Month: March 2019

To put it simply, it sucked to be outside at times today. For a day in mid-March, before it’s even officially spring, it was sweltering. I shouldn’t have expected anything less from weather in North Carolina, but I was still left in shock of just how warm it was. My only consolation was the sweet relief of the wind, keeping the air just cool enough that I could feel like I wasn’t getting sunburned even though I was. With the wind making the day feel relatively nice, I figured that I was due for a trip to the lake.

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Upon making my way down to the lake, I was given my customary greeting stares from the resident Muscovy ducks. Although I have talked about them multiple times before, I still feel the need to include them, as I believe that they are essential to the character of the lake. On this particular day, the ducks allowed me to get very close to them. It even seems like they’re posing for the pictures! In my research on Muscovy ducks, I learned that they have underdeveloped oil glands when compared to other duck species, causing them to not swim as much. This keeps accessible for me, and I make it a point to stop by and watch them every time I make it to the lake. I find their behavior fascinating, as they’re always together yet rarely doing anything other than sitting. The birds are also omnivorous, a fact that I never really considered; it makes sense considering that these two particular birds spend all of their time near fields containing plants and insects galore.

After making my stop with the Muscovy Ducks, I had a decision to make. Do I continue straight along the path to the edge of the woods and onward, or do I veer left onto the continued gravel path marked by a yellow gate. While the edge of the woods and the bridge that comes with it was tempting, I was drawn in to the mystery of the yellow gate and what lay beyond it. To be quite honest, I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to venture past the gate and onto this path. Not willing to take the risk, I was content with staying at the gate’s edge and peering out into the mysteries contained behind it. The scene contained beyond the gate reminds me of fall, with crisp, crunchy leaves littering the ground among barren trees. However, the one thing that stuck out to me was the presence of green ivy to the right of the defined path, marking an outlier in the otherwise peaceful mixture of autumn hue. Although I’ll need to research further, I believe that the swathes of green are actually climbing vines, a feat of nature that can both kill and support a tree depending on the circumstances. The vines provided a splash of color in what was otherwise a relatively uniform scene. Akin to the ducks, the ivy is just one of the many unique splashes of character in the area by the lake, providing me with new thought-provoking experiences every time I visit.

It’s March 14th! Pi day! I know maybe 4 digits of pi, but that is beside the point because today I visited Haw River State Park again. This time, I had done research beforehand and had a better idea of the park and its surroundings. I visited the information desk to check in and received a guide that had additional information about the park and a map. From there, I created a game plan. Sort of. My goal for today was to actually visit and look at the Haw River. I promise I will discuss the river eventually, but maybe not in this exact blog post;) After researching the river and learning many interesting facts about it, I was thrilled to see it in person.

There are three main trails at Haw River State Park that guide visitors through the sights and sounds of the park. The Great Blue Heron Loop Trail is part of the Iron Ore Belt Access and is located on the Church Street access point of the park. For the entrance off of Spearman Road (which is off of Highway 150), there are more trails and it houses the visitor center, conference center, and other lodgings. Visitors can choose the brief Lake Loop Trail or take the Piedmont Loop Trail and venture off onto the Wetlands Boardwalk and visit the headwaters of the Haw River. I chose the Piedmont Loop-Wetlands trail, mainly because I was so eager to look at what the river had to offer.

As I was walking to the boardwalk, I saw a lot of trees. Again. There seems to be a lot of trees at Haw River State Park. Big trees, little trees, upright trees, fallen trees, tall trees, short trees. For the most part, they were big, tall trees that towered over me. After looking up at all the trees, you start to feel really, really small and almost insignificant. It seems that they are living in their own world and we don’t matter to them.

After all the storms from this past autumn, there is a large presence of fallen trees all around North Carolina, and Haw River is no exception. I have come across so many fallen trees it seems that there are as many trees laying horizontal as there are trees standing vertical. One tree I viewed was particularly interesting. I felt that it really embodied what we discussed in class about the branches of trees growing together to look like the roots hiding beneath the ground. When I first glanced at the collapsed tree, I was unable to discern which part of the tree was the top with all the branches and which was the bottom containing the roots. After close inspection, I discovered which is which, but the mystery of the tree still sticks with me. Nature is very mysterious, isn’t it? There are lots about nature that we do not know. Throughout this project, I hope to discover some of the many mysteries of nature, but I know some things will always remain mysterious, and that is okay with me.

It was problematic for me to identify the exact names of the trees because of their immense size, making it difficult to closely inspect the trees. Additionally, the trees right now are bare and have not grown their leaves yet this spring, adding to the difficulty of identifying the trees. But trust me, when spring rolls around and the leaves grow in, there will be a blog post about the trees. I tried to use the VTree app that was recommended in class, but I had issues trying to correctly identify the plant. Maybe I wasn’t quite the best at describing the peculiar aspects of the tree, like the thickness of the leaf, the shape of the leaf, the placement of the leaves, and more. Although I was unable to accurately identify the plants, concentrating on the individual details of them helped me notice the differences between the flora and actually appreciate even the smallest distinctions. It was so interesting for me to look at all the little pieces that make up the big picture of nature. Sometimes we just ignore the lowly leaves or basic branches because they might not be as pretty or as photogenic as the flowers, but we should learn to appreciate nature for all it has to offer, from the picturesque petals to the life-providing leaves. Closely inspecting the so-called “boring” aspects of nature helped me understand the inner workings of nature and appreciate it even more.

The next blog post will be somewhat of a continuation of this one; I will talk about the rest of my day at Haw River. I will focus on expectations vs realities in nature, and my experience with this, especially my encounter with meeting the Haw River for the first time.

Toodles!

Water dances around my fingers to a song set eternally on repeat. I watch as my subtle motions trigger a series of cascading ripples. From the point of their inception, the rhythmic circles steadily grow, expanding outward to cover more surface area across the placid surface. I could only have so much of an impact, for nearly as quickly as they came, the disturbances blended seamlessly back into the folds of the lake.

Without the work of others, my ripples would never have existed. The 12-acre lake I rest my bones beside was the product of hard work and a vision for the future. In 1938, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) troop #3422 cut out 12-acres to build the lake, erecting an earthen dam to keep the waters in banks. The stone bathhouse and diving tower show their handprints as well, not to mention the very roads and parking areas still used in the park today.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the CCC in 1933 as an attempt to revive the economy from the Great Depression. Roosevelt believed that the country’s most valuable resource was its people, and under a common goal could accomplish incredible feats. Thus, the CCC’s mission was to conserve the natural resources of the land by utilizing young men between ages 18 and 25. In total, the CCC employed almost three million people and planted over two million trees. They additionally controlled the erosion on over 20 million acres of land and constructed 97 thousand miles of forested roads and trails. Their cumulative efforts reclaimed over 84 million acres of agriculture.

  On July 2^nd, 1935, 243 CCC workers arrived in the Hanging Rock wilderness where they remained for the next seven years. By the end of 1935, approximately 27,000 CCC men were stationed all across North Carolina. CCC #3422 were managed by both the Army and the park service simultaneously, working long hours of manual labor. They were allowed to participate in recreational sports and education outside of working hours, even being allowed trips on the weekend to encourage their passions and motivations.

In constructing the park, the men of the CCC carved out a surface mine to harvest native stones. They cleared out many of the trees and topsoil around the lake and visitors center, proceeding to remove the quartzite with sledgehammers and jackhammers. Many men were tasked with using dynamite. One member, Lyman Hall, recalls that “if President Roosevelt hadn’t done this, we wouldn’t have recovered so quickly from the Depression.” Percy Fulk, another member of CCC #3422, remembered how “we brought that region to reality.” He noted the incredible sense of family and brotherhood felt in that space, the communion between each other and within the folds of the wilderness.

I see their reflections here in these waters. The faces of young boys, uncertain about their future, committing themselves to physical reclamation and personal freedom. Shrouded in wildness they grew closer to themselves, leaving lasting marks on the fabric of this space. I envision myself in their shoes, busting quartzite with oversized hammers or envisioning the placement of this lake. While I certainly enjoy separating myself from the commotion of the human world, it becomes impossible to root oneself in space if that world is not recognized. This water, while natural, was not a part of this landscape during the days of the Saura, nor when the park was first established. We often appreciate the beauty without understanding the circumstances, an act which unfortunately distances our perceptions away from enlightenment. I seek not to squander my thoughts but to broaden them, to make this space my home in all of its variety. After all, who are we if not connective?

“You made me swear I’ll never forget. I made a vow I’d see you again”

1,429 acres. Now that’s a lot of acres. Established in 2005, Haw River State Park is a grand state park located in Guilford and Rockingham counties of North Carolina in the Piedmont region. I will discuss the physical features of the park later, but for now, I want to discuss the human history of the river and of the park.

The Haw River has a long and interesting history, dating back to before the colonization of the Americas in the late 15th century. There is archaeological evidence suggesting occupations were practiced in prehistoric times near the Haw River. Additionally, communities have been developing the Piedmont region for a long time. Diseases such as smallpox and war with neighboring communities, among many other reasons, dwindled the numbers of these communities. The Piedmont region has also many strong ties to Native American tribes including the Sioux, Iroquois, and Muskogean.

Europeans’ relationships with the Native Americans had a deep impact on the establishment of the Haw River, specifically its name. Named after the Sissipahau Indians, the Haw River was first coined by English botanist John Lawson. The name seems to have origins in the Eastern Sioux language group. The rest of the settlers in the Piedmont varied as well, from Quakers of Pennsylvania to German and Scots-Irish descendants.

The Haw River is also believed to have a significant impact in the mining industry, during the Revolutionary War, and with slavery. For almost 200 years, the Ironworks on Troublesome Creek operated and housed furnaces, gristmills, sawmills, and blacksmith shops. Additionally, there is evidence that the area was also mined for its iron ore. Haw River State Park is hosting a community hike coming up on March 23rd called the “Pit Trail Hike” to learn about the “Old Revolutionary War Ore Pits” and its significance to the Piedmont in the late 19th century. I hope to create a whole blog post of my findings from that hike, so be on the lookout for that in late March! During the Revolutionary War, the Ironworks area was a campsite for General Nathaneal Greene of the Continental Army. Because of its proximity to Guilford College and the large presence of Quakers nearby, the Haw River likely played a significant role in the Underground Railroad. Although there is not much documentation about the specific routes of the Underground Railroad, the routes probably passed through the state park and the river most likely served as a guide and landmark.

Over the past 150 years, the land has mainly been used for agricultural land and forest area. In 2000, the conversation began to create a state park in the Piedmont region, focused on the Haw River watershed in Guilford County and Rockingham County. One year later, the Haw River was selected as the location for the park and after another year, the headwaters of the river was chosen as the primary focus for the park because of its aquatic biodiversity and notably large beaver pond population. Beginning in 2003, the process to add Haw River State Park to official state parks system launched, in addition to the first acquisitions of land. In the following years, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation purchased other buildings, such as the currently-named Summit Environmental Education Center, to add to the park and increase its appeal to the general public. Haw River is a unique state park that serves to educate the general public on environmental stewardship and protect the valuable natural resources housed within the park grounds.

Despite all the good aspects of the park, not everything surrounding the park’s history has been fine and dandy. I plan to do more in-depth research, followed by a blog post with my findings, of the effect of logging and other harmful activities on the areas surrounding Haw River. Additionally, there was a brief conflict in 2007 of whether some of the land surrounding the state park should be used for a golf course instead. It is important to preserve natural resources, and I hope to discover new information while researching these topics.

Toodles!

In an instant, my hands knew the earth.

Cold, resistant stones nearly shot upwards to meet me, the weight on my shoulders lifted and thrown three feet to my front. Dirt and debris riddled the inside of my nails while semi-frozen mud adhered firmly to my skin. I rolled over onto my back, propping myself up with my elbows in hopes of seeing what I believed I just saw.

It was the root that did me in, or so I thought. Venturing down the Magnolia Springs trail, amidst the tangled rhododendron, I could not help to stare longingly into the progressively setting sun. Slight glimmers of evening light bounced off the neighboring trees to illuminate small patches of earth along the surface. It felt as if someone had poked holes in a darkened box to allow fragments of intense glow to guide the way. The trail circuitously wound through these beacons of light, guiding a seamless descent into the quiet valley below.

Rounding a sharp corner, I reached out to grip the trunk of a slender white pine. As I clenched around the overlapping bark, my eyes caught glimpse of a dim figure to my right. Shrouded in fog it was clear they were close, although from my distance I could see nothing distinguishing about them. A glimmer of reflecting light averted my eyes from the figure; a loud cracking thud brought them back. A sizable branch from a chestnut oak plummeted to the ground, flattening the space where I thought the figure once stood. They had vanished, taking my balance with them, and in an instant, I too felt a collision.

My palms were dirty and my thoughts ran heavy. Who were they, and where did they go? My pace hastened to match the fleeting day, my heart racing faster than the beat of a raven’s wing. Perhaps it was the darkness, perhaps it was the light, but I could not shake the feeling of being watched. I gripped my pack tighter and began leaping over stones along the path. I felt eyes everywhere, an unnerving feeling when deeply alone amidst the frozen understory. I hustled across a narrow bridge and burst forth into the open forest below, leaving the tangled rhododendron behind. As I held my knees and struggled for breath, the eyes lingered, and the darkness thickened.

In an instant, my heart knew the earth.

What waited for me that evening was a scar. A bruise left untreated that has spread like a curse throughout this land, one not commonly observed in the careful folds of the crimson peaks. In an instant, I had fallen. These mountains I wander through were named for the Saura Indians, who historians believe to be the first inhabitants of the region. Also known as the Cheraw, the Saura lived intimately with the Dan River by utilizing its nutritious qualities and transportive abilities. Saura ancestors were believed to have migrated to Hanging Rock prior to any European contact, creating two large village complexes known as Upper and Lower Sauratown. They grew corn by the river’s edge and hunted bass and bream throughout the year. Seasonality played a critical role in their food sources, especially given the abundance of acorn and hickory nuts in the late fall and early winter. By the 1670s, Saura tribes experienced regular encounters with European explorers who brought with them the onset of disease. Nearly every village post-exposure experienced large mortality rates, their very way of life altered in an instant.

Futures are always held in jeopardy. The ways we envision our lives proceeding are subject to an array of forces undeniably outside of our control. We are simply vessels adrift in a vast murky ocean, casting dim lights to guide our way through the darkness. In that moment, I found my connection to the land, a space marked with unspoken distress and complicated frameworks. My presence here is temporary, the figure remains vigilant. I may never know the answer, but at least I have found the tools to ask the questions.

In an instant, my mind knew the earth.

“I will remember the sight of the ghost on the shore”

I went back to my place today, The Guilford Woods, after going through fustration with my college courseload. I felt like me just being in nature and being still was something I could benefit from. I sat down on the grass and started just looking aroud me. I was fascinated that when I am being still and not just being in my head, I notice the small things. I saw a squirrels climbing on the trees and leaves still falling. Everything around me was still happening, but I was just taking time to be present in the moment.

The Guilford Woods has history that when I have researched that has fascinated me. It was the site of encampment of British and American troops in the Revolutionary War. Also to mention Refuge for enslaved Africans who were looking for freedom from the Underground Railroad. Additionaly, Quaker men escaping Civil war Confederate draft in the 1800s. This place has so much history that I wasn’t even educated about. From doing research, I have learned about John Dimery’s escape; this man moved to Indiana in the year 1819. The year of 1819 is the earliest reported year of Underground Railroad activity.

I took a moment of time to walk around my place and more of the outside of it. I wanted to observe what was around me. I walked around the lake and noticed where there were things man made around me. For instance, people put wooden poles on the side of the gravel in the picture above. There were seating near the lake that people put. After research, I discovered the lake was man-made; this doesn’t come as a shock however. On my walk, I had noticed one or two bees around me buzzing. I would have rather see a different creature, but I’ll take what I can get. I tried to look into the lake to see if any fish or other animals were present. I stood there for a good ten minutes before my attention span got the best of me, but I never noticed any animals in the water. I’ll be interested when I come back to my place and walking around if any will be present in the months yet to come. The months ahead will come and nature will change.

Although I am no stranger to Guilford College, I was a stranger to the Guilford College woods before claiming it my “place” for my class. I’m a fan of nature, I love the beauty of the trees and the wilderness of it all. However, I rarely participate in interacting with nature. When I was young, as stated in a previous blog post of mine, my health condition(s) seperated me from nature. As I am getting older and more stable with my health, I am choosing to attempt to connect with nature. What is a better place to start than the Guilford Woods?

As I was walking through the woods, I stumbled across the beginning of the woods. Although perhaps other people would choose to dive deeper into the woods, I wanted to look at the place that may be often overlooked. Since I haven’t myself got deep in my relationship with nature, I wanna ease myself into this process. I see the trees upon first glance; some of the trees are tall while others are short. I see branches on the ground that are perhaps down due to the weather. I see that the constant rain storms we have been having had an effect on my look of the place. Although this may not be a positive side effect of the rain, I could see there was a positive effect with how the grass looked and other greens. The nature in this area appeared more alive then previous months. With the recent month being March, and spring time approaching, I could see my place was alive. I felt a positive correlation for myself with this. While the area around me felt more alive, I began to feel more alive in this moment. I took a few moments to walk and just sit down in the grass. I was afraid of getting my clothes dirty at first, but then I began to question if I actually cared or not. I noticed a green sign that was labeled Guilford College Woods, that told me about the place I was entering.

Although I am focusing on this one particular area, I took note the sign told me The Guilford College Woods in full was a total of 240 acres. European American friends also settled in this area in the 1700s. I found this information fascinating because I tend not to pay attention to history. However, this reminded me this land has stood still for hundreds of years. Before I was here and born, this land was still here. I’m just another human being passing through this world and land. However, my experience will be distinct from any others; because everybodys perspective is completely different.

On Spring break, I got the great opportunity to visit Camp Dark Waters for the first time in eight years. I haven’t been back on the Pine Barrens’ soil since I was a camper at the age of fourteen. It was just as I remembered it, with small changes to the cabins because of the previous flooding that affected the camp. It was like going back home to a place I knew so well, but yet I felt so distant from the land. Everything looked active because I was so focused on attentive details. Right then and there at Camp Dark Waters, I felt so aware of my surrounds. I was being very intentional about how I interacted with this space and how being present affected my perspective. I’ve never felt so alive as I have when I am out in the wild woods of the Pine Barrens.

I should say though, that this visit was during winter, so that affected the appearance of the camp from its usual full blossom in the summer that I am used to. The temperature was 27 degrees Fahrenheit. I was bundled up with 3 layers with a hat and warm gloves to try to keep in as much body heat as possible. Parts of the creek were frozen over, most plants had not sprouted up out of the ground, and almost all the trees had naked branches because of the fallen leaves. Witnessing Camp Dark Waters in the winter, was insightful, indulging and divine because I was able to break down the components of the landscape with such a different clarity. The only vibrant colors on the land were the soft stunning green-yellow moss hardened to the frozen earth and the green needle pins of holly leaves that were clinging onto their branches.

As my boots made a crunching sound on the iced earth beneath my feet, I gazed up at the trees in amazement, just as a child looks at candy. Trees swayed in the brisk winter’s air, with occasionally making a creaking sound because two trees were rubbing their trunks together to makes humming music to the ears. Along with the harmony of the scattered creaking, was the faint Canadian geese callings in the distance. It was surprising to see four Canadian geese this far North because they normally go south of the winter, but it seems their weather patterns have changed because of global warming. The creek was outstanding because sections had a thin layer of ice carefully balanced until something disturbed it. It looked like some areas of the creek had ice frozen over, but the water level decreased, but the ice still remained in the position it previously froze at creating layers of fine glass. As I continued my journey, I came across some reminiscence of past and present animal existence. This included bones of maybe a squirrel or some small rodent, footprints of deer in the mud and a half decomposed carcass of a deer. In the carcass, you could see the deers hip bones, the strong muscles, and ligament of the deer’s power. The strange part was, the legs down to the hooves and the backbone of the deer was completely covered with fur. These parts of the deer had not yet decomposed into the rich earth. I had never seen anything like it before. Next time, I will come back to the underground Aquifer in the Pine Barrens, which is an essential source of water in New Jersey.

After a day to myself I realized I couldn’t stop thinking about the bird’s nest from last time. I wasn’t shaking or anything but I just had to know whether or not that egg I had put back in the nest had survived. Call it an instinct of sorts. So I took a break from binging Gundam Seed and drove on down to Price Park to see what had become of that egg. Smooth Jazz filled my headphones as I started walking and instantly I was hit with a dose of reality. The bird egg was gone. Not like it had rolled out of the nest, but it had just vanished, leaving no trace of ever existing. Needless to say, this rattled me a little as I assumed a wild animal may have come and eaten it while I was gone. But as heartbreaking as that felt, seeing that egg become a victim of the natural world’s cycle, I decided I should just take a nice walk in the warm weather while I was still there.

As I walked down a familiar trail, I was fascinated by the trees this time around. On the left you could see dozens and dozens of trees that had fallen over. To the point that it almost looked like they had fallen into the portions of art sculptures with pealed bark as a centerpiece for some. That’s when I remembered you could usually tell how old a tree is by the number of rings it has around it’s center. So after walking a little further I happened to come across one such tree with the top chopped away. The texture of the ringed side was quite smooth to the touch, almost like everyday hardwood floorboards without that glossy finish. While I tried to count the rings and see how old this tree was, I just kept losing count too easily. Definitely an oldie though.

From there I kept walking, hoping still to find something new to talk about as I continued to just explore and examine the different kinds of trees from each side. That’s when I stumbled across a path I had never been down, one with no paved roads or signs. It was simply beautiful at first glance as I saw mud-prints and fallen trees all around it while the sun lit the way for me, almost like it was saying to me “this way, kid”. 

Once I started walking through, it reminded me a lot of the forest preserves back down in Hilton Head Island. There was an overall sense of calamity but preservation nonetheless. What I mean by this, is that these trails do feel man-made, but they still feel like they’re a part of the natural environment around us. That combined with the state of the weather, the bright but not too bright sunlight, and the overall smell of nature really reminded me of the nature preserve back in HHI and after getting a nice sense of nostalgia to take my mind off the egg, I knew it was time to head home. While I haven’t been able to dig up much in terms of this park’s history, I do plan on digging further come the next blog. But that’s all for now folks.

Hi everyone, I’m back and it is beginning to feel like spring, with the sharp rays of sunlight and crisp warmth. Let’s look into many reasons why you should go and explore Country Park

Trails and More

The main attraction of Country Park is the park aspects. The trails in the woods and the park equipment, such as swings and slides. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and more bring young children to enjoy the various aspects of the park, but it is not only the swing sets that entice them. Children and families enter the park to explore the natural beings they are surrounded with by taking the trails and pathways located throughout the woods into an advantage. The trails allow you to encounter many different species of plants and animals, including some that I have mentioned in previous blog posts. Along with that adventure, families are open to using 8 of the picnic grounds located around the park. One of the main ones are those situated beside the lake, which is a gorgeous view of the water, wildlife, and the woods.

Stephen M. Hussey Bark Park

The bark park allows pets, not only dogs to have space outside to roam around and interact with other animals of their species. This park is Greensboro’s first off of the leash dog park which was established in March of 2003. The park was developed in honor and memory of Stephen M. Hussey, who was one of the BarkPark Fundraising Committee’s founding members. The BarkPark looks less furnaced and refined like the rest of the park. It is dirty, muddy, gassy and well the perfect environment for main dogs and other animals to enjoy themselves and feel surrounded their own. I am not the biggest fan of dogs, but I had to babysit my neighbor’s dog once. I took him over to the BarkPark and let him run around for two hours. In the time, I threw him a few toys, and he played around with his fellow dog friends he made. On the way home, he did not stop wagging his tail. The dog park provides a serene yet exciting atmosphere that is very similar to the rest of the park.

Biking

Biking is a significant attraction of many parks. However, people tend to bike only on sidewalks or roads that are human-made in the park. In Country Park, those roads and sidewalks are available to bike in, but there are bike paths located in the woods that is perfect for a quick natural view during a bike ride. I, typically, go to Country Park to bike, as well. One of the main things I enjoy about the paths in the woods is being able to stop whenever I want to and be able to take pictures or explore a new tree, animal, insect, flower, and more than is possible to discover in a small period of time over a vast distance.

That is all I have to talk about for today. In the future posts, I will talk more about personal experiences, history, and natural facts. See you later!