Anybody stir crazy yet? Or just crazy? As our friend and fellow author (he’s actually a legit national author) Bert Fulks recently posted its “It’s March the quaranteenth. Again.”
Sure we have lost track of days, what month it is, and for some how many videos they’ve posted to Covid 19 Beer Chugging FB group, but there are some actual healthy ways to obey the “stay-at-home” orders and yet still get out to explore the wondrous bounty that is an Appalachian Spring. Aaron Copeland wrote a symphony about it for a reason.
Remember that the “Stay-at-Home” orders in the Tri-State allow for people to “hike, bike, walk their pets, and get exercise in public, while keeping the recommended six feet or more distance.”
Here’s a few ways to safely get out to hike and explore. Remember to check with individual parks before you head out to hike. And please tag us at @DaveTrippinWV on Twitter and Facebook and let us know how you are exploring nature in new ways.
Avoid Popular Trails
- Avoid Popular Trails – Super popular trails such as Ritter Park or Endless Wall, Long Point and Grandview in the New River Gorge are closed for good reason. Take a few steps off the beaten path and find secondary trails. A good way to do that is with the alltrails.com app which has a massive listing of trails and reviews of those trails.
Explore Local History
- Try Exploring Local History – Download (theClio.com) app and be ready to explore the history wherever you live. Shh, don’t tell the kids but you’ll not only be exercising their bodies but minds as well, finding out rare nuggets of local facts about historical people places, architecture and important events. Warning! It’s a true gateway drug into becoming a true nerd for all things history. The Clio can be used anywhere and you can create your own tour! If you live in Huntington, pop over to our Huntington section here in Dave Trippin where you can access two of the five walking tours we have put together.
Find Some Rare Gems
- Think Like A Geocacher – I dearly love geocaching. It was a great way to get the boys to hike that extra mile when they were little BUT no one should probably be caching right now since that means touching cache objects. That said, if you download the geocaching.com app and pop in your address or destination, you can be directed to some obscure places (a lot of state nature preserves, wildlife refuges, urban woods, state historical hotspots) and other off-trail oddities and treasures like the region’s iron furnaces. Check out more at geocaching.com
Pick Up Your Neighborhood
- Be A Litter Gitter – Feeling bored? Want to do something great for the neighborhood? Hit up Huntington’s Adopt-Your-Block founder Richard Cobb for a good source of Litter Gitter sticks, gloves and trash bags. Also, in Huntington, Dakota Nelson has a new similar effort, Walk Uh Block. Note that since Coronavirus can live on objects for an extended time so no one should ever pick up a piece of trash with their barehands only with gloves and Litter Gitter sticks. If you can’t dedicate specific time to cleaning up, do take time to learn and follow the seven principles of Leave No Trace when you are hiking. Go online at https://lnt.org
Become A Backyard Botanist
- Become A Backyard Botanist Take this time to get to know the bounty of wildflowers around us. The Appalachian Mountains are one of the most diverse forested ecosystems with more than 1,600 wildflower varieties. Take photos only. You can also learn some of the old ways of utilizing even backyard “weeds.” Learn the multitude of uses of the Dandelion (from its Vitamin rich leaves to medicinal roots and tasty flowers). Toss the fresh bittergreens into a salad and try your hand at making some Dandelion Wine. For Plant ID, go to plants.usda.gov and for a dandelion wine recipe go online at https://practicalselfreliance.com/dandelion-wine-recipe
Slow Down, and Soak in Nature’s Wonders
- Slow Down, Breathe and Meditate in Nature – You don’t have to move to the woods of Walden Pond to discover your inner Henry David Thoreau. Unplug the devices! Get outside. Take a good book, yoga mat or blanket and be. Let your mind still and your senses explore the wild call of nature in spring – bird songs, the hustle and bustle of ants and bees and the beautiful design of the simplest blade of grass. Here’s a time-lapse ant video with a reading of Thoreau’s Battle of the Ants passage https://youtu.be/WoZr-rYLj48
