My Own version of "Forest Bathing" at Tom's Creek Trail

                                               

                                      Tom's Creek Trail, near Blacksburg, Virginia


     It was a "much" warmer than normal day and after a satisfying church potluck I decided to stretch my legs a bit and get some exercise. Many of us have suffered through colds and the flu because of this crazy warm again, cold again weather. But today, even as rain threatened, I decided upon a walk in the woods.
     John Muir said  you should go to the forest for its "glad tidings," and today I wanted to do just that. There is a lot out there as you traverse a paved path, and I wondered what I would find off Tom's Creek Road. There is a handy little parking area close to the start of the trail, and a picket fence of sorts welcomes you. Walk just a short way and you'll come upon a sign that points out that Tom's Creek is so cold that if you get too close you'll feel a chill in the air -- which isn't all that easy, between the fencing and the various nonnative vines entangling the fence and blocking part of the view.
   It was fairly quiet on the first part of my quest, around trees that had dropped off small limbs and walking past grape vines thrown about some small trees. There were a few Virginia pines that had dropped their cones, and I was reminded of the Japanese name for relaxing in the woods: Shinrin-Yoku, which translates into "forest bathing".
    If we Americans saw more value in being in the woods, which Japanese studies have found lowers blood pressure and can even help the immature system, there would be less weight problems, less diabetes, less in the way of healthcare costs. It could be a greater industry than  it is now. Maybe even Trump would endorse forest bathing and being the woods. Shinrin-yoku could be emphasized in schools, over standardized tests. Forest bathing and cover pursuits in the woods could really make a difference if someone would stop to look at it.

Indoor Health Adventure at the Public Pool

     
                                            

                       Christiansburg Aquatic Center
 When you're a kid, you really look forward to splashing around with water in the summer, whether it's from a sprinkler out on the lawn or at a pool or beach. Having a backyard pool is a nice thing for a family to have in the hot weather and makes for an interesting, enjoyable summer. But what if you want to go swimming as the weather cools off?
      Unless you live near a boat dock and the temperatures stay the same all year, you'll need to find an indoor place to go for a swim in cooler temps. And it's a healthy thing to do as well.
     Pools are actually quite a popular enterprise, for the buyer and seller. According to  Aquaticnet,  there are over three million above ground pools in America, and 270,000 commercial pools. And we were going to try out one of the latter.
     It was sad when "our" indoor pool, part of Radford University, was closed because of a shortsighted former president. At one point our town had an outdoor pool at the park by the river, then one in the central park (right before integration, when the town gave it up). Now the nearest indoor community pool is down the road, in Christiansburg. But as we were residents from the nearby town without a pool, we were given a free pass (for now). 
     Christiansburg's aquatic center is fairly generous in size, though most of its parking is well below the center; it requires negotiating a lot of stairs (not too convenient for babies or the elderly). It has a "competition" pool with several lanes and is seven feet deep all the way around, handy for swim meets. Though you will get your hair wet as you have to swim under the thick lane dividers to get to a ladder to climb out.
     In another room -- there is a glass wall dividing them -- is a big family pool. It starts at three feet near the steps into the water, which is convenient, and only gets as deep as five feet. There is also a fun pool area for little kids, with a curved water slide, colored buckets that toss water on you every so often, and what looks like a continuous, unmoving sprinkler above everyone's heads. Rather unique, an outdoor water experience brought to an indoor pool.
     If you go by mid-afternoon (close to 2) there is almost no one in the pool at all. We shared a huge area with a couple, who shot baskets with a little ball that went into a small rim on the edge of the water, trying to get their baby to do the same. Needless to say, he couldn't. Those durn lap dividers weren't in the way so swimming was more comfortable in this big family pool.
     We hope to go back. It's all a matter of scheduling, as we don't usually swim in cold weather. It would be one way, though, of keeping in shape, especially around Christmastime.

RAIN, RAIN, EVEN MORE RAIN AT MT. ROGERS CAMPSITE!

                             The northern gray cheeked or Jefferson salamander (Virginia)

                                 This looks like nodding trillium, in the Mount Rogers woods.

     There was rain, rain, and even more rain, wind whipping through the campground. It actually created "wind rain," and a discovery that a slippery, grayish salamander was hiding out UNDER the tent!
    Grindstone Campground in the Mount Rogers Recreation Area (VA) has three camping loops: the opossum, the cottontail, and the groundhog. I reserved a spot in the cottontail, the middle group of sites that seemed the least crowded, reservation-wise. Though I wish that now we'd known someone with a great big RV to take us in at the different loop.
    The bath house with its tiny light made me a bit nervous as I strode toward it in almost pitch blackness. Of course, I'd just finished reading a passage of Bill Byrson's A Walk in the Woods about nasty encounters with bears in the woods. Not a great time to have just read that. There were too many "bear scares"  in his book for comfort. My son Zeb once spent in the car during a campout because he heard a big rustling of leaves in the woods and thought a bear was close. Supposedly, black bears aren't that aggressive, but they are still bears. And I forgot one night I had a muffin and other food in my camp shirt pockets. (Perhaps the downpour kept any away. That is what I like to think.)
    It rained both nights of our August stay -- grrr, grumble, grumble -- but what do you expect out in the woods? Weather made to order? At least it wasn't too hot. The second night we tried to dry out towels over an open fire. Then it began to rain, first slowly and then, never ending. I had to read in the car (9 p.m. is too early for me to sleep) with my flashlight. Being so sleep deprived from the night before (sometimes a first night in a tent is like visiting a new place your body can't get used to) I think I "conked out" at 10:30, a record for me. The rain didn't quit and lulled me to sleep.
    Next morning, it was raining again, only not as hard. We had to pack our tent while it was soaked, to be aired out later, and ate brunch in town at a KFC place. On the way out a camp rep did a survey with us. I mentioned the rain and two stupid women who took their two threatening dogs into the bathroom. I couldn't even relax in there and read in a good light.
    The trips to discover butterflies and old rocks with others were interesting. But the constant rain at night was aggravating. And this was well before any hurricane came!

Marshmellow, anyone?

     


                                         

    At a recent campout we dined with a group of people at a picnic shelter in the Mount Rogers Recreation Area (VA). I had brought along a bag of marshmellows and thought the kids there would "jump" at the chance to bite into one, and be raring to go into the woods to get sticks to put them on for roasting. I actually had all the ingredients for a s'more (which stands for "some more" -- you know, marshmellow that is melted and put between a piece of Hershey's chocolate and graham crackers), but no one bit, so to speak.
     Maybe their parents were total, extreme vegans. It's an interesting thing about marshmellows. You probably think, since they are white, that they are totally made from white sugar. Well, not quite. There is also some corn syrup thrown in and gelatin with water, whipped up and made into the cylindrical shapes you see in bags sold in the supermarket. And the gelatin can come from pigs! Yes, gelatin is processed protein from animals to help make things fibrous and strong. And you thought it was totally vegan -- surprise!
    Some people may think that if it is from an animal it must be from horse hooves -- no, those are used in glue, not gelatin, not marshmellows. 
     Many decades and centuries ago, Europeans used a specific plant, Althaea offincinalis, the marsh mallow plant. It is said parts of the plant could be used for a cough or sore throat, but then some people discovered that mixing ingredients, the plant's sweet sap, with  egg whites and sugar, could make a white sugary treat. In 1948 Frenchman Alex Doumak came up with a process using gelatin and creating long tubes of the stuff, then cut into the shapes we see today. According to "Candy USA," we spend $125 million a year on marshmellows. And fifty percent of them are roasted over an open fire in the summer.
    Does this fact make me less likely to eat marshmellows? Actually, the sugar content melting on my teeth does, not the gelatin background. So I took my bag of marshmellows home and turned on my electric burner, with a fork through my white dessert, for a really fast, sugar high!

Celebrate Virginia's state parks -- Visit!

                              
                   We've had some unique experiences at our state parks. Whether it was camping in the mid spring (it was cold!) at Natural Tunnel State Park or getting a great view and jumping in the pool at Breaks Interstate Park, there is a lot to offer for those wanting a relatively inexpensive, natural vacation where you can relax a bit and reflect if you want.
     This year Virginia's state parks are celebrating their 80th anniversary and welcome state and out-of-state residents alike. I've seen a lot of Claytor Lake State Park lately, but then, I volunteer once a week there in the summer at their nature destination, the "discovery center." Claytor also has a generous lake for canoeing and fishing or lying on their beach, and many state parks have the same thing, along with camping possibilities.
     We've had more than a few memorable experiences with them. At Hungry Mother State Park in Marion, we took our young sons on a trek that wound past the lake and into the woods, to where a few huge pines stood. We were told the pines were planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, which seemed reasonable. The hike back to our tent was not so reasonable; we wound up carrying  our youngest son, who was barely two years old then. They probably enjoyed going to the beach and playing with sand the most.
     Fairy Stone only the spouse and I have visited in recent years. It has a "dreamy, religious" theme to it. Supposedly these wood fairies or elves became sad about hearing that Jesus had been tortured, beaten, and died on the cross. So they wept and their tears formed cross like stones. Actually, scientists believe a certain geologic process in the Blue Ridge mountain ridge of Virginia, in the area that became the Fairy Stone State Park, pushed up stones, many of which looked like crosses or part of a cross shape. The shape was prominent in staurolite crystals, but finding a cross shaped stone is another matter. I bought a "fairy stone" necklace while there; I still can't tell if it's a rare stone or plastic.
     Each state park in Virginia has its "own" legend or tale to tell, which I'm sure other state parks have as well. I'm planning to camp soon. Getting out in nature away from the cares and hustle and bustle of the city is okay with me. It's time to get out and enjoy the woods!

Lazing along the New River

             "What  do they think they're doing?"
             "I think they gave up on paddling."
             The husband and I had anticipated a leisurely sit by the town gazebo for a little summer concert, but the band didn't show. So we took our fold up chairs to sit near the New River and just leisurely look out at what was happening. It was summer, but a middle aged gent in gray and dark green was standing in green water up to his waist, casting and recasting his line, trying to hook onto something in that deep water. Not too far along was a couple -- she in a yellow kayak, he in what looked like an orange raft-- trying to navigate small rapids. Apparently, she had no problem at all going against the current, but she also bypassed the strongest part of it. He, meanwhile, with way less leverage he was so deep in his raft, kept paddling, paddling, and paddling. Did it for 10 minutes or more. She finally grew impatient and pushed him toward calmer waters. Then they let the current push them along.
           The New River does push you along in some spots. In others, (from experience, I can say), you really have to stick the oar in and use some muscle. It all depends on how much of a hurry you're in. In the middle of summer, who would be in a hurry on a sunny, early evening trip? Husband Frank wants to try out a kayak himself this week.  We'll give it a try and see how it goes.

Hungry Mother -- worth the walk on the 80th anniversary!

                           Walking the Hungry Mother Park Lake Trail.

     This is a big year for Virginia -- the 8oth anniversary of our State Park system. State parks provide very reasonably priced entertainment. If you go for just the day, or a few hours, then you can get a big bang for your parking fee bucks, as there is so much to do at our state parks. Go fishing, go for a hike (literally), picnic, observe wildlife and take photos, visit the discovery/nature center or gift shop. You can find all this and more at Hungry Mother State Park in Marion. And we chose to meet with a friend there.
    For years fellow Master naturalist friend Carrie S. had been a guide at the park, helping children identify plants in the woods, invertebrates in the stream, and edibles here and there. After a tasty lunch at the park restaurant (the cream of tomato soup was especially good) she took us on the Lake Trail Loop (well, we didn't get to go ALL the way around but did see the good parts of the trail).
   She said there were a number of trails she found "uninteresting" for her to explore. But the Lake Trail, besides having the scenic 108 acre lake be a big part of  the scenery, has numerous interesting plants Carrie was glad to point out for our edification. I was unaware, for example, that one of the first wildflowers to come up in spring in our region, coltsfoot, with its dandelion like bloom, later has this huge maple shape of a leaf, what is white underneath. The big elliptical leaves in a stream we passed as we neared a bend away from the lake she thought were those of skunk cabbage. The leaves are said to have a nasty smell, so as to attract flies to help pollinate the plant. Many plants do depend on flies and bees for pollination, especially wildflowers. 
    One understory tree with thin limbs that seemed to be bent over she said some people called a "muscle tree," though it was really American hornbeam. The trail was starting to get a bit slippery as we started uphill -- it had recently rained, probably that morning. So we stopped a second as she pointed out that maidenhair fern was noted for its dark brown stem, a good identifier. 
    And she actually cooked stinging nettles, stingers and all! Of course, she boiled them in about three changes of water, which destroyed anything pinchy. I'd never tried that, though I have cooked the inner shaft of cattails and some other greens of the woods, like dandelion, goose foot, violets. The variety of plants on this nice trail was also evident with orange butterfly weed, wild raspberry,  milkweed, and spicebush visible. Since the park is in FAR southwest Virginia, I think there is a greater diversity of plants than where I live farther north. Oh well. You can't have everything, though we do have pretty purple larkspur at our local park in spring.
    They say there is a legend (which may or may not be true) about how a mother and her young kids were captured by Indians in the region centuries past. They escaped, but the mother didn't make it. The kids came back toward a settlement and all they could say they were so young was "Hungry mother." Well, I suppose they were. 
    There was no time for a stroll on the light colored sandy beach our sons had enjoyed when they were young, but their discovery center, unlike the little one I volunteer at at Claytor Lake State Park, has an "impressive" array of stuffed wild animals, including bear, fox and raccoon. That is worth a look.