the Virginia clipper whistles to Ohio this time each year

The Virginia Clipper whistles to Ohio this time each year

fiction
Edward w Pritchard


The Virginia Clipper whistles to Ohio this time each year. The Virginia clipper is a strong Northerly wind. It starts in Damascus, Virginia down around Mount Rogers and whistles up the Appalachian trail a bit to Wytheville, and then heads straight North up 77 through West Virginia to my home in Ohio.

The northerly wind from Damascus bids me prepare to hike the Appalachian trail again. Although I am  merely a day hiker I have began to stretch my legs, build my weak heart and lungs and dream again of walking in the long dark tunnel of the Appalachian trail. I hope to log a few more miles toward Maine this Spring.

Januarys in Northern Ohio are cold, dark and depressing. Now I have something to look forward to. In a few months I will be at Mount Rogers State Park following the wild horses through Grayson Highlands North along the Appalachian trail.

It doesn't mean anything and there is no reward for walking on the trail. You see a million trees, a thousand vistas and a few wild animals. Food never tasted so good and water is precious. You would give a hundred dollars for a real bed to sleep on.

Spring comes to the Appalachian trail. Will you be hiking the trail this year? Join me for mosquito bites, continuous rainfall, bee stings and sleeping on the ground while listening for bears.

It's a great time.