I gather small fallen branches and twigs and arrange my campfire. Back to the cliff’s edge, to sit and look around. No matter in what direction I look, I see no man-made lights. The darkening sky shows a sliver of moon, and countless stars begin to appear. Other than the whispering of a gentle breeze in some tall grasses behind me, all is silent . . . Continue Reading
As the funyak dropped on its side, it rapidly filled with water and soon flipped over, throwing me into the churning waters. Under I went even with a life jacked on. As I came to the surface I discovered that the funyak was on top of me, and since no amount of thrashing could get it off of me and I stayed under water. As my breath started to run out . . . Continue Reading
This story is about an experience I had with my dad on a sunny afternoon in the mountain holler where we lived. I was about nine or ten years old at the time, and my dad would have been about thirty. The details of that afternoon are not entirely clear,Continue Reading
We trundled down the thin gravelly road, Dad and I, in the rickety old pickup truck, green enough to blend with the forest, especially after one of those morning drizzles in late summer that just makes the trees look . . . alive, more alive than usual. The dew-glazed hemlockContinue Reading
More and more people are realizing we live on a finite planet, with finite resources, and the clock is ticking to clean up the mess we have made. Further, we are discovering that a sustainable life does not mean we have to give up our comforts, but instead expand themContinue Reading
“Thanks for getting me out here, babe.” My voice is excited but gruff. “I didn’t get much sleep at all last night.” I’m feeling the effects of our 2021 all-day New Year’s celebration. Despite some muscle aches, moderate anxiety, and a tad bit of brain fog, I’m happy to beContinue Reading
Appalachia Bare recently had the great pleasure of meeting Bruce Guillaume, founder of Mountain Challenge and Fit.Green.Happy.®️, and we discovered a common interest in our deep love for the Appalachian Mountains and her people, in a commitment to environmental sustainability, and in the belief that outdoor ventures administer a prescriptionContinue Reading
In reflection, over the past two decades, the global human population has witnessed three novel coronaviruses emerge and cause outbreaks with considerable health consternation. Further, all outbreaks (likely) have a zoonotic origin, or, diseases that spread from animals to humans. The question begs to be asked: Why? III. Scientists whoContinue Reading
I. An August shower pours through the forest. Rainwater still drips from rattling leaves as a glowing mist shines fair in the morning light. The sun is just again peeking through the leafy boughs. Beaming rays illuminate the water-quenched dance of the soft, green canopy. Droplets bead and splash toContinue Reading
I recently took a walk/hike through finished portions of the Fonta Flora State Trail in Burke County, North Carolina. The trail is named after the local Fonta Flora settlement of African-American sharecroppers whose homes were flooded when the Catawba River was dammed to create Lake James. I started the walkContinue Reading