BackWoods Drifter

Okay no more making post promises that for whatever reason I can’t keep… uh… I promise.
I have been able to do very little hiking or four wheeling this Fall but was finally able to get out in the mountains for a while yesterday. I have been wanting to go pretty bad because the [...]

New trails, new fossil hunting grounds, and new ginseng hollows. Those are the things I brought home with me from trail riding today.
It was a beautiful day to be in the mountains. I started out this morning for an all day trip to the woods. I didn’t really go with intentions of exploring trails but [...]

(Monotropa uniflora – Ghost Flower, Corpse Plant, Indian Pipe)

In my recent trips to the mountains, along with the mushrooms, the Ghost Plant has caught my attention. (more photos here)
The fact this plant is white spiked my curiosity. Even I can remember the school lessons on the process of photosynthesis. Plants using photosynthesis for nourishment are [...]

A ginsenger or ’senger (pronounced: sang-r) is someone that harvests the ginseng root. I’m a ginsenger and will likely hunt the plant until I can no longer traverse the mountains.
Root gathering in general has been a part of West Virginia’s history for as long as folks have been living in the mountains. I was taught [...]

I don’t remember there ever being a summer as wet as this one in West Virginia. If it is not raining then there is a seemingly never ending threat of rain.
One thing is for certain, the rain has put a hamper on my outdoor activities. Let me clarify just a little, I don’t mind getting [...]