A Walk in the Mountains

As I've gotten older I've come to realize that no matter what the trouble your facing is a walk in the West Virginia hills can cure what ails ya. There's not much that a beautiful scenic vista, a slow moving country stream, or the sounds of wind in the trees and birds singing can't cure.

I've spent many days just relaxing by the river or eating breakfast by the creek listening to the running water flowing gently by as I sip my coffee. I've dozed off countless times in a bed of dried leaves under an uprooted tree on some forgotten mountainside only to be stirred from my slumber by a chipmunk being curious or the first sprinkles of an incoming rain storm. Tucker County West Virginia is where I call home and I've been exploring it lost in the mountains since I was five years old and moved here with my family from Aurora. My mom used to always worry sick about me as I was constantly disappearing into the woods and not coming home until it was getting too dark to see under the canopy of the trees.

I've watched many wonderful things on those trips into the mountains like watching a momma black bear care for her cubs, watching a white tail deer come into this world, a spider weave its web, a snake catching a fish, a bobcat on a dead run under a full moon, a beaver build it's dam, or the raging waters of the cheat river weave down the valley when at flood stage. I learned from a young age that the West Virginia forests contain a bounty of food blackberries, tea berries, elder berries, mushrooms, strawberries, blueberries, apples, ramps, and other nuts and berries that can sustain you if you know what to look for. I've always had a house but the mountains have always been my home and over the years though they'll never be tamed they've become a welcomed friend, a counselor, and a companion in any times of turmoil.