I live in Virginia, the southeastern corner, the heart of the military-industrial complex. It’s not a very wild place, at least not in the traditional sense. What it does have is access to waterways—brackish, sweet, and salt—lots of coastline, and low-lying wetlands. It’s nice if you have a canoe or kayak (I do) though not … More Ode to the Paddle
Newly published in Sierra magazine, my piece about hiking the proposed path of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline through Virginia’s National Forest: http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2017-3-may-june/feature/outdoorsman-follows-pipelines-path-through-wild
The old Sam Cook song trolls through my head. The surface meaning is appreciable, so avoid looking for anything deeper in the words to follow. I’ve always been more of an Otis Redding guy anyway. How’s that for a lede. So here’s the post that I’ve owed myself (and the other two of you that might read … More It’s been a long time comin’
Excerpted from my essay, “Camping with Kids: a Non-Primer” We’ve gotten a late start. The sun is already hovering a few fingers above the horizon and we’ve only covered a mile or so. The kids have slowed to a glacial pace. I prod the territory to the right, walking through high brush and eyeing the … More “Camping with Kids” excerpt
I’m lying in the hammock as I write this. The rain has mostly abated but comes heavily in spurts every now and again. The wind out on the water is blowing upwards of 50 mph but here behind the house and trees it whips through in weaker gusts. I think the worst of the squall has passed … More Hammocking in Hermine
It was a late autumn Saturday and the football team was away. As things settled into the weekend forays of a typical college town, I set out alone on the Blue Ridge Parkway, an hour or more on that endlessly winding road into the reaches of Jefferson National Forest somewhere west of Roanoke. I’d woken up … More From the Archives: Jefferson National Forest, Fall 2006
I wanted to share a few tidbits of a weekend spent in Rockingham County. My wife and I had driven out early Saturday morning to meet up with friends and prepare for a wedding later that evening. As always, my wheels began to spin, devising ways to get out into the woods for a turn, hiking … More Wading in Rockingham
