Where are we going?

Howdy! What this blog is... and isn't. Old Trails are those places that we love to revisit time and time again, whether physically or just while daydreaming. They are the paths of our lives; they are how we got to where we are now. New trails are exciting, and I look forward to them, but old trails are where I go for solace; to get my life sorted out, so set priorities, and think about the things that I enjoy in life. Most of my old trails are in the Southern Appalachians, and I get to walk these quite a bit. Others are in Alaska or on the deep blue; those I only visit in my mind, at least for the time being. All of them are worth going back to occasionally. I enjoy the outdoors in most any form; I did my undergraduate work in biology so I could spend my days outside, and it paid for itself many times over. Now I've moved into a slightly different area of study, but it allows me to start putting everything around me together in a (sometimes) coherent pattern. You won't see it mentioned too often my writings here: this blog is devoted to the things that I enjoy when I go to my happy place. What are these? Shooting, mainly blackpowder but hey, I believe in diversity: my flintlock and my M4gery get along together just fine! Hunting... not fanatical, but I do like a deer in the freezer. Fishing - I love fishing in almost any form, from dry flies to otter trawls... Camping, usually incidental to some other activity. Reading, though right now it is mainly confined to textbooks and journal articles... but I still remember what it was like to read for pure enjoyment too! All sorts of other stuff too, but we'll just wait and see what shows up.



What this blog isn't:



Political... both major parties can take a North-South walk on an East-West bridge as far as I'm concerned. I vote for my own self interests, hope for the best, and plan for the worst.



A fountain of wisdom... all advice given herein is worth exactly the cost of admission, no warranty either express or implied, and no guarantees. Read at your own risk.



It probably won't be a lot of other things either... very little coal ever makes the transition to diamond, and I suspect that this blog while stay in a rather loosely consolidated carboniferous state, totally lacking in luster or clarity.



I'm currently a full time student working on my PhD, so blogging will be sporadic, erratic, and chaotic. Pretty much a reflection of my life at this point... but at least I'm seldom bored!



More as events warrant...



LG