Running for 37 miles along Maryland's eastern shore, Assateague Island is wild Atlantic coast. It's a barrier island, long and slender with the Atlantic Ocean on on the east side and a shallow saltwater bay on the west. In between, several different ecosystems and habitats shift with the seasonal ebb and flow of tides, coastal…Read more Assateague Island National Seashore, MD
nature
Dayhike: Dragon’s Tooth, Appalachian Trail, Virginia
Dragon's Tooth is a narrow point of rock that rises above Catawba Valley, in southwest Virginia near Roanoke and Blacksburg. Together with nearby McAfee's Knob and Tinker Cliffs, it is part of the Triple Crown of scenic spots on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in southwest Virginia. If you've got the time to string together all…Read more Dayhike: Dragon’s Tooth, Appalachian Trail, Virginia
Bird Language
Do you talk to the birds around your home? I would imagine probably not - the physical structure of the human larynx is not well suited to the trills and warbles that most songbirds can create with their dual syrinx setup. But even if we can't talk directly to them, most of us certainly appreciate…Read more Bird Language
Bighorn Sheep… Of The Gods?
Happy Vernal Equinox everybody, and welcome spring! Last week I had to spend a little bit of time in Colorado Springs, CO. I was there with someone who had never been to Colorado, and who really wanted to get out and into the mountains, but we had almost no time for anything fun. Best we…Read more Bighorn Sheep… Of The Gods?
St. Patrick’s Day, 2025
[In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I'm re-sharing a post made way back in 2017. Enjoy!] Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Today is the day we appreciate those with Irish heritage - red hair, green eyes, freckles, rainbows, gold-hoarding leprechauns, and all things green. All the green provides us with a reminder that spring is…Read more St. Patrick’s Day, 2025
Silence of Spring: A World Without Wings
Imagine, if you will, an empty meadow. Not just empty in the way humans tend to define it - without crops, buildings, commerce or a parking lot - but empty in the sense of being an ecological ghost town. No buzzing of insects, no chirping of birds. Grasses and wildflowers swaying in the wind, but…Read more Silence of Spring: A World Without Wings
What Type of Outdoor User Are You?
As I've delved more and more into the broader online community, I've been confronted with a bit of a crisis of identity. Like a teenager moving to a new town, I am unmistakably a part of the student body at my new school, and I'm pretty good at getting along with most everybody, but the…Read more What Type of Outdoor User Are You?
Backpacking: Browns Hollow and Emerald Knob, Massanutten Mountain, Luray, VA
Aug 31-Sept 1, 2024 -- Racing thunderstorms to reach a beautiful spring-fed pond high up on the ridges of Massanutten Mountain within George Washington National Forest, Luray, VA. The embedded video tracks an overnight trip in late summer, dealing with wet weather and finding surprising isolation within the very narrow Massanutten ridge system. Spring-fed Emerald…Read more Backpacking: Browns Hollow and Emerald Knob, Massanutten Mountain, Luray, VA
Backpacking Sugar Knob / Racer Camp Hollow – VA/WV
Oct 27-28, 2023 -- A beautiful 12 mile loop in the Great North Mountain area of the George Washington National Forest, along the VA/WV border. The embedded video tracks an overnight trip in October, slightly past the peak of fall color in the Allegheny Mountains. I had numerous and varied wildlife sightings and solitude during…Read more Backpacking Sugar Knob / Racer Camp Hollow – VA/WV
Disappearing Islands In The Chesapeake Bay
I remember James Island. At least, I remember a version of it. When I first moved into the Chesapeake Bay area in the mid-90s, there was an island nearby - actually two, at the time - in the mouth of the Little Choptank River on the eastern side of the Bay. I used to fly…Read more Disappearing Islands In The Chesapeake Bay
Flying Squirrel Outdoors 