Cities, Farms, The Internet, and John Denver
"Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, Mountain Momma
Take me home country roads"
John Denver
By Ken Dague, Assistant Ranger
I live in a city about 12 miles north of Boston - Lynn, Massachusetts, City of Firsts (I read that on a sign). It's right on the ocean. Sometimes, when I know there is a system brewing out in the ocean, I go to the shore to watch the waves come crashing in. I like the people in this town. I like my neighbors. I like my landlord. I especially like the people that come to the woods to "get away" from the city. I like Lynn.
I come from the country. A place in West by God Virginia in the hills between Valley Grove and West Liberty. I grew up on a farm. Roamed the hills and valleys with my friends. Worked with my Pop in the hay fields every June and August. In the "hollers" of West Virginia life moves at a slower place. Sweet tea on a hot summer afternoon is a good thing.
I moved to Lynn for the woods. To tell the truth I was a bit skeptical at first. I found out about Lynn Woods while poking around online, looking for employment. There was a posting for an Assistant Ranger position in eastern MA. Sounded good, ideal even. A job in which I could hang out in the woods all day and try to turn people on to the natural world. Just one problem: Lynn Woods is surrounded by a major metropolitan area. What the hell, couldn't hurt to send out my resume.
I was offered the position in early May and accepted that very day. I was moving to Massachusetts.
I've lived in lots of places - Pennsylvania, Ohio, Vermont, and all over West Virginia, but I've always been "out in the sticks." This was the first time that an honest-to-goodness city loomed in my immediate future. This was also the first time I was ever moving somewhere in which I didn't know a soul. Those final days in WV were the best. It was Spring, a magical time in the mountain state. And all of my friends were itchin' to get outside. And we did. We hiked and paddled and went exploring new caves. We dined out and cooked over campfires. We played fooseball (I have a mid-level ranking). We listened to music. We talked. I spent an afternoon with Matt and Jess, helping out with their yard sale. It was hard to leave, things were perfect.
I was in the area a few days before the job actually started and I was quite intimidated. Everyone loves Boston. It's one of those places of which everyone speaks highly. The arts, history, sports - that place has it all. Still, I felt like a fish out of water. It was like a bad sitcom, a modern Beverly Hillbillies minus all the loot. The best thing that happened in those first days was meeting Allison.
Allison is from Somerville but went to school at West Virginia University in Morgantown - and get this, she knows and worked with one of my very best friends back home, Denise. Allison missed WV too. When I talked about "the Mon," she understood. When she told me about Bowden Cave, I could relate. She understood my homesickness. She became my first friend.
Things began to look up my first day on the job. Lynn Woods is a pretty special place. How lucky the residents of Lynn are to have this treasure in their back yard. It's a bit sad to think that the majority of folks in this town have never spent an afternoon exploring the Reservation, but maybe, as programming continues to grow, we can lure some more in. I like the fact that people come here with their dogs. I like seeing a group of Cub Scouts, flashlights in hand, trudging up the hill to Dungeon Rock. I like the fact that deer sightings are not very common, yet exciting when they happen (in WV it seems like most people hit one before they're 21). I like to see people's reactions when we call in an owl. I really like Lynn Woods - it's an easy place to fall for.
Yea Massachusetts isn't such a bad place to be - in fact it's really grown on me. The folks in Lynn have been nothing but hospitable, my work environment is perfect, and I have mountains to explore just a couple of hours north. There is in fact a bluegrass scene in the area (took a while, but I found it), and I can always shoot down to Boston for a show by the like of Leftover Salmon or The String Cheese Incident. Jacinta is coming in from Australia to spend the winter (a long story for another time). The local PBS station, which airs Mountain Stage (from WV) is awesome. I'm still scared of the ocean (sharks) but yea, I like it here. Massachusetts isn't so bad - just don't be surprised if you catch me out in the woods whistling a John Denver tune.