Paul’s Perambulations

The phrase above is how Fran described herself in her response to my ad on match.com five years ago (see Comment below).   Sounds good, although I may not have fully understood what I was letting myself in for.  I could hardly have preferred it the other way –Thrill Seeing But Not Risk Taking.  That might be eating cotton candy on the boardwalk and riding the roller coaster.  Blaaaa. 

Monday evening we returned from a three-day backpacking trip on the Donut Hole Trail in Sproul State Forest.  I got my dose of “Risk Taking, Not Thrill Seeking.”  The area where we hiked, and the Donut Hole Trail in particular, are described as follows:  “North-central Pennsylvania features the most isolated and expansive forest lands between New York City and Chicago. The experienced backpacker looking for an isolated trail will appreciate the lonely Donut Hole Trail…maintenance may be a problem…with inconsistent blazing…stinging nettles…expansive isolation, deepwoods experience, and the opportunity to witness wildlife” (quoting from Backpacking Pennsylvania, by Mitchell — the backpackers’ bible).   We can confirm that Mitchell speaks the truth.  We were lost twice and each time eventually found our way back to where we went astray (easy to do with ”unestablished trails” (Mitchell) and the inconsistent blazing.  Encountered bears and snakes, including a timber rattlesnake.  I think I’m phobic to poisonous snakes.  The local backpacking stores do not sell snakeproof gaiters (they seem to carry all other types), so I adapted some heavy canvas gaiters (WWII surplus that I already owned) and these were comfortable and efficient to use (although, thankfully, never tested). 

I found an answer to the snake problem in my Britannica (Rattlesnakes…11th ed), but the implementation poses some difficulty.  “The surest way of clearing a ground of them is to drive in pigs, which are sure to find and to eat them, without harm to themselves.”

I am the one who suggested this trail and helped prepare myself with a solo hike on the Tuscarora Trail in May.   But we hope to tone down the Risk Taking somewhat for future backpacking, which sounds like the wise thing.

Here’s the complete story of our hike.  Pictures are available at www.photos.sheldontimes.com/

Yesterday we went for a walk along Darby Creek near our house, looking for dinner. We found it in the form of such plants as nettles, plantain, daylilies, spicebush, etc. Although these items are usually described as weeds and wild flowers rather than food sources, they are in fact edible if correctly selected and prepared. See the dinner that resulted.

I admit to some trepidation about all this. These plants are described as nutritious and particularly endowed with life-enhancing vitamins and minerals. But after dinner last night, I expected that I should next be either getting my stomach pumped or leading the pack in the NYC Marathon. Neither event happened, and I slept comfortably.

Eating off the land can be considered the original “eating out” for we were gatherers before we were farmers. We are now pursuing this concept as an adjunct to our backpacking. This was Fran’s idea — part of how she never ceases to intrigue and surprise me. We are just getting started and educating ourselves using some of the fine resources available in print and online. It can add fresh food on the trail and lighten our packs at the same time.