The Hodag

In Wisconsin there is a mythical beast. Much like Sasquatch, The Jersey Devil or Chupacabra, this creature spends the vast majority of it's time in the imaginations of the people who live there. Locals dream about them, they 'see' them and give them human attributes. Some are just creatures seen in passing, others seem to have motives. The Pope Lick Monster lures young people to cross a high trestle only to meet their death when the train crosses the trestle. Most cultures have local legends which are part of their culture. Those who study these mythical creatures call their science cryptozoology. Now before you criticize and scoff remember, the Giant Squid and the Okapi were both animals that were only thought to be myths for a time.

Wisconsin has the Hodag. The Hodag was seen in the woods around Rhinelander it apparently was found and then blow up with dynamite after the hunting party was terrified by it, in 1893.

The Hodag has had a few sightings since one was used as an experiment with explosives. The image above was a hoax in 1896. I'm sure some people had a grand time putting this guy together. It is said to be extinct as it's main diet of all white bulldogs (thank god Woody and Buster are black AND white) ran out. What was the Hodag eating before there were all white bull dogs around? Seems to me that the Hodag has a very limited pallet.  

While the actual species may or may not be extinct, the Hodag lives on in the imaginations and hearts of Rhinelander residents. He is the mascot for the local high school, a country music festival is named after him and the local farmers market got it's name from him. There are several sculptures of the Hodag around Rhinelander. Making him a friendly welcoming beast to the town. 

I think that's it's great when a town embraces their culture no matter how quirky. Vermont has two lake monsters Champ and Memphre. It only adds to the appeal of an area. So if you're ever in Rhinelander, Wisconsin be sure to look for the Hodag, or go see the numerous artistic representations.  

Back to School

I got my boots tied tight, I got my lunch packed up, I hope I don't get in a fight... back to school... back to school

Adam Sandler, that idiotic genius of comedy got it right. Going back to school made me a little anxious too. Granted it wasn't about getting into a fight, or I guess if you were to take his quote a little further you might say that he was worried about making friends.

I wasn't really worried about making friends. I seem to be able to do that in most situations I put myself in. It might take a little longer depending on the group of people but I've never been friendless anywhere I went. The thing I was most concerned about was studying. I haven't been in school for five years. I graduated college, hit the Peace Corps, got out and bounced around, and then came back.

I know I wasn't ready to go to graduate school right out of college, I also know I would have picked a major I wasn't interested in. I considered going to graduate school right out of the Peace Corps. I thought about taking the GREs in Ghana, and then applying while still in the Peace Corps. This is what a lot of my group did. I didn't feel ready though. So I began to look for work. I couldn't not work, this was a non option. I decided that I would go home, work at the local ski mountain for the winter and then find a job more in line with my interests in the next season. Looking for work in States while I was living an ocean, and almost a hemisphere away wasn't going to happen.

I'm glad I waited. I'm glad that I sowed some wild seeds. I'm glad I did what I wanted, when I wanted. I didn't want to feel rushed or pushed into being someone I wasn't. I was still evolving and to cut the evolution of my identity short would have left me feeling vulnerable, disorientated, and probably immature. I stand by my decision to take this time, I needed to explore. I'm now entering a new form of exploration, school.

From all my wanderings I have realized that I am more invested, involved and excited to learn. I know why I'm here. After a little while of classes I've realized that studying, writing papers, and doing the reading are coming much more naturally to me the second time around than in undergrad. I have much more drive and curiosity about the subject I'm learning.

While I'm glad I took the time and knew what I wanted to do, I'm also glad I took the leap and returned. A friend of mine has been encouraging me to go back to school for years now, saying that I was too smart not to, was right in that it was a good choice for me. Being intellectually challenged has been something that's been missing in my life since leaving the Peace Corps. Maybe this is why I started reading and enjoying classic literature.  I was comforted by a thought I had last night. I was thinking about how truly happy I was to be here in this program and how school was encouraging and challenging me in ways that I needed. I'm a firm believer in fate. My next thought was, 'well I guess I'm meant to be here, doing this'.

To my readers I hope that you in your lives can take a deep breath and say to yourself 'I know that I'm meant to be where I am doing the things that make me happy.'

 

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.