Creative Writing
Crabbing, Culling, Repeat
Please take a look at my Investigative Journalism piece above about a family of crabbers from Southern Maryland. This piece was chosen as the winner of the 2016-2017 Whitten Maher Memorial Scholarship for Writing and Design.
Isabel’s Aftermath
September, 2003
It was one year and a month after my grandfather, Pops, passed away, almost to the day. My parents, three siblings, and I made the familiar drive down the country roads to Piney Point, a small town on the Potomac River in Southern Maryland. This drive was different, though. We didn’t open the windows when we turned onto our street, competing to see who saw the water first. We didn’t have any country music playing. We didn’t have any music. We sat in a somber silence as we looked around our quiet road. Some houses were still abandoned. Some neighbors were already outside cleaning up. Their usual friendly waves now slow, exhausted.
There was an almost-silent gasp when we saw our once bright, happy, yellow cottage. The screened-in front porch caved in. The windows torn apart or missing completely. The remaining short cinderblock wall that lined the front lawn crumbled in ruins. Piles of sand stacked up in dunes across the road and in our yard. Our golf cart, the Popsmobile, sunk in the garage, weighed down by sand and water. Its days of driving Pops and his air tank up and down the street were officially over.
We joined my uncle and aunt’s cars parked in the usual grass row on the side of the drive. My grandma, Ems, stood in the driveway in shock, her hand covering her mouth. My mom joined her, wrapping her in a hug. My dad quickly swooped in to distract us, hustling us to the back of the car. He suited us up in our rain boots and jackets, with bathing suits hidden underneath. I didn’t understand why we would even have to put on boots. Shoes weren’t required at Piney unless we were going to church, and it wasn’t even Sunday.
Dad sent us on the most important mission of all. We ran up and down the beach and through backyards searching for all of our beach toys that got washed away. The shed was pushed back behind and around the other side of the house, so we knew we had a big area to cover. The backyard was still partially flooded. Grass stuck out like islands. My cousins, siblings, and I made up a story in this newfound world. We chased all the evil snakes back to the creek where they belonged.
After hours of exploring, hopping in puddles, and searching for toys, we made our way back to the house. The adults were still cleaning, but we were able to walk inside part of the house if we kept our boots on. A dark line stretched across the walls. We measured ourselves next to it. The line came up past my hip.
I continued in the backroom, the kids’ room. I remembered the commotion in the bathroom one night. I had a clear view from my bed. Pops snuck in the bathroom, thinking he was sick. I peeked out from beneath my covers as the first responders rushed in. They threw around words I didn’t understand: “heart attack,” “needs oxygen.” I pretended to sleep as my mom quietly shut our door.
There were lots of secrets that day. The grown-ups would stop talking when any of us walked up. They weren’t good at whispering. I walked in as I heard my uncle ask, “Is this even worth saving?”
I cried, afraid we’d lose our beach house. I cried because this is the place all of our cousins came and if it was gone, we wouldn’t see them anymore. Ems cried because Pops made all the additions to the cottage and didn’t want to lose it, too.
So began the rebuilding process. The moms began sorting through everything on the ground floor. They handpicked what they could salvage and threw out what was too damaged. The dads and kids worked outside. We made the most of cleaning up our beach and tried to ignore the almost destroyed, but still standing, summer house.
Thirteen years after Pops’s passing, almost to the day, we finally replaced the kitchen floor that was slowly sinking farther into the ground due to the water damage. The wooden rocking chairs were repainted. The walls, like our hearts, are still marked by the past. But our house and family still stand.
Croagh Patrick Pilgrimage
I hopped off the bus, staring down my next challenge. The sky was partly sunny and it was fairly warm out, which was unusually nice weather for Ireland. Coming to this country was one point checked off my bucket list. This view showed the last one on my Ireland bucket list. Something that I promised myself I would do before I even knew I was going to study abroad. I was going to make my pilgrimage up Croagh Patrick barefoot.
Growing up in Catholic schools, I learned at an early age the story of St. Patrick. He taught the Irish people about the Holy Trinity through the use of the three-leaf clover. Then, he cast out all the snakes in Ireland by leading them to the top of the mountain and sending them over the edge. This mountain became known as Croagh Patrick in his honor. People paid tribute to his memory and for their sins by climbing the mountain barefoot. Something I knew I had to accomplish.
I couldn’t have guessed this level of difficulty even as I was sitting at the edge of the path taking off my sneakers. The path to the foot of the mountain was mostly pavement. Knowing Ireland, I expected a green mountain all the way up, maybe steep in some parts, but that would be it. What I wasn’t expecting was the gravel rocks for the first half of the mountain.
The green landscape was one of the draws to the giant island. I had always known I wanted to go to Ireland. It was the first place I dreamed of traveling. The stories I heard of this magical place from school and my family fed my urges. It has been decades since my family first came to America from Ireland, but our roots still show in my siblings’ red hair, and easily sunburnt skin. I wondered if any of my ancestors walked this same mountain years before me.
I tried to walk on patches of grass when I could find it. Even the mud was better than the pointy Legos under my feet. It was a slow process. The second half of the mountain traded in the gravel for slightly larger, but landslide-prone, rocks. My worry wasn’t what the bottom of my feet were feeling; they weren’t feeling anything anymore. Now the worry was to climb in the thinning air on all fours, scaling the side of the almost vertical mountain. I thought my biggest physical test was gone, little did I know it was just beginning. For every two steps, we slide meters. Every time we let the people coming down pass, we descended with them. A cloud swallowed us whole. Nothing could be seen that wasn’t within ten feet of me. All around me was rocks and a few other climbers, who disappeared and reappeared with every gust of wind. I kept going, refusing to give up as I pulled my already bleeding foot from another runaway rock.
The words of a descending hiker rang in my ears. “I can’t imagine what your sins are if this is your penance.”
I began to wonder the same thing.
Pulling myself over the edge, dangling my very exhausted feet, I could not have been more proud. The sky opened up and I could almost hear the angels singing their praises. My trophy came trotting over in the form of an Irish sheep dog. He promptly sat on my lap, licked my face, and soaked up my tears of joy.
Take a Hike Magazine Article
Sunrise
The sunrise can be a magical period of time for those who are brave enough to venture out in the park before light. Whenever I go somewhere new, my one goal is to watch the sunrise before I leave. This is one of my favorite times because it is the calm before the day. It gives you the perfect opportunity to reflect on your travels if you are visiting, to take the time to sit silent, or to step back and stare in awe of the wonders of the world.
Shenandoah National Park offers everything from camping sites, food stops, fishing, biking, bird watching, exhibits, and Ranger programs. However, possible the most popular attraction is the hiking, including 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail. With over 500 miles of trails in the park, there are a few quality hikes you should check out if you want to put in the work for a great reward. One of these trails is Bearfence. The trail head is found at 56.4. The hike is a short 1.1-mile round trip, but it should be noted that there is a rock scramble that may not be for everyone. For those willing to attempt the climb, 360-degree view makes this spot the perfect location any time of the day.
Midday
Hiking during the day is the most popular time to hit the trails, especially when the weather is nice. Going on the earlier part of the day or the later part will help if you want to miss the crowds. However, cruising down Skyline Drive in the middle of the day will give away some of the fan favorite trails, depending how packed certain trail parking lots are.
Planning ahead is extremely important when going out in the wilderness. I never leave my home without packing a water, snakes, maybe a hat or sunglasses or sunscreen, extra clothes or layers, and of course my good ol’ trusty camera.
Why extra clothes? On one hand, it is usually colder in the mountains so it might be chillier when you get to the top or even as you are warming up when you start the climb. Another reason? If you are anything like me and like to get off the beaten trail there are many chances that you can get muddy or wet and might want to change before driving home. This might also be the case if the weather turns gross or you just need to feel a bit more refreshed after a hard day’s work. Also, be sure to note your own needs or whoever else you are going with. My favorite part of hiking is turning my phone completely off and not worrying about whatever else is going on. It makes the day so much more relaxing, but be sure to let loved ones know where you are headed off to before dropping out of service!
Enough of my rambling though, let’s get back to the juicy stuff – the hikes! This past weekend I discovered a new trail that might just be a new favorite. I have heard great things about this one, but since it is a little farther away I wanted to plan a day I had completely free and of course had to wait for the perfect weather. Jones Run Falls is around mile marker 84, just past Loft Mountain Information Canter. As the name indicates, it is a waterfall hike and one that will leave you impressed! Every time my friend, “Sports Authority,” and I reached another waterfall to explore we thought we reached the end. We were surprised again and again by the beauty along this trail and how each view was even more magnificent than the last!
We went after a big rain which made the water levels higher and the trail even slicker. Weather reports for that day and previous days are definitely something to check for if you are going with children or do not feel comfortable going off trail. There were a few streams to cross even if you did stay on trail and some steep patches that were slippery with mud. The end of Jones Run is easy to miss if you do not look out for the marker because it leads straight into another trail. The difference? Another 3 miles added to your 3.2-mile hike. We, unfortunately, did not plan for that long of a trip so we ventured a little past Jones Run before turning around and heading back.
Sunset
Your day does not have to end with another hike finished. Drive along Skyline for exceptional views of the valley below. At Shenandoah, the outlooks are a very popular spot to stop. These dips on the shoulder are super easy to allow you to pullover as you please as you make your way through the national park.
This method of visiting the park is extremely popular for couples wanting to go on a long drive, bikers, and students needing a break from their studies. It makes it quick to get through the park when it is too late to make it on a sunset hike or too cold to want to do one.
If you do want to try a sunset hike, I don’t blame you! One of the most popular ones is Stony Man Trail. Known for being the second-highest mountain in the park, it makes a great place to watch the last light of the day fade away. One of the worst parts of sunset hikes is getting back before the darkness sets in. Stony Man Trail is only 1.6 miles roundtrip and is a very smooth path so it makes it an easy peasy trail to conquer in the fading light.
