It’s just a flip of the calendar page, but the new month that faces us is full of promise. Of lives lived stronger, of work done harder, of promises kept better.
One of the promises I made to myself was to focus on this blog and make it matter. It is a reflection of one writer’s life, but it is also a tool for motivation – whether for writing, or getting outside, or travelling to new lands.
With this in mind, I’m going to blog 3 times a week. Tuesdays will tackle writing-related topics. Wild Wednesdays will be all about the great outdoors. Thursdays will focus on travel themes.
The posts may be a simple as a photo, a link to a published article, or a new market for writers. They may be long-winded pieces about epic mini-adventures. They will be all me.
Hopefully you find something to make you smile, to make you think, or to make you do.
After much debate about how best to handle the split career personality of being an active outdoor writer with a passion for history, as well as a children’s non-fiction writer and someone who enjoys blogging about writing topics, I’ve decided to make a break for it!
My new blog is a partnership with my hiking, biking, canoeing, travelling and life partner, Brad. Check it out at: www.timetraveltrek.com. It’s about active travel with a historical slant. Join us hiking into Utah’s Grand Gulch Primitive Area to see ancient ruins, following the paddlestrokes of the fur traders canoeing the Athabasca River, or driving down a dirt road only to serendipitously discover an abandoned homestead begging to be explored. I’ve started shifting over a little material from here to there, with dozens of adventures waiting in the wings for their spotlight post.
This blog will continue to highlight “One Writer’s Life” with the trials, tribulations and treats that come with being a freelance writer. It will continue to include writing news and tips as well as the ups and downs of diving into the blogosphere. Enjoy!
The Appalachian Trail (AT) might be 2,180 miles long, but the short, approximately 4-mile, 1,740-foot climb up McAfee Knob from the Catawba Mountain parking lot (off Route 311) is one of the most popular sections. And I’m in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to check it out firsthand.
Where in the white blazes… (Photo: M.Kopp)
With seven hikers and one small hitchhiker (a bubbly, almost three-year-old catching a lift with dad), it’s a boisterous crowd that heads out along the boulder-strewn, leaf-littered trail. Reaching the information kiosk just up the hill from the highway, we check the register and find the trail monikers of a few of the long-distance hikers: Big Heart, Typhoid Mary, and Giardia. In my head, I automatically start searching for names for my co-hikers: Tall Tree, Mama Bear, Little One, Sweet Southern Tea, Greyhound, Flight School, Chatty, and La Dama. I’ll call myself the Lucky Canuck.
We hit the trail – suspiciously heading downhill – following white blazes and clomping over four wooden walkways before inhaling the pungent scent of wood smoke as we near Johns Spring Shelter. Conversation is loud and continuous, discussing hiking and writing and travel and life. It carries our motley crew over a few more walkways and up the trail past Catawba Mountain Shelter. As luck would have it, we meet a “walking info kiosk” along the way.
A RidgeRunner show us the way! (Photo: M.Kopp)
Fletcher is a RidgeRunner, one of 30 such individuals who spend their weekends hiking a section of the AT. Fletcher’s job is to answer questions, spread the word about “Leave No Trace” ethics, and pick up garbage (he has a fishing pole, motorcycle gloves, a travel coffee mug, and a plastic water bottle in his pack today). He also carries a radio in case of trail emergencies. He tells us to look for Tinker Cliffs once we reach the summit and to see if we can find the town of Daleville – where the trail drops off the ridge.
Leaving Fletcher to continue his journey, we eventually cross the fire road, quickly realizing that the trail is now in a hurry to reach McAfee Knob. Conversations dwindle. We stop “to admire the view” a little more often. And then there’s a sign, nailed to a tree and pointing back down the trail – 3.9 miles to the highway. We’re almost there.
Fortunately, we aren’t expecting solitude at the summit. Cell phones and cameras record summit success as groups jockey for position on the rocky ledge. There is a chorus of “Can you take our photo?” But the view… even with the crowds… my jaw drops. There’s Tinker Cliffs, and that must be Daleville!
Summit views. (Photo: M.Kopp)
On the way down I realize, as I skip ahead of the group, that I’m a bit of a selfish hiker. I enjoy quiet time, digging deep into the recesses of my mind. As I find my stride, I start thinking about Grandma Gatewood. Her real name was Emma Rowena Gatewood. In 1955, at the age of 67, with 11 children and 24 grandchildren, Grandma Gatewood became the first woman to thru-hike the AT. She wore Keds and carried a laundry sack with a change of clothes, a plastic shower curtain to sleep on, a bit of food, a cup, a raincoat, and a first aid kit. She thru-hiked the AT again two years later and a third time – section, by section – when she was 75. What was she thinking as she walked this piece of the trail?
I found her, for a moment, her sneakers crunching the leaves beside my light hikers as we strolled together in silence. I didn’t ask any questions, I just thanked her for being my muse. I’ll be back again, this time to hike the whole thing. Maybe I’ll see you there.
The first, as we crossed the strait heading from the northern tip of Door Peninsula over to Washington Island; the second time as we came back. My feet danced a little jig on the upper ferry deck in celebration.
Crossing Death’s Door near Plum Island on the way to Washington Island. (Photo: M. Kopp)
Door County, Wisconsin, named Porte des Morts for the Door of Death that is the treacherous strait linking Green Bay to the rest of Lake Michigan, isn’t on the radar of most Western Canadians. When I mention traveling to explore the tiny peninsula sticking out into Lake Michigan, friends and family look at me blankly.
“What’s there to do in Wisconsin besides eat cheese?”
Let me show you the adventurous side of the Door!
There are lighthouses to climb; 11 lighthouses in the county, although I only had time to climb the stairs of Cana Island, Eagle Bluff and Pottawatomie.
Cana Island Lighthouse (Photo: M. Kopp)
Countless bays and lakes are perfect for kayaking.
Kayaking out of Garrett Bay on the northern tip of Door Peninsula. (Photo: M. Kopp)
There are trails to hike in any of the county’s five state parks.
Hiking on Rock Island State Park. (Photo: M. Kopp)
There are beaches with rare polished white limestone rocks to explore.
Schoolhouse Beach on Washington Island. (Photo: M. Kopp)
And don’t even get me started on the excitement of a fish boil!
A classic fish boil at Rowley’s Bay. (Photo: M. Kopp)
It’s true, Door County might not yet be on your radar, but when you get there, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to visit.
When You Go:
Details on activities, accommodations, dining and more can be found online through the Door County Visitor Bureau.
Whether you think of it as rock art, stories on stone or shamanistic visions – carved and painted images from prehistoric times capture the imagination.
Cub Creek petroglyph of lizard, not common at other sites. (photo: M. Kopp)
Dinosaur National Monument’s “Petroglyphs and Pictographs” brochure lists five viewing sites in the monument: Swelter Shelter, Cub Creek, Deluge Shelter, McKee Springs, and Pool Creek.
Kokopelli petroglyph in Dinosaur National Monument. (photo: M. Kopp)
We ran out of time before making it to Deluge Shelter and McKee Springs (both north of the Green River), but enjoyed the sun-exposed and faded paintings of Swelter Shelter, the impressive collection of pecked rock images along Cub Creek and the unique petroglyphs found high on a sheer sandstone wall along Pool Creek.
Pool Creek’s petroglyphs take a little bit to find. (photo: M. Kopp)
Pecked into the pinkish-hued sandstone, these Freemont glyphs are different in style. (photo: M. Kopp
Within Dinosaur National Monument, the dot pattern designs are only found at Pool Creek. The lower section of the petroglyph above was created by chipping away sections of the rock. Is it a headdress? A necklace? An artist’s vision?
The petroglyphs and pictographs* found in the monument are attributed to the Freemont people. Archaeological evidence of the Freemont dates from around 200 A.D. to 1300 A.D. While the people are gone, their presence remains strong a thousand years later.
Hmmm… maybe it’s time to start writing on stone!
(* Petroglyphs are images pecked, carved or chipped into rock. Pictographs are images painted on rock.)
I’m a writer, a hiker, an outdoor enthusiast – but not a great cyclist. I’m okay on paved paths and roads, even dirt roads, but take me out on a trail and there’s bound to be a wince, a bruise or some bloody reminder of why I’m better off on foot. I’ve scars to prove it.
If enough time goes by, I can be tempted to try it again. So when family and friends began working on me to bring my ancient mountain bike down to the desert for a recent Southwest getaway, I resisted, wavered and caved.
Fruita, Colorado is big biking country. Yes, that is a telephone pole ahead of the front wheel. (photo: M. Kopp)
Fruita, Colorado has become what Moab, Utah was 10 years ago – a fresh space of slickrock and sand set to pedal. Our first ride was Mary’s Loop out of Kokopelli’s Trailhead – 8.5 miles of twists, turns, a few drops and – I’m serious – a whole lot of fun. Not that I rode the whole thing, there was a bit of walking involved, but I didn’t crash!
Mary’s Loop offers scenic overviews of the Colorado River. (photo: B. Kopp)
The crash came on day two, right out of the shoot at 18 Road. We were doing Joe’s Ridge. The trail description described it as moderate. I beg to differ. The first climb up on the ridge saw me flailing, falling and almost bawling. Another whopper bruise was added to the trail tattoos already gracing my legs.
I recovered along V.7 road, built up a little more confidence on Western Zippity, picked up speed on Zip Off and raced Zippity back to the lower parking lot.
Cycle terrain on Zippity at Fruita’s 18 Road. (photo: M. Kopp)
Do over? You bet. I’m a writer, a hiker, an outdoor enthusiast – and a wannabe cyclist!
I promised my daughter a trip to see a Broadway show when she turned 21. The year has arrived, but we when we sat down to look at dates close to the big day, it just wasn’t working. Googling airfares, I quickly realised that Springtime was several hundred dollars per person cheaper than Autumn and the timing works.
Why not go now?
Step One: Book a flight
We used Travelocity and Expedia to narrow down the options and then were going to book directly with the airline. The fare changed, so we quickly nabbed the lower price with Travelocity before it was gone!
Step Two: Secure accommodation
This took time. We scoured guidebooks for options and checked out their websites; visited TripAdvisor for ratings; and finally checked out HomeAway on recommendation from a friend. Found a studio apartment that met our needs, Google-mapped the neighbourhood, “walked” the street from the accommodation to the nearest subway station and searched for guest reviews. All good, accommodation booked.
Step Three: Score some theatre tickets
The hardest part about this is deciding what to see! Luckily, we were both in agreement, chose the best date, went online to the theatre’s website, picked the seats, charged it to a credit card, and the tickets were in the mail.
Step Four: Research What-Not-to-Miss
Probably the most enjoyable part of the whole experience. NYC’s star locations trip off the tongue with the ease of familiarity: Central Park, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Staten Island, Brooklyn Bridge, East Side, West Side… But do we really know where these are in relation to one another? No.
We decided a good way to get our bearings pre-trip was to hold a movie marathon. Selection was limited, but we scored four NYC movies: Maid in Manhattan, New Year’s Eve, New York, I Love You and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. All showed the city skyline and several iconic buildings, butNew Year’s Eve rankest highest in our books for showing off more of the tourist side of the city.
Add to this a few – okay, a half dozen or so – guidebooks and we’re feeling set to go!
Wait a minute, I forgot to mention one other research tool – recommendations from friends and acquaintances.
