Category: Trip report
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Swamping Again
The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness, and of a freedom almost forgotten. ~Sigurd F. Olson The Swamp Queen (aka Melissa) did it again…planned a canoe/camping adventure to our favorite swamp destination, the Roanoke River. So, last week, we headed east to spend a planned 6 days paddling over 50 miles… Read more…
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Jones Lake and Paddling the Black River
The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness, and of a freedom almost forgotten. ~Sigurd F. Olson Two weeks ago, we had a chance to paddle the Black River with our friend, Jerry, and a great group of other folks he had gathered for a planning trip for one of his upcoming… Read more…
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Mustelid Moments
We need the tonic of wildness, — to wade sometimes in marshes where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk, and hear the booming of the snipe; to smell the whispering sedge where only some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest, and the mink crawls with its belly close to the ground. ~Henry David… Read more…
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Sharing with Friends
To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand in the cold. ~Aristotle This is the second post from our January trip to Yellowstone. After spending a few days scouting the northern range of the park and hanging out with some Montana friends, a group of eight NC friends flew out to… Read more…
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A Winter’s Journey
Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration. ~Anamika Mishra Melissa had another wonderful educator workshop to Yellowstone last month with plenty of extraordinary sightings including a Pygmy Owl, Ermine, and a Bobcat feeding on a Mule Deer carcass (jealous, me??). We planned for her to take some time off afterward and have some friends… Read more…
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Lake George
Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin… finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves… ~Thomas Jefferson, 1791 Melissa’s family has a long tradition of summer vacations on Lake George in upstate… Read more…
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Summer is Bear Time
When you are where wild bears live you learn to pay attention to the rhythm of the land and yourself. ~Linda Jo Hunter This summer seems to be racing by and it hit me last week that I have not made a pilgrimage to our coastal wildlife refuges for my fix of summer bears. So,… Read more…
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Moving South Along the Parkway
It was as if all the world might be composed of nothing but valley and ridge. ~Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain This is part two of our trip last month down the Blue Ridge Parkway. After the crazy weather at Mount Mitchell, we headed to our next destination, a somewhat out of the way campground, Balsam… Read more…
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Mountain High
Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully. ~Kristen Butler It’s been awhile since my last post and a lot has happened since then. Melissa and I took a couple of weeks to head to the mountains last month and then it has been busy here at home. So, the… Read more…
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Millpond Meander
This is everybody’s dream swamp… ~A.B. Coleman (the man who donated Merchants Millpond to the state for a park) Over a week ago, Melissa and I managed a two night get-away to one of our favorite state parks, Merchants Millpond. I think Mr. Coleman was right, this may be everybody’s “dream swamp”. It combines an… Read more…
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