{"id":288,"date":"2019-02-18T18:15:31","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T18:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ds.guilford.edu\/classes\/english\/228-2019s\/?p=288"},"modified":"2019-03-18T19:52:44","modified_gmt":"2019-03-18T19:52:44","slug":"into-the-unknown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ds.guilford.edu\/classes\/english\/228-2019s\/uncategorized\/into-the-unknown\/","title":{"rendered":"Ends of the Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Poppa once told me: \u201cYou\nnever have to be afraid\u2026why embrace fear when you can grasp serenity instead.\nBe still, and know you are loved.\u201d As I stand quietly amidst a thicket of\nvapor-strung pines, my grandfather\u2019s sweet words serenade my ears once again. I\nperceive no movement across the saturated soil, and yet I can feel his gaze\nstaring out at me somewhere through the fog. It\u2019s as if the forest has soaked up\nhis entire essence and departed it out as air. I recall the verses of Walt\nWhitman and, quite simply, I begin to smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wolf Rock covered in Fog – 2\/17\/19<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

           The impressively carved face of Wolf Rock shakes me back to reality. Luminous clouds have descended to hug the quartzite shelf in a seemingly-perpetual embrace. Bracing gusts of mountain air now cut through my polyester layers and send shivers shooting down to my toes. I took off my backpack and rooted around for my down coat and extra fleece, knowing quite well I did not want to leave this space for some time. I recalled then how that blue North Face shell seemed quite odd in the backseat of my car as I was stuffing my pack full of granola, fruit, and energy bars a few hours ago. The three-mile descent to the Hanging Rock visitor center seemed too far a commute, so I settled into iciness and stared out into the unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Winter’s icy grip – 2\/17\/19<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Hanging Rock is no neophyte to frosty conditions. As part of the Sauratown Mountains, the state park experiences ascensions anywhere from 1,700 feet to 2,500 feet across its 7000-acre enclosure. Given the nearly static 800-foot elevation of neighboring Stokes county, Hanging Rock encapsulates a monumental collection of varying habitats. From my frozen mountain perch on Wolf Rock, I could barely make out the lowland swamps that dot the inner valley and the clear pine-forests of the upper piedmont. The view splintered my concentration from the task of warming my stiffening hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n