09/15/13

Week 3 here at SMSC has ended and I feel like I am finally getting a bearing on the pace of things. It’s been overwhelming trying to figure out how to partition my time here simply because there is so much to do. That being said, I still haven’t gone hiking or camping with any of my classmates here. That needs to change. I remember how I would plan a day hike with my friends for weeks in advance and all day at work I would just itch and itch and itch to hit the road and get back out here in the mountains. Now I wake up and barely notice them as I walk to breakfast. Convenience breeds depreciation. On a different note, I am still managing to barely get my school work done and I have fallen behind in running - this must also change. As a last aside, I am trying to make my entries here much more regular. For what purpose I don’t know. As a catalog of my adventures and as a place to put my pictures I suppose. I don’t know exactly how long tumblr will suffice either. Perhaps once I begin truly traveling and living on my own I will invest in a more independent website. But alas, that’s a long ways away from now. More and more I am learning the value of just going with the flow. Not everything needs to be photographed, not everything needs to be shared. Simple really, but believe it or not I have a problem with it. Ok. This past week.

Week 3 wasn’t a very field-heavy week, we went out into the field only once and it was to Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, VA to do grassland ecosystem data collection for the Northern Bobwhite Quail. It was an overcast, humid day but something about staring across that flat grassland and trees reminded me of the encroaching fall and how much I was ready for my comfort season. Cold days, hot coffee and hotter fires - I miss them. We were able to fit in an insane amount of activity into this weekend however. Friday night we attended a post-WWI air show complete with vintage planes, cars and lively lindy-hop dance floor. It was something that one simply had to be at. The whole thing took place at Front Royal - Warren County Airport where a full swing band played music to a warehouse full of lively, retirees dressed in full lindy-hop attire. There was a strong presence of respect for our servicemen and there were a fair amount of retirees wearing their old uniforms. What was even more touching was a certain Navy couple who tore up the dance floor. To be honest the experience kind of rekindled an old dream of mine to serve straight out of high school. I didn’t know what branch or what position I wanted to do but I do know that I did, and still do, want to serve my country somehow. There is a deep resonating respect in my heart for the men and women who serve our country. On a lighter note, I was prompted by my classmates to step out of my comfort zone. And by step out of I mean skydive out of my comfort zone. I was pulled a couple times onto the dance floor - one of which the woman singing singled out our entire class out onto the dance floor introducing our school to the crowd and forcing us to dance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many of my classmates be pulled away by so many dapper grandpa’s. The look of terror on their faces were legendary. More and more I am starting to love this eclectic bunch of ruffians I call my classmates.

The next morning a determined handful of us woke up bright and early and volunteered at The Farm at Sunnyside harvesting mint, paw paws and spice bush berries. There’s something special about waking up and getting out into the field. Getting your hands and knees dirty knowing that what you’re doing is helping out another person. Volunteerism, basically. It was an especially cool day so walking through the dense spice bushes as the fresh mountain air blew through its leaves created a peace I didn’t want to wake up from. This farm grows everything organically and once a week will send some of it’s produce to the farmer’s market in DuPont Circle, DC. One of these Sundays I plan to help them out from farm to market. There is so much to learn and experience in life and anyone can be a teacher. And I’ve been trying toembrace every chance I get.

Finally, today we woke up and helped The Friends of the Shenandoah River State Park with their river clean up. We rowed down 3.1 miles of the river picking up trash along the banks wherever we could find it. Many times I simply jumped out of the canoe and walked across the shallow river bed. The water was clear, cold and gentle and it took the all of me to not just lay back and soak my legs. There were a number of rapids and, though they were harmlessly small, they were dangerously easy to get caught on. The mossy rocks at these rapids are so uneven and slippery that it was easy to suddenly slip into a deeper part of the river. There was one point where Danny and I were coasting and as I took in the sounds of the river and his (amazing) voice singing Misty Mountains (yes, from the hobbit) I saw out of the corner of my eye a completely incompetent Laurie trying to pull her canoe free.

As the days go by I think more and more about how I wish this will never end. I remember during my prospective student tour nearly half a year ago, a student in the class we were visiting told us that he wished that he could stay here forever - while I don’t necessarily want to stay here forever, I now understand what he meant. SCBI, and Front Royal for that matter, is an amazing place to learn and live. The Shenandoah Valley already holds a special place in my heart and this small town has definitely changed my perspective on what’s important and what’s not. Good people, early days, simple pleasures and cold beers - that’s all I need. I’m still getting used to these weekly postings and I can promise you the posts will get shorter, less sappier and more informative - just hang in there.

Here’s to living and learning whenever you can.

Chris