Sheltered Lands

As the sun rises, I take the first few steps of the final three miles I’ll hike on this three week sabbatical.    When done, I’ll have totaled forty one miles.   Not an extraordinary sum, but most importantly, nearly every step along the way has been pure bliss.   The slow, thoughtful pace of foot travel has been the heart of these past three weeks that have worked out so incredibly well.   Today’s final act is a visit with an old friend – Wildcat Mountain Preserve in Marshall, Virginia.  I decided to end my journey where my most fervent affection for The Nature Conservancy has blossomed.  It’s my home preserve; the one I’ve spent the most time visiting.  The familiarity of Wildcat also seems to be the ideal place to distill the overwhelming stimulation I’ve encountered while touring sixteen preserves - marshes in Maryland; caves in Virginia; Bosques in Arizona; swamps in West Virginia.  The list goes on.  I’ve had some amazing an...

An orange orb looms ominous as it pokes above the hazy horizon to the east.  I’m on my way to work; in the back seat is a pair of boots and a backpack.   At noon, I’ll be leaving the office and heading south for some trail maintenance at Wildcat Mountain– something I signed up for two weeks ago.   But two weeks ago I had no idea today would include a heat advisory warning and a predicted heat index of 110 degrees.   As noon arrives, 110 degrees is fast approaching.   When I reach the trailhead an hour later and take my first few steps, I’m gasping and certain I didn’t bring enough water. It’s the hottest day of the year, and the worse time of day to be out, yet I’m climbing a mountain with a backpack full of trail clearing gear.  Admittedly, charging head first into a heat advisory isn’t my smartest decision, but I have a tendency of being drawn to extremes - like six months ago when I climbed this same mountain right after a snowstorm.  Perhaps...

One hundred yards from returning to the parking lot, I encounter my first fellow hiker.  It’s 11:00 a.m. and I’ve been on the trail four hours.   I note that fellow hiker’s carrying a rusty handsaw, unlike the brand new, badass switchblade I’ve been wielding all morning.   Perhaps he’s intent on clearing the trail too.   When we meet, he doesn’t want to talk, but I won’t let that be.   “Howya doin’”, I snap, forcing eye contact.   When he finds out I just finished clearing the entire trail, he can’t hide his disappointment.   I just took all his fun away.   You gotta get up pretty early to out hike me.   My four hours at Wildcat Mountain Preserve have been exhilarating in many ways.  First & foremost, my efforts to give back have felt fantastic.  Walking the three mile loop trail and clearing it of debris after a winter storm has brought a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment, especially so since slippery conditi...

Long ago, I wrote a small check in support of The Nature Conservancy (TNC).  I liked their mission. An at-risk element of ecological sensitivity was behind each acre they secured.   Other conservation organizations were maniacally zealous about preserving land – any land – and that’s not the kind of conservationist I am. In 2007, my support of TNC became more tangible.  I volunteered to do some photo monitoring at Ogden’s Cave – the closest preserves to my home.  I made a few trips to this cool property in my role as monitor and instantly fell in love with it.  However, shortly after I became involved, the cave was turned over to the State of Virginia’s Department of Conservation, meaning my volunteer efforts and love affair came to an end.  A few months ago, I received an email from TNC looking for volunteer Preserve Monitors.  Basically, they need caring people to visit preserves, perform minor trail maintenance, and report their finding...