Recently I just finished Appalachia North by Matthew Ferrence. In it, he recounts the complex relationship he still has with the land as a Northern Appalachian. Typically when I finish a book I write a Literature Appetizer to get people a taste of what they will find. Since his book is such a personal journey, I would not do it justice by recounting his life.
Many of his experiences reflect my own experience growing up in Western PA. So instead of condensing his journey, I thought I would condense mine.
The Hero’s Journey is a common literary structure where the hero of the story departs home to do a great act, and then returns victorious. My Northern Appalachian Journey is a bit different, but has a similar structure of three parts; Living in Water, Succeeding by Leaving, and The Mountains are Calling.
COVID-19 is spreading through humanity like a forest fire; rapid and unpredictable. Even with the best crew response, sometimes things keep getting worse.
Within my first season living in Cascadia I had to run away from a forest fire. In a matter of hours communication changed from “start to pack your things, but no rush,” to “GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” It was terrifying not knowing where I was going to sleep each night, not knowing who made it out ok.
