How was your weekend? Boring? Exciting? The same as usual? Did you see a 300 lb monster in the forest? I did. |
No Instagram, No Twitter, Not Even Snapchat in These Woods |
These days I live about 25 minutes from one of the best national parks in the U.S., the Shenandoah National Forest. So when there’s no rain and the rivers are too low for my kayak, like they were this weekend, I like to explore the trails through the park. There are over 500 miles of them inside an area of 311 square miles (Malta is just 122). So within a few minutes I was all alone and in the wilderness. Then I saw it. The poop. But this was no ordinary poop. It was big. Very big. It was… monster poop. But was the monster pooper ahead of me or behind me? Was the poop fresh or a day old? If I see the monster pooper should I run or play dead? The answers to these questions one does not get by going to a teacher training school. What to do…? I decided to take the risk and continue on. The park’s trails usually take you along scenic routes. You can hike along a mountain stream. Or you can climb over large boulders. Or you can walk through open prairies. But this trail was different. It reminded me of the scene in Raiders of the Lost Arc when Indiana Jones had to use his machete to cut a path through the jungle. These woods were thick. So when I turned a corner and saw him, there wasn’t a lot of space between us. It was a black bear walking the trail alone, just like I was. Fortunately, he didn’t see me or hear me. No need to run or play dead or practise my bear wrestling skills. I simply decided to let him continue as I silently turned and walked back to the car. Would you like to see a photo? Unfortunately, I don’t have one. “There’s no internet or phone signal in the woods, so why bring a phone?” I thought. Oh well. Maybe I’ll bring the phone with me next weekend when I go kayaking and you’ll get to see the first photograph of a great white shark in a Virginia river. |
THIS WEEK IN VITAMIN V… |
What’s more exciting than a jungle monster? English! English! And more English! Here’s what you can expect this week in Vitamin V: I recently met a teacher from South Africa. I’ll send you the video of our conversation. And get ready to learn some South African English. I’ll share with you the one photo I did take this weekend. It’s a sign at the entrance to the park. I’ve never seen anything like it. English lessons are everywhere, if you know where to look. I’ll give you a report from inside this weekend’s chat rooms. Did my lessons on how to ask questions work? And Friday I’ll pick one of your questions to answer. |
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