I were treated to wonderful cheeses that they had made as well as yogurt, both lamb and goat's meat, and fresh vegetables that they had grown. What a wonderful treat! As Thomas and I snuggled into the guest bed that night, I said to him, "I love these people!" And, I do; I feel like I've been friends with them forever!

We went through the morning chores together, then shared a beautiful lunch, which was really dinner since they do as the farmers did in days of old and eat their big meal midday. We left the farm in the early afternoon and drove to the Cranberry Glades. After a quick walk around the boardwalk we drove to the spot where I camped at last fall on my trip. We set up the tent, ate a quick instant camping dinner along with a good bottle of cheap wine, then settled in for the night. Getting an early start we did an eight mile hike in the Tea Creek area. Nearing the end of a long trek on what was old railroad grade, we decided to do a little bushwhack down to the river to eat lunch. All's well that ends well I suppose, but it probably wasn't a good thing to do since no one even knew where we were. We enjoyed our lunch by the river, then bushwhacked up the other side back to the trail. We missed the peak of the fall colors on this trip, but West Virginia is still one of the most beautiful places in this country.

Heading back to farm sit in a couple weeks and truly looking forward to the adventure!