Welcome to the Wilderness an Hour from DC

 "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints." - unknown.

Looks like a scene from My Neighbor Totoro

This quote has been attributed to a number of environmentalists and founders of conservation movements. A quick Google search claims it to be from John Muir, but a quick scroll down the search page shows that there are others who might have coined this phrase. 

But who said the quote doesn't make it any less important when you go to wilderness for an adventure. 

This weekend I went to the Shenandoah National Park and stayed in one of the three Lodges off Skyline Drive. It was so much fun (worth the scolding I got from my cat when I got home). I found the accommodations perfect, though they're more like motels or cabins rather than 5-star resorts. I had little to no cell service and the only area with wi-fi was the main lobby. The main lobby was incredibly inviting - excellent for bird watching or curling up in a rocking chair next to a roaring fire in the fireplace. 

I stayed in Skyland which had several trails within walking distance of my room. Some were very popular like Stony Man and White Oak Falls. Others had almost no one on them like Miller's Head (which led to a beautiful view on an old fire watch). There's also a stable for horses on Skyland with the option for horseback riding starting in late May.

I walked so much that by Saturday afternoon - when the weather took a turn to grey skies and rain - I found myself passed out for several hours before crawling out of bed for dinner. 

I've never hidden my love of hiking and getting lost in the wilderness. It's dangerous to go off by yourself, especially if you don't know what you're doing, but I've made it a habit to always let people know where I'll be going, knowing how to handle an emergency, and picking trails that will have some people around.

Thankfully, the Shenandoah National Park has an app with maps and resources for hikers. If you can't use the app, most trails have a map at the beginning of the trails that you can take a picture of. They'll also let you know the estimated amount of time to complete a hike, how much water you should have, and any other gear you will want to have on hand. 

One of my favorite investments has been my headlight flashlight that sits snuggly on my head and provides white and red light. It makes climbing up rocks easier in the dark without precariously balancing a flashlight in my hands.

As I don't have much service up in the Shenandoah, I don't have my headphones in. I can take in all the sounds of the woods. There are plenty of bird calls and songs, the sway of the trees, and the occasional howl of wind. Its in this atmosphere that I have nearly ran into deer, had a close call with a depth-perception challenged hawk, and a startling encounter with a bald eagle. There were a lot of deer this trip...and possibly a majestic peregrine (its a type of falcon). 

Surprisingly, the closest I have ever gotten to a bear was less than 10 miles from my house in New Jersey. It was while I was at my favorite hiking spot with two guys on our way to a place aptly named Bear Swamp. 

I didn't seen any bears this trip, but I'm sure they were around. 

Though spring is in full swing in and around Washington D.C., the Shenandoah mountains appear to be about a month behind. Certainly there were plenty of flowers (some of my favorites on this trip were little purple buds clinging to the eastern side of rocks). Friday and Saturday had hardly any trees budding, but this morning there were little dots of green everywhere. What a difference waking up in a cloud makes. 

Yep, that's right, last night I went to sleep on a mountain and today I woke up in a cloud. I could go five minutes of the road and see clear blue skies, but the next moment the wisps of water vapor were flying up the western ridges. It was eerie. It was beautiful. 

All of this is why Shenandoah National Park continues to be one of my favorite places in the world. I highly recommend it. There's plenty of hiking, amazing views, camping, and horseback riding (seasonal). There are great places to eat and park rangers to ask questions to. 

The wilderness is about an hour and a half from D.C. The next time you want to visit the capitol, might I suggest I short detour to the wilderness in Virginia...the Appalachian Trail is there.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to the Witching Hour Part 1: A Spark of Interest

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to take a long weekend up to Salem, Massachusetts: Witch Capitol of the United States. For my readers who are unfamiliar with Salem Massachusetts, following a series of "unexplainable incidents" in February 1692  a witch panic erupted in the God fearing Puritan colonies in Massachusetts. More than 150 people were accused of witchcraft and consorting with the devil. 19 of those accused were hanged, while one person was pressed to death (heavy stones were placed on them until they died). The panic didn't end until someone accused the Governor's wife in May 1693, which finally prompted the Governor to end the madness and pardon everyone who was still in jail.

Nearly 400 years of history and most people only talk about the witch trails when it comes to Salem, MA. For a very long time, the city and surrounding county tried to forget the panic ever occurred. Only one of the teenage girls ever apologized for her actions during the hysteria (sources aren't super clear what happened to all of them) and nearly everyone who was accused of being a witch lost everything.

Memorial park for the victims of the Salem Witch Trials

It wasn't until the tourism industry started making a little money, and then a lot of money, that the city began to acknowledge the 15 month panic. Now you can't walk through the main tourist districts without running into half a dozen shops dedicated to witchcraft and silly tourist traps dedicated to the trails. There's even a play reenactment of the trail of one of the accused witches twice a day for $25 per person.

I do think the city is worth a visit and the history is fascinating (though I hear October is insane), but I don't want to spend this entire post talking about my last weekend getaway.

No, what I want to focus on are the topics of witches and witchcraft.

Okay, I know it's not quite fall...let alone October, but I want to start writing about this topic now so that I don't accidentally keep up these posts until November (there's a lot to write about). Witches and witchcraft in history and popular culture are pretty interesting, plus there are several religions which incorporate witchcraft into their rituals.

Witches within European history and folklore are often wicked individuals who consorted with the devil. They hex people and try to entice others to sign their soul away. They were the cause of illness, injury, and all sorts of unfortunate, yet unexplainable, catastrophes. They are to be feared.

To be clear, no everyone who practiced magic was considered an evil witch (at least before Christianity became the dominate practice in Europe). There were quite a few religions that had wise men and women preform spells to ensure a good harvest or success in battle. The Greeks even had a goddess named Hekate who was dedicated to those who practiced magic, witchcraft, and sorcery.

More recently, we've had a kind of revival for witches in popular culture. The Sanderson Sisters from the movie Hocus Pocus and Ursula, the sea witch from The Little Mermaid, seem to embody the wicked witch stereotype, but then we have the good witches like Hermione Grander from Harry Potter and Halliwell Sisters from the 2000s show Charmed.

There are people today who practice witchcraft and have proudly adopted the moniker of Witch. The Wicca religion is notable for having many rituals that involve witchcraft. Others simply find spiritual meaning and focus practicing their craft.

There's a lot to explore when it comes to the topic of witches, witchcraft, and magick (the type spelled with a "k" at the end). There's a lot of information in the New Age section of the bookstore and online (though there's also a lot of misinformation there) on the modern practice of witchcraft. It's also a good idea to speak to people who actually practice witchcraft.

So sit back, relax, put on some creepy music, and let's learn about witches.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome To The Weekend Getaway

This weekend I went up to Connecticut to visit one of my cousins. We had a lot of fun and my cousin showed me around his home town of New Heaven. It was a lot of fun and Connecticut pizza is amazing.

Visiting my cousin was my first big trip in the area and it was worth it. I was nervous about driving in a completely new area, but thankfully my roommate lent me her GPS. It worked great on the way to my cousin's house, but on the way back today I kept loosing the satellite signal. I just kept praying that I'd eventually find my way home.

Part of the fun of weekend getaways is exploring new places. Being new to the area allows for a chance to meet as many new people as possible and go to tons of new places. I still haven't seen a lot of New York City and Sleepy Hollow is about a 15 minute drive.

Weekend getaways can be planned out way in advanced or decided on in half a second. There's a guy who lives in my building who takes his motorcycle, picks a direction and just goes. I wish I could do stuff like that, but I'm a planner.

Some tips for a weekend getaway (for those who are on there own or with a friend).

1) Check for toll roads - if you don't have an EZ Pass or cash on hand things can get tricky. Also tolls in general just start to add up. It's almost 30 dollars to go from Baltimore Maryland to Ridgewood New Jersey. That's more than a tank of gas.

2) Where to sleep - this is more important if you are doing a spontaneous getaway. For the out door adventurer,  it might be a good idea to have a tent and spare air mattress in left in the car. Hopefully a camp ground can be found. Otherwise, hope a decent hotel has a vacancy. These are the days I'm so glad we have Yelp.

3) Avoid getting lost - at least avoid getting lost for too long. Investing in a good smart phone or GPS (for those of us who are technologically challenged) is extremely helpful. Sometimes you can even program them to avoid tolls and major highways.

4) Take chances - if there are a lot of cars in the restaurant parking lot, or a line around the corner. It might be worth it to stop in and try the food. It could be a tourist trap or it could be a great life time experience. Either way, there will be a story out of it.

5) Forget about work on Monday (or which ever day you have to go back to work) - yeah it'll still be there when you wake up bright and early Monday morning, but just for that moment pretend you don't have to worry about anything. Let yourself be in the moment and enjoy it.

I'd like to thank my cousin and his wife for having me this weekend. Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.