Camping on the 4th

This last three 4th of the July's I've spent them in a tent. In 2011 I was in Yellowstone, 2012 I was in Alaska, and this year I was in the north woods of Wisconsin. The whole point of the 4th of July is to celebrate the birth of this great country we live in. The United States definitely has it's pros and it's cons but it's the place I would prefer to live. The US is still a very young country in comparison to countries in Europe or Asia. The Declaration of Independence was only written in 1776. Fun fact it was written on July 2nd and went through a two day revision process and was approved on the 4th. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more

Well he got what he wanted. So John Adams basically came up with how we celebrate today. While fireworks, hot dogs and beer are great, the best way for me to celebrate isn't getting drunk, overeating and watching sparkly things in the sky. I prefer to celebrate by going out to the woods. The US doesn't have great ancient monuments such as the Cathedrals in Europe or the Great Wall in China. In the US those monuments live in National Parks, State Forests and Wildlife refuges. A barbeque is replaced by a hike through the woods with friends, and eating a well earned trail meal afterward. The shows, games sports, and parade can be replaced with camp games, songs around a campfire and sharing of memories. The guns and bells can be replaced by songs of birds. And of course fireworks, or illuminations as John Adams puts it, can be easily replaced by stars. Also my celebration doesn't end at any given moment it ends when I walk out of the woods.

I don't feel the after effects of the 4th with a hangover and 10 pounds of leftover hamburgers. Instead I take a shower and let the dirt, bug dope and sweat go down the drain. I wash my stinky socks, hang up my sleeping bag and put my pack away for the next trip.

Hiking in North Carolina

*Interactive Post* Place names are links, check them out!

 

Growing up in Vermont my brother and I were romping around in the Green Mountians since we were able to romp around anywhere. This was encouraged by our parents are grandparents who would bring us on nature adventures hiking, to camp, to canada, exploring the backyard. As a result both of us have a deep love of nature. My brother having found the woman who he wants to spend his life with (coinceidently Lynn is also my best friend) has been hiking every chance they get. So when I go visit them we go hiking. Last time I was in the Ashville, NC area it was my birthday and it was POURING, but we went hiking anyhow. This weekend it was beautiful and so the hiking was much more enjoyable. We went for a 5 mile hike up Crowders Mountain. It was so clear that we were able to see downtown Charlotte from the top. 

 

 On Saturday it was Lynns bachelorette party ziplining at Navitat lots of fun was had! 10 different ziplines and they're adding more next year! Not your traditional bachelorette party, but definately a good time.

 

On that same day of the bachelorette party Jason went hiking and he ended up off the Blue Ridge Parkway on a piece of the Art Loeb Trail. He came back saying that he had found a great place to take us. After reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson I've always been curious about grassy balds around this area. They are only found in a small area of the the Appalachians, and they are a unique biome. When Jason told me that he was going to take Lynn and I back there I was excited. The only way I could have described it was hiking out west. Because you could see for miles and the country was open, the tallest thing was about a 4 foot tall thicket, but mostly it was grassy. We were up about 6000 feet at the summit.

 

I've been wanting to go hiking all this winter to relieve some cumlative stress. Being in the woods has always given me a sense of the awesome world that we live in. Places that seem unexplored, and untainted wash away stress from our socially tangled worlds. 

Itasca State Park

To those who don't know my parents recently moved from Vermont to North Dakota. I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with my family so I figured I would take a spring break and go visit them in North Dakota  I flew into Fargo late on Thursday night and drove to their home. That next weekend they took me to Minnesota to visit Itasca State Park. Itasca State Park is home to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. 

Before we left I contacted my friend who I met in Maine and invited him to come join us for the day. I love catching up with friends and was excited that he could join us for the day. We rented snow shoes a the parks visitor center and did a 2 mile loop it took us by lakes and through the trees. The snow was about two feet deep in places and we were glad that we had rented the snow shoes. The trail itself was well packed and an easy snow shoe. Although, I will say that snow shoeing is much harder than hiking. 

The forest in the winter time is completely different than the forest in the summer time. I'm a strong believer that you can hike a trail every day and notice something different every time. The woods may seem quiet but they are always alive and changing. The snow deadens any sound that is made and the cold makes everything seem so still. However, it is much easier to track animals in the winter time because of the tracks they make in the snow. The hoar frost on the vegetation gave everything an ethereal quality. 

Being out in the woods magnifies memories and time instead of stealing them. Spending time outside always makes a day seem special and is filed differently in my memory bank. What a great day spent with family and friends! 

Hiking

I love to hike, its is probably my favorite activity of all time. I also realized that I've been hiking in quite a few places. I now have made it a goal to try to go hiking to every state/ country I visit, even if it's only for a mile.

Here are the places I've already gone:

Vermont

This picture was taken just after returning from Benin. It's at Little Rock Pond near to where I grew up. 

Wyoming and Montana

I led backpacking trips in and out of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park one summer. This picture is taken at the lower saddle of the Grand Teton. I had pretty bad altitude sickness that day. 

Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin 

Park W

My fellow Peace Corps volunteers and I along with local guides took children on safari in the park and hiked through the three countries it is located in.  

Wyoming

This picture was taken at Heart Lake, beautiful spot but FULL of mosquitoes.

California

This was taken at Joshua Tree National Park. Absolutely stunning place. I really fell in love with Joshua Tree. Backpacking is really the way to go, the stars are unforgettable! 

New Hampshire 

I've been on many hikes in New Hampshire, but this was one of my favorites, hiking up Mt. Moat with my Wilderness First Responder friends! 

Alaska 

I was in Skagway for a time and this was taken at Lower Dewey Lake, a 3 mile round trip hike that is straight up hill, but well worth the hike. 

North Carolina

This was taken on my birthday last year we hiked at the Pisgah National Forest. What a great way to spend a birthday! 

I've also been hiking in New York, Maine, and Florida.