The effort is a subtle yet poignant indictment of the environmentally devastating mining practice through an emotional narrative that honors tradition but also examines personal responsibility in moving forward. Sollee and Moore deliver the message through a filter of chamber folk, new school mountain blues, and driving acoustic soul. Appalachian Voices will cover material from the album, as well as tunes from the individual members’ catalogs.  Proceeds from the tour will benefit the regional nonprofit and stalwart mountaintop removal adversary Appalachian Voices—for which the tour was named. Here’s statement from the band, followed by tour dates:

“The people and the land of Appalachia are too important to us as a nation to be sacrificed for something as short-sighted as mountaintop removal coal mining. Our cultural stake in the region, from its music to its log cabins, is an indispensable part of our history and identity as Americans. People all over the world know our country music, our dances, and our stories and they call them American. They are the fruit of Appalachia.”

—Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore and Yim Yames

July 22 – The Opera House – Lexington, KY

July 23 – The Bijou Theatre – Knoxville, TN

July 25 – Mountain Stage – Charleston, WV

July 26 – Pocahontas Opera House – Marlinton, WV

July 27 – Jefferson Theatre – Charlottesville, VA

July 29 – Bearsville Theatre – Woodstock, NY

More info and tickets here.

In addition to neighborhood kids, we considered the deer, snakes, rabbits, fox, and other animals our childhood playmates. On more than one occasion, my twin brother and I would bring the bones of some animal we found, or remnants of a snake found lifeless in the grass to show and tell at school.

Summer started when the fire flies arrived and the wild blackberries by the woods’ edge grew large and plump, tart but perfect. Many days we would explore our woods. Others, we would play wiffle ball until our bare feet were green and calloused or swim until our hands were like raisins.

Although I have not lived in this corner of the world for many years, I have long mourned the region’s extensive growth and constant building. What used to be cattle and horse farms are now house farms as far as one can see. Acres and acres of forest have been cut for new roads, stores, parking lots, more stores and homes.

Because it has long been painful to see these precious places destroyed, I have not been back to the area with any frequency. This weekend however, I returned to celebrate the marriage of my oldest and first friend. Now in her late 20′s, she decided to have the ceremony in the backyard of the home where she grew up, across the woods from our home.

As the evening heat pressed down on us and the hydrangeas bright and bold waved at the bride and groom saying their vows, I wondered to myself how many times we had played dress up and/or wedding in her basement? How many dinners had I eaten on this porch? How many times had we wandered around the woods looking for treasure? Although my family had moved many states away 15 years ago, this house, the house I grew up in yards away, and the people who once lived here with us, had been home.

There are many of us who grew up in areas that no longer exist as we knew them. I would venture to say anyone who was raised outside major cities 20 years ago, cannot return home to the streets and neighborhoods that used seem peaceful, serene.

Although I understand that growth requires change, I prefer to think of Mountain Road, Waterfall Road, Route 15 as they used to be.  So rather than watch as we drive by the landmarks of my childhood,  I chose to close my eyes and imagine light colored lean deer standing in the driveway on summer evenings, or the sky lit up as fire flies dance above the persimmons, oaks and maples.

In my mind, Prince William County still smells of damp mountain air and has small family farms across the land. In my mind kids still get to explore in the woods for hours and hours, imagining they are the first to ever climb this tree or discover this flower. In my mind, that corner of the world is still untouched.

So while many of us can’t go home again, at least we can be grateful for what it used to be and keep those memories close. We can be grateful for blessings we enjoyed and hope that future generations will be as nurtured by the natural landscape as we had been.

Georgia sponsors the Canyon Climbers Club. The membership fee is $10 and the program consists of hiking the one-mile trail to the base of Amicaloa Falls, the one-mile Waterfalls Trail in Cloudland Canyon State Park, a hike to a suspension bridge over Tallulah Gorge, and a 1.5-mile loop at Providence Gorge in the southwestern part of the state. Do these simple walks and the Department of Natural Resources will reward you with an exclusive “I did it!” T-shirt. Enroll through www.gastateparks.org.

It’s a little out of the Blue Ridge region, but Florida’s free Trailwalker program is worth considering. Hike 10 trails in a minimum of five state forests and the Division of Forestry awards a certificate and Trailwalker patch. Walk an additional ten trails, receive a different patch, and hike a total of thirty trails and be awarded the Trailmaster patch and certificate. Information may be found at www.fl-dof.com.

Participants in Virginia’s free Trail Quest program can receive up to five different pins for verifying that they have visited one, five, ten, 20, and every one of the 35 state parks. Sign up at www.virginiaoutdoors.com.

All of these programs are nice little incentives to get you and the kids into the woods.

Drilling in the Atlantic will jeopardize the entire Atlantic coastline in order to recover an estimated six months of oil and 19 months of natural gas at current national consumption rates, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The proposed Virginia lease sale area holds just six days of oil and 18 days of natural gas.

The announcement comes despite Obama’s campaign rhetoric opposing offshore oil drilling, as well as a recent Department of Interior finding that points to major gaps in scientific data about marine resources along the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. Also opposed to the oil drilling plans are the U.S. Navy and NASA, which have training and testing operations in and around the
Virginia lease area.

“It is truly disappointing to see this Administration risk so much for so little,” said Southern Environmental Law Center Attorney Marirose Pratt.  What we know about the miniscule amount of oil and gas in the Atlantic cannot justify the costs to our environment and our coastal economies, especially when there are better ways to meet energy needs for the long term, not just six days or even six months. Virginia has significant offshore wind resources, which can provide sustainable, home-grown energy well into the future. That’s where we ought to be focusing our time, energy and technological know-how.”

For nearly 30 years, Congress and successive presidents have protected the Atlantic from the dirty and risky business of offshore oil and gas drilling. Rather than continue that legacy, today’s announcement opens the way for additional drilling in Virginia and the Mid- and South Atlantic. The plan includes the Virginia lease sale, originally scheduled for November of next year, will be offered in 2012, giving the Minerals Management Service (MMS) time to conduct the necessary environmental impact statement as required by law. It generally
takes a minimum of seven years for an offshore lease sale to undergo the requisite environmental reviews for both marine and onshore resources before producing oil or gas. Because this would be the first drilling off the East coast, it’s conceivable that it will take even longer for any oil and gas resources to reach the market. Any oil or gas produced from the Virginia lease sale would have no impact on domestic oil and gas prices until at least 2030, and even then any such impact would be “insignificant,” according to the Energy Information Administration.

By contrast, commercial fishing, recreational fishing and tourism, all of which bring in billions of dollars and support thousands of jobs in the coastal communities, would be threatened by pollution from refineries, pipelines and other onshore facilities, the daily operations of oil rigs, and the potential for a major oil spill resulting, for example, from hurricanes or tropical storms. In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused roughly 743,400 gallons of petroleum products to be spilled from platforms, rigs and pipelines, according to MMS. A major spill by Coast Guard definition is anything over 100,000 gallons.

The Virginia proposal has the support of much of the state’s congressional delegation, and has been the centerpiece of Governor Bob McDonnell’s campaign and administration based on the notion of bringing jobs and revenue to the Commonwealth, even though Congress has repeatedly rejected legislation allowing the federal government to share revenue from offshore drilling with states other than the Gulf states.

Research and information for this post provided by the Southern Environmental Law Center.

One of the ways I became more proficient in identifying and appreciating the flora of the mountains was by attending wildflower pilgrimages. True to their name, these events can almost feel like religious gatherings with scores of like-minded people coming together on a subject about which they are passionate. Every attendee was a beginner at one time, so don’t feel intimidated if you barely know a sepal from a petal. Also, don’t worry about having to be in the best of shape; these are people who will spend many minutes oohing and ahhing over the minutest of flowers. Added pilgrimage bonuses are hikes for birders and butterfly watchers, and seminars concerning all manner of the environment and natural history.

If you want to ease into the world of wildflower pilgrimages, consider Chief Logan State Park’s Sue Browning Wildflower Walk in southern West Virginia.  For one day, volunteers and park personnel guide participants through a veritable garden of wildflowers including Dutchman’s breeches, bluebells, wild ginger, hepatica, blue-eyed Mary, mayapple, bloodroot, and wild geranium. Of particular interest is the Guyandotte beauty, whose one-inch flower has a yellowish white upper lip, while the lower lip, with three tiny lobes, has lavender lines along its length.

This year’s walk will take place on April 17. Find out more here.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED

…to know that I will be directing two Appalachian Trail Weekends at Mountain Lake in Virginia this year (June 18-20 & October 1-3). The program’s schedule includes two good day hikes and presentations about thru-hiking, lightening your pack, and wildflowers; participants get to stay at and enjoy meals served in the resort—where Dirty Dancing was filmed! More information here.

Adrienna Valentine, the 2009 release from Wagler and Jay Lapp, last year earned the distinction of being, at any given moment, the record most likely to be found in my CD player and it was, by far, my favorite record of 2009. So, as you can imagine, it has been with much anticipation that I have been looking forward to the release of Red Wing, the new album from Wagler and his band, The Steel Wheels.

My anticipation was not unfounded, as Red Wing is a collection of songs representing all that is great about contemporary folk music. Combining roaring gospel harmonies with subtle Irish ballads, plucky claw hammer banjo with tender fiddle, Red Wing aptly represents what an amazing melting pot Appalachian music truly is.

Highlights from Red Wing include the title track, recorded in a log cabin living room and featuring guest appearances by legendary Virginia folkies Robin and Linda Williams, Eric Brubaker’s driving fiddle tune “Dragging Your Heels,” the brotherly advice – and bluesy swagger – of “Nothing You Can’t Lose,” and the tender “Walk This Way For Awhile.”

The word is spreading about Wagler and his mates in The Steel Wheels – the aforementioned Lapp and Brubaker, and bassist Brian Dickel – and their tours are, more and more often, taking them farther away from their Shenandoah Valley homes. Expect Red Wing to continue that trend and to establish The Steel Wheels as the one Virginia band that Americana music fans need to hear.

For Fans Of:

Tim O’Brien, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Garcia

Prime Cut:

“Surround Me” – The four part harmonies in this Sunday-go-to-meeting spiritual shake the rafters and your soul.

Choice Words:

“In the summer sun, in 1981,

The day was long, til I heard the song whistle like the wind.

I was standing there but dust was flying through the air,

Like days before when we believed in things we could not see.”

—From “Red Wing”

The Greener Side:

The packaging for Red Wing is totally Earth friendly, complete with a disc tray made of potato – yes, potato – byproduct.

On Stage:

Catch Trent Wagler and Jay Lapp in Palmyra, VA, as part of the Village Concerts series on March 10^th and The Steel Wheels in Frederick, MD, at Café Nola on March 11^th.  For more tour info and where you can pick up your copy of Red Wing, surf over to www.trentwagler.com.

On the way to the summit, the 5.1-mile Rich Mountain Carriage Trail ascends from the Cone’s Manor House, goes through open fields, into rhododendron-rich forests, circles small Trout Lake and old building foundations, and passes other reminders that the Cones worked every part of their estate. The grandstand view from the fire tower atop another summit, this one reached by 2.8-mile Flat Top Mountain Carriage Trail, is not the only reason to walk the pathway. Wildflowers line much of the route through a deep maple forest, and broad open pastures provide additional vistas.

Within the next few weeks, the 3.8-mile Watkins Carriage Road will be the place to hike for wildflowers. The route switchbacks at least ten times as it descends from the Manor House and nature seems to have chosen a different wildflower to grow in the flat area of each switchback. Expect to come across lousewort, wild geranium, violets, painted trillium, rhododendron, mountain laurel, and more. The Maze, a 2.3-mile carriage road, will be lined by the huge white blossoms of magnolia trees from late spring into summer.

This is just a sample of the carriage roads. All of them interconnect in some way, making for numerous possibilities for extensive day-long hikes with ever retracing your steps. The Blue Ridge Parkway is celebrating its 75^th anniversary this year, and Cone Memorial Park is a great place to get acquainted with the many hiking opportunities (close to 200 trails) it has for travelers in North Carolina and Virginia. The websitewww.nps.gov/blri has general parkway information and Walking the Blue: A Guide to the Trails of the Blue Ridge Parkway provides details about every one of its pathways.

It turns out this wasn’t actually ice cream at all, it was cashew cream made by the crafty hippies at Blue Mountain Organics out of Floyd, Virginia. I usually find dairy-free ice cream imitations to be pretty repulsive—like a frozen version of the paste I used to eat as a kid (that explains a lot). But this stuff was not only edible, it was extremely tasty. The dairy-, soy-, and gluten-free cashew creams are a raw food with enzymes that make it easy to digest (viva la lactose intolerance!), and they are sweetened with agave nectar, so you don’t get the annoying head rush highs and lows of a processed sugar spike. If none of these health quibbles matter to you, trust me when I say this stuff will satisfy you like the contents of an old school waffle cone on a summer boardwalk. It tastes like the real deal, and it’s better for you. Check out where you can find Blue Mountain Cashew Creamery in your neck of the woods here.

Virginia’s Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park are akin to the barrier islands of North Carolina—scrubby woodlands, marshes, dunes, and a beach devoid of development.

Campers must obtain a permit by calling 1-800-933-7275 at least two weeks in advance.

The journey begins by walking through the 7,732-acre wildlife refuge, established to provide habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl. The first designated campsite in the state park, Barbour Hill, is reached after 5.6 miles. Be prepared. There is no shade, which is why you came here in winter.

After setting up camp, dipping your feet into the cold Atlantic, and having dinner, walk the 3-mile roundtrip journey to the Barbour Hill Boat Dock to watch the sun set over Back Bay. Have an extra day? Walk inland through loblolly pines, watch for resident feral pigs, and maybe sight the bow of the Clythia, a wrecked from an 1894 storm.

As you enjoy your rambles, you will notice one other reason to visit in December instead of summer—very few, if any, mosquitoes or other irritating insects.

“50 Hikes in Southern Virginia” has a map and details of the outing.

A REMINDER: Don’t forget my invitation for you to submit your favorite hikes. Send the information to habitualhiker@verizon.net and provide me with enough details so that others will know where it is and what makes it special. If I use your hike, you’ll be entered into a drawing (to be done within the next six months) to receive a copy of my newest book, “Images of America: Along Virginia’s Appalachian Trail,” which was just released on December 7. I’ve only received a few responses so far, so the odds are good that you may be the winner.

Other acts on the bill include Blue King Brown, Soulive, Eric Krasno & Chapter 2, Cornmeal, The Low Anthem, Pimps of Joytime, Mountain Heart, Flam Chen, Joe Pug, Wiyos . Adrienne Young, R.I.S.E., Dangermuffin, Miss Tess, Christabel & The Jons, Boulder Acoustic Society, Holy Ghost Tent Revival . Packway Handle Band, Soulhound, Two Man Gentlemen Band, and The Mantras. Read more and look for additional line-up announcements here.

My choice outing, which makes an almost five-mile circuit, follows the Loop Trail through rhododendron and mountain laurel to the Tower Tunnel Trail for a view into the canyon. You can also see how Breaks came by its name, as it refers to the “break” in the mountain created by the erosive action of the Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River. More resistant to erosion, the Tower, a half-mile long and one-third mile wide sandstone formation, stands high above everything else.

Following the Prospector’s Trail, I go beside overhanging rocks and small caves and drop quickly along the River Trail to begin walking beside Russell Fork. During October, when Flannagan Dam is releasing water, the stream becomes the most technical and challenging commercially-rafted stream in the East, with a gradient of 200 feet per mile and nearly five miles of continuous Class V+ whitewater.

The Grassy Creek Trail starts the climb back to the heights, which is completed along the Laurel Branch and Ridge Trails. Turning left onto the Overlook Trail, I enjoy various views into the gorge before returning to the car.

“50 Hikes in Southern Virginia” contains a detailed description of the outing.

• Avett Brothers – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium – Asheville, N.C.
• Larry Keel’s Mountain Music Family Circus – Grey Eagle – Asheville, N.C.
• Toubab Krewe – Orange Peel – Asheville, N.C.
• Widespread Panic – Phillips Arena – Atlanta, Ga.
• Band of Horses – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, Ga.
• Blue Mother Tupelo and Michelle Malone – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, Ga.
• Col. Bruce Hampton – The Hummingbird – Macon, Ga.
• Perpetual Groove – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, Ga.
• Keller Williams – Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, N.C.
• Old Crow Medicine Show – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, Tenn.
• Seldom Scene – Birchmere – Alexandria, Va.

Sons of Bill doesn’t redefine the world of alt-country with One Town Away, but the band is guaranteed to lure in new fans because of the record’s accessibility; there is simply too much good stuff on One Town Away for potential fans to ignore. The big belt buckle Nashville crowd will dig the band’s hook laden songwriting, the most discerning roots rock fan will latch on to the gritty honesty of the record’s twelve tracks, and – let’s just be honest here – coeds will be driven lusty eyed during sing-along favorites like “Broken Bottles” or guaranteed crowd pleaser “Going Home.”

Big things await the Bill Wilson’s boys. Upcoming tour dates include shows in New York City, New Orleans, and the Austin City Limits festival.  One Town Away establishes Sons of Bill as a band on the brink of grand success.

Rock outcroppings and other spots provide an abundance of views of the Shenandoah Valley, Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, and the two forks of the Shenandoah River. The far-reaching vista from Signal Knob makes it easy to see why Confederates used the vantage point to observe Federal troop activity; the Woodstock Observation Tower, built as a tourist attraction in 1935, overlooks the world-famous horseshoe bends of the Shenandoah. Optional side routes let you take in the sights from Buzzard Rocks and, after a bit of an off-trail rock scramble, Duncan Knob.

With just a few exceptions, backcountry camping is permitted anywhere along the trail. If you desire a roof over your head, stay at the club-maintained Little Crease Shelter on the mountain’s eastern ridgeline. The trail also passes through the forest service’s Camp Roosevelt campground, while the Elizabeth Furnace Campground is accessed via a .4-mile sidetrip.

A guidebook may be obtained through www.potomacappalachian.org.

“We wanted to make this more than just another small city marathon,” said Angell. “The difficulty of this course makes it special. It will attract people from across the country.”

BRO will bring you more details about the race in a future issue.