Author: AlwaysWanderingArt

Holly Humidity

Outdoor Adventure

I pushed the car door opened and stepped into the soupy stinky abyss. I don’t remember it ever being this bad. Am I just crotchety in my old age of 30 or is something just not right anymore with our climate? I prefer to think the latter. I tend to agree with all the “maniacs” that think “the fall” is coming (and I don’t mean autumn). The humidity was so thick you could chew it. I crawled toward my apartment door like a snail dragging my bag, knuckles, and testicles across the pavement.

Lo and behold I reached the front door to find out that it was even worse upstairs in the apartment than it was outside, if that was even possible. Of course my honey and I ripped the AC out of the window a few days ago, it being mid September and all; we thought that only cool crisp weather awaited us now. BULL SHIT!!! Dante’s Inferno was more like it.

There was only one thing left to do; run. If I was going to die of heat exhaustion, then so be it. Better than dying while staring at an excel spreadsheet. I started off with a peculiar trot; head way out in front, arms dangling, legs kicking way out back. I looked like a puppet if it were being handled by a sloth.

After I got done with bobbing around and got into a decent rhythm I glanced up at the sky and I knew this was going to be EPIC! Ominous dark purple-gray-blue stuff slowly gathered and gathered and gathered until a yellow-pink-neon line danced down into a far off hill and some trees. Then, another one and another one and then nothing, but darkness approaching. The heat and humidity was so intense at this point it was literally filling up my throat. I was beginning to think that nothing was to become of these dark clouds when finally it happened; sweet release.

At first, the droplets came in increments as if they were teasing me. A few minutes later I heard a hissing behind me and it made me run faster. I started grinning like an idiot as the rain came over me like a shower with really good pressure that you’d only find at expensive hotels. The wind bent the trees in any direction it pleased and acorns landed forcefully across the land and a few bounced off my head. A red fox jumped out of the woods and onto the road. It took off straight ahead way faster than I could hope to keep up with it. The run was over and the rain had stopped. I was drenched, tired, and very happy. It was time to stick that damn AC back into the window and live another day.

Catskill Vibe

Outdoor Adventure

Recently, I’ve been spending more time in the Catskill Mountains of southeastern New York State. It’s the closest drive I can think of that will get me to a mountainous region with a 3,000+ foot elevation. I would imagine that folks from the upper west coast would chuckle at that number. Well, these mountains may not be as tall as the ones out west, but they have their own unique beauty and vibe. According to geologists, these mountains are a result of uplift and erosion. The process that formed these mountains is different from the process that formed most other mountains, which involves folding, extensive faulting, magmatic activity, and other events that can be described as orogenic events. Today, the Catskills are described less as a mountain range, and more as a severely eroded plateau resulting in a sharp relief (Catskills GIS Atlas 2012).

To me, a mountain is anything that has dirt, rocks, plants, and an incline. Places like that tend to have “vibes”. I’m going to forget the fact that the area is crammed with resorts and that it is mostly known as the place where many young stand up comedians got their start. I drew my own take on these mountains as it hit me while camping there and hiking through the area. I cannot define that vibe in a word because I had many different experiences there.

We once camped at Mongaup Pond: a beautiful campground on a lake. We filled the raft with air and lowered it into the water. We paddled through the water and a bald eagle nervously floated from tree to nearby tree as if he were always uncomfortable. As soon as I opened a Victory Pils he was gone. Some time later, a golden eagle circled the lake over and over again. I don’t think he found what he was looking for. Some time even later: Witches (I think?). Into the night…awakened inside the tent by strange lights on the outside. In the morning, we tried to place the sounds we heard that night, but we could not tell what they were without adding imagination. What was the vibe….?

Back to our favorite campground: Woodland Valley Campground. The vibe is always really good here. No enchanted lake or breathtaking views, just a quiet place amidst oaks and other hardwood trees that I can’t really identify. The main attraction photo describing this place in the brochure was a photo of a leaf. The man working the visitor’s booth closely resembled Keanu Reeves. He didn’t talk much about surfing, but he had great tips for reserving campsites: “Just ummm pull it up on the website man, click reserve, and you’re golden, bra”. Nights here consisted of craft brews, lanterns, interesting humor, stars, hammock time, little mice on Harley’s, and the sound of the owls (if you are lucky).

While hiking; the air always smelled great (unless something crapped nearby). The climbs were challenging, rocky, and refreshing. Once at the top, sometimes you’d see peaks of similar size; cobalt and cerulean blue in the distance. Other times, you’d see hazy bodies of water down below or nothing but thick fog. In the woods, something was always scurrying around and rustling up the leaves. Now and then you’d feel a presence of something and then nothing. Suddenly, a bird of prey would leave in haste crashing through the trees, cursing you for discovering its hiding spot. You’d wait for your heart to slow down and then take some water from the stream.

What about the people? Not my favorite subject. What was the vibe in the Catskills? I’m not sure I’ve got it yet, but I’m excited to go there again.

Image

Works Cited

^ “REGIONAL TOPOGRAPHY”. Catskills GIS Atlas. Catskill Center. Retrieved 2009-10-12.

Simulating Beverages – Eastern Hemlock

Life Balance, Outdoor Adventure

Thought I’d share an excerpt from a class project called ‘Foraging for Edible Wild Plants in “Government Improved” Natural Areas and Modern Suburbia of North Central New Jersey’.

The Eastern Hemlock

Hemlock ID

Identifying the Eastern Hemlock wasn’t difficult for me. It is my favorite pine tree that is found in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US, so I know it when I see it. The 1-inch (or smaller) cones and tiny flat needles are a dead give-away. I was excited to spot some hemlocks growing near the well-preserved “Estate Gardens” in Hockey Hollow National Park. I ripped off a few small branches in order to prepare a “stimulating beverage” once I returned from the hike. Many thoughts ran through my mind, such as; “that park ranger definitely saw me collect these samples and it looks like he’s headed my way at a brisk pace to give me a lecture or a citation”.

Other thoughts conjured up images of thousands of Washington’s troops dying of starvation and suffering through the bitter cold winters during the late 1700s, right where I stood. I wondered if these soldiers did exactly as I had just done and used the hemlock branches to make tea. This may have been one of the only few sources of food that was available to them during one of the harshest winters on record. There are stories of men eating the bark right off the tree during times of extreme hunger (Martin 1962). The winters were so bad that food supplies could not reach the soldiers.

I was looking forward to my Eastern Hemlock Hot Tea. Not to be confused with poison hemlock, which is extremely poisonous to people and animals and is a member of the parsley family (Peterson 1977). Drinking that sort of tea would get me into serious trouble.

Eastern Hemlock Biology: The Eastern Hemlock is extremely shade tolerant. It can develop with as little as 5% of full sunlight (Ward and Montgomery 2004). They can reach up to 100ft in maturity and can live up to 800 years, but the Eastern Hemlock is extremely vulnerable to drought and wind due to its due to its shallow root system (Brisbin 1970). Eastern Hemlocks are typically found growing in moist to extremely moist soil. This tree does not have any natural defenses against predators that I was able to determine and the bark of the tree is not very strong. However, I admire this tree because it is so majestic and has very different characteristics than other types of pine trees found in this region. It is important to the ecosystem because it provides many other animals (birds, porcupine, etc) with shelter, refuge and food (small birds feed on the Hemlock).

Reproduction: “The Hemlock’s seeds open in the fall and their seeds are dispersed throughout the winter” (Holland 2009). I would imagine the dispersal is possible by winter winds and/or animals moving the seeds.

Pests: The Woolly Adelgid is a pest from Asia that is currently damaging the Eastern Hemlock by depleting the Hemlock’s starch reserves (Ward and Montgomery 2004). Most of the Eastern US is heavily infested with these pests. The ironic thing is that Western Hemlock and other Hemlocks found in Asia are supposedly resistant to the Woolly Adelgid (Ward and Montgomery 2004).

Medicinal Purposes: Tea made from Eastern Hemlock is high in Vitamin C (Peterson 1977). The Eastern Hemlock also contains a high amount of tannins and was historically used to treat digestive, mouth, and throat disorders (naturallyyoursgrocery.com). I have also heard that it was effective in treating scurvy. Native Americans has used the tannins from the Hemlock’s tree bark to treat burns (Holland 2009)

Other Uses: The bark was used for tanning leather and giving it a reddish tone. It was also used for dying wool brown and making pulp (Holland 2009).

 

Stimulating Beverages – Eastern Hemlock Tea

Tea Preparation:

1)      I began by washing the samples I had collected earlier. There were about 8 small branches, which is sufficient for one serving. I used a strainer to wash the branches.

hemlock branches

2)      Rubbed the branches together to release some of flavors (not sure if that was useful).

3)      Brought approximately 2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot.

stove

4)      Placed the Eastern Hemlock branches in the boiling pot, covered, and let simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes.

 

5)      Ready to Serve!

IMG_9617

Experience:

Originally, I had considered adding some honey to the tea if the taste turned out to be worse than I expected. Much to my delight the tea tasted great. It was no better or worse than any of the herbal teas that I have tasted so far. I had expected a turpentine-like taste, but the taste was sweet and rich.

Works Cited

  1. Peterson, Lee Allen. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1977. Print.
  2. Martin, Joseph Plum. Private Yankee Doodle. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Eastern National. 1962. Print.
  3. Ward, S. Jeffrey, Montgomery, E. Michael. Eastern Hemlock Forests: Guidelines to Minimize the Impacts of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. May 2004. Web Article.   http://na.fs.fed.us/pubs/tps/eastern_hemlock/eastern_hemlock.pdf
  4.  Brisbin, L. Robert. Eastern Hemlock. October 1970. Web Article.http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/239hemlo.pdf
  5.  Holland, Mary. Aubudon Guides. Eastern Hemlocks. November 2009. Web. http://www.audubonguides.com/article.html?id=81

On Your Own Two Feet

Life Balance, New Jersey, Outdoor Adventure

My honey and I live in New Jersey and we’ve recently witnessed the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. The neighborhood we live in looked like a war zone after Sandy blew through the state. 90 MPH winds sent hundreds of giant eastern white pine trees crashing down on electric cables, across major roads (blocking them completely), and in most unfortunate cases; through houses. My grandfather believes that this occurred because New Jersey’s soil is sandy and rocky, which makes it impossible for trees to become deeply rooted into the ground. Luckily, our apartment building had almost no damage. Our hearts go out to those who were less fortunate and we gladly donated our clothing to those who needed it more.

But, I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw how the hurricane affected the dynamics between certain people and their beloved automobiles. Once Sandy had gone, these people suddenly needed to put gas in their cars NOW! No matter what! With all these giant trees blocking the roads, how were they going to get to the supermarket to buy crackers? They would have to do the unthinkable!!! They would have to put one foot in front of the other and walk an entire half a mile to the store to taste those yummy crackers. That’s right you can actually get to the store…by walking there. No need to run over police officers at gas stations or pull guns and axes on old ladies who happen to get ahead of you at the gas pump (yes, this actually happened).

I could go off on a rant about how the hurricane brought out the worst (and the best) in people, but I think we already know that, so let’s take a walk instead. It’s the most natural thing for us to do. That’s why we were created to walk upright on two feet. To me, walking is pure magic! It’s the best thing since sliced bread.

While walking you notice things. Is that a saw-whet Owl…in Jersey (who knew)? Your son or daughter walking beside you now remembers the moment forever. In really late fall you notice the cold gray-blue sky, the smell of dirt and dead leaves, and you feel the chill on your face and bones, and it makes you feel alive. It awakens the senses and inspires creativity. Henry David Thoreau and tons of other literary geniuses had their best ideas come to them in mid stride.

Sadly, I feel that very few of us take walks these days and even fewer are in touch with the natural world. When I tell people at work that I went for a walk after work, they look at me with utter disbelief, as if I said “I went for a walk after work NAKED”. The late great Edward Abbey totally called it back in the 60s when he said that the automobile will lead to the demise of our national parks, monuments, state parks, and forests. Yes sir, no profits to be made if we were to experience our parks mainly on foot or bicycle (other than profits in the form of mental and health wellness, but who cares about that).

Still, I am still hopeful that natural disasters won’t be the thing to finally unplug us from our machines and awaken us into the real world. OK, time to go for a walk 🙂

A Great Year for (car) Camping

Life Balance, Outdoor Adventure

The two week immersion into the Pasayten Wilderness in Washington State did nothing to curb my appetite for exploration and adventure. The trip only made matters worse, leaving me hungry for more portions of delicious wilderness. I learned a lot on that NOLS (national outdoor leadership school) backpacking course and I was eager to put newly acquired skills to use. And off I went, but as much as I enjoy the company of my own thoughts I felt lonely at times. So, I dragged a few friends along for a couple of short backpacking trips. Later, it occurred to me that lugging a heavy pack for days, smelling like ass, and eating dehydrated peppers wasn’t everyone’s idea of a grand old time.

Looks like I wasn’t going to have my wilderness cake and eat it too. There was only one way to play the hand I was dealt and combine the company of my bros with being outdoors. I would have to embrace a particular kind of camping…..car camping. Oh yes, everyone loves car camping. Fans include bikers, hippies, birders, and beauty pageant winners. No heavy lifting, no need to emulate the diet of a goat, and best of all; no need to dig a hole after a sip of coffee. The bathroom is close and the car is even closer. So close, I often walk right smack into the car, usually after my 3rd specialty beer. It would be quite a challenge to backpack with a six pack of Boulder Beer’s “Hazed and Infused”.

After a strong night of partying in the woods, it was time to pass out on king-size air mattresses waiting inside tents that Andre The Giant must have loaned out. But, I still had the stars, the fresh mountain air, the eerie sounds of owls growing louder and nearer, and best of all; the company of my bros. My cynicism for car camping was replaced with a feeling of content, as I reflected on a terrific night of classic shenanigans. Same old jokes, same old impressions and comedy skits, for well over a decade now. There are trips where nights like this make the trip and trips where it’s all about summiting that peak, but I wouldn’t trade one for the other.