The Praying Mantis

by Crystal Cockman January 31, 2018 I remember hearing as a child that you were not supposed to stare at a praying mantis because he can make you go blind. Maybe this was just supposed to keep me from picking it up and scaring my sister with it. This belief may come...

Uwharrie Trail Thru Hike 2018

Uwharrie Trail Thru Hike Announcement 2018   The LandTrust for Central NC in partnership with the Uwharrie Trailblazers would like to officially announce the dates for the 2018 Uwharrie Trail Thru Hike: October 18 – 21! Have you heard of the Uwharrie Trail? At 40...

Catawba Falls

by Crystal Cockman 1/24/2018 A few years back, I went to a program celebrating 50 years of the Land and Water Conservation Fund with then Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Senator Richard Burr at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville. I’ve...

The Desert will Scour your Soul

by Ruth Ann Grissom January 11, 2018 In December, as I packed for a trip to Big Bend National Park, I ran across a quote attributed to Edward Abbey.  The desert will scour your soul.  His words evoke the grit of the desert, but they also embody the promise of emerging...