Wildfulness: On Nature, Wellness, and Life in the Allegany Highlands Deep Creek

Wherein we discover Maryland's only Wild and Scenic River, learn all the fun and recreation it offers, and also discover the delicate ecological balance needed to keep it both rare and wonderful. The Youghiogheny River is an incredible and unique resource, both as a natural and a cultural asset. Find out all its secrets, and all the ways you can enjoy it!

Wherein we hear the story of "Buzz One Four" and its crew, and how the B-52 bomber carrying a large nuclear payload crashed in the 56,000 acre Savage River State Forest in 1964 during a blizzard. Hear just how close we came to a nuclear detonation during that Cold War incident. The local heroes in Grantsville will never forget the night they braved the driving storm and frigid temperatures to try to locate and save the crew. Check out this harrowing episode on Itunes & wherever you get podcasts, and the extensive shownotes and photos at www.wildful.wordpress.com.

Wherein we hear the story of German immigrant Melchior J. Miller (Melky) and his distillery in Accident, MD. How whiskey triumphed over rum and applejack in Colonial Days, leading eventually to a domestic tax on it that caused a "Whiskey Rebellion." And most importantly for us today, how Maryland's special brand of rye whiskey is making a comeback, including a re-creation of a brew named after Melky Miller, now produced out of Philadelphia by the New Liberty Distillery. We conclude with an original ditty, "The Ballad of Melky Miller," soon to be premiered at one of the Old Time Music Jams in New Germany State Park. Check out both the ballad and the brew via this episode on Itunes etc., and at www.wildful.wordpress.com . . .oh, and Bottoms Up!

Wherein we tune into the increasingly hard to find places on our planet that leave behind the noises of men. All those wildful places in Western Maryland where the sounds of the natural world still reign are truly treasures. Have we forgotten how to really to listen to them? How can we protect them from the forces that are encroaching? Do they bring us real, tangible health benefits? Hint: They do! Guest Gordon Hempton comes to this episode through clips from the wonderful podcast Birdnote and from an NPR episode on the subject. He delves into all this and more. Find out the scoop at your one-stop vacation station for Western Maryland, www.wildful.wordpress.com and wherever you listen to podcasts.

Wherein we celebrate and explore the revival of the Chautauqua movement in Garrett County, and the state of Maryland. Hear and experience up close and personal the eclectic mixture of recreation, music, culture, education, and spiritual revival that characterized these summer gatherings back in the late 1800s up through the 1920s. Our own Mountain Lake Park Chautauqua was instrumental in the development of these events, and you can hear actual period music, historic re-enactments, lectures, etc. at this fun-for-the-whole-family Festival, July 5-7, at Mountain Lake Park. Find out why Teddy Roosevelt claimed that Chautauqua was "The Most American Thing in America," and hear in this episode clips of speakers and period music from Stephen Foster to John Sousa to Giuseppe Verdi. On iTunes, GooglePlay, Alexa and all your favorite podcast stations. Comprehensive shownotes at www.wildful.wordpress.com.

Wherein we celebrate all the wonderful things that NATIVE PLANTS can do for us and our environment, with a fun Mountain Maryland Native Plant Festival on Saturday, May 11. Festival highlights include demos of plants, speakers, many different growers to choose from to purchase plants, events for the kids, and much more. Hear from guest Charity Miller of Mosser Meadows Nursery/Halian Lanscapes about how this local Garrett County plant nursery is also going native, and what they can offer you and your yard, that's beautiful, low maintenance, and Mother Earth-friendly. View videos, photos, and much more at www.wildful.wordpress. com. Listen on your favorite podcast station, and now Alexa, too.

Wherein we dive deeply into how beavers made American great back in the day, how they created pools and wetlands alongside the clear flowing streams, how they nearly became extinct, and how we can work with beavers today to reclaim our headwaters and wetlands, to the benefit of all, especially here in Western Maryland. All at www.wildful.wordpress.com, and on all your favorite podcast providers, and also on Alexa.

Wherein we explore all the fun, adventure, and history, not to mention fitness, that can be found on this beautiful and unique rail trail. Hear from Bryan Perry, Executive Director of the Allegheny Trail Alliance, with insider tips and information on how to have the best experience, view the WQED DVD/video, and hear why the GAP is the nation's "friendliest, long distance bike trail." The GAP trail was founded in 1995 and the Allegheny Trail Alliance (ATA) is a coalition of seven trail organizations in southwestern Pennsylvania and western Maryland that is charged with promoting and enhancing the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile, multiple use, rail-trail system between Cumberland, Md. and Pittsburgh, Pa. And for most of us, it's definitely a blessing that it's almost completely flat. None of those punishing hill climbs you get in some of the other mountainous biking trails around here! In fact, can you guess how old the youngest biker rider is who completed the entire trail as a through-ride? Four. Years. Old. Completed in 2013, the GAP connects to the 184.5 mile C&O Canal Towpath in Cumberland and provides a non-motorized, nearly level trail system between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. The Great Allegheny Passage section from Cumberland to Ohiopyle is a segment of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, one of eight nationally designated scenic trails. The Great Allegheny Passage trail is open daily, dawn to dusk. You can download a printable map of the GAP Trail or the C&O Canal Towpath and you can access those links from our shownotes at www. wildful.wordpress.com. The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is a scenic, safe, and satisfying 150-mile rail-trail through the Allegheny Mountains, it's the longest such trail east of the Mississippi River. In Cumberland, the GAP connects to the C&O Canal Towpath, which runs from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland along the Potomac River. Using both trails, riders can trace a 334-mile path outlining our country’s westward expansion. Details at www.gaptrail.org.

Wherein we explore the wonders of the springtime Dawn Chorus of birds (Nature’s Symphony), and how to learn to identify those birds from their songs. We hear from local birding and wildlife experts, and experience how apps and other modern online technologies. Do you know which bird says, “Who-Cooks-For You? Who-Cooks-For-You?” Which one says, “Sam Peabody-Peabody-Peabody?” Curious minds want to know, so come take walk on the wildside, with Wilfdfulness, at www.wildful.wordpress.com. On all the primary podcast and social channels, too, including Alexa.

Wherein we explore where maple syrup comes from historically and geographically; how and who makes it in Garrett County and just over the line in Somerset County, PA; what are its unique health benefits (bet you didn't know its chock full of antioxidants); some tasty types of maple sugar products you might not be familiar with; and where to buy the best maple products locally. Check out recipes at the shownotes, & information about local maple sugar demos both in Garrett County and Somerset County during March & April.

Wherein we explore the magical Cranesville Swamp, one of the only boreal peat bogs in the U.S., and learn how it has left us clues as to the immense creatures that roamed the area during the Pleistocene Epoch, the last Ice Age. Hear from conservation ecologist Deborah Landau, from the Nature Conservancy, who has been working to restore the swamp since 2001. It's home to some unique flora and fauna, and will readily release its secrets to those who come and journey along it's boardwalk. Come take a walk on the wild side, at the Cranesville Swamp!

Wherein we explore the whys and wherefores of America's Main Street, the National Road, that turnpike that led millions of settlers West to tame the wild frontiers. We'll hear the confounding stories of how the government came to fund its first and very controversial interstate, as well as the stories of the colorful characters who traversed it on their adventures westward. All at www.wildful.wordpress.com, the one-stop vacation station about life in the Allegany Highlands of Western MD.

Wherein we explore the opportunity that Winter affords us to slow down just a little, delve into the idea of paring back, scaling down, and simplifying. All the while hearing about a true and very entertaining story about a couple who decided to chuck it all and recapture what they believed to the best in life, out in the remote wilderness of Maine, with no modern amentities - NONE. Tune into hear it at Wildfulness, your one-stop vacation station about all there is to see, do, and experience in the mountains of Western Maryland.

The busyness of summer is over, the Autumn Glory Festival has come and gone, the docks have been pulled, the cabins winterized. It's the pause before the frantic crush of the holiday season, and then the snow/ski season. It's the time in between. How shall we spend it? New research shows that giving thanks changes your brain and your life for the better. What are you thankful for, here in the mountains of Western Maryland? Tune in to focus mindfully and joyfully on the pleasures of "The Time in Between." At www.wildful.wordpress.com. Your one-stop vacation station on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and now on Alexa as well.

Wherein we explore some of the many highlight attractions, events, and gorgeous autumn scenery coming up in the award-winning Autumn Glory Festival in Oakland, MD. Hear the sounds of some of the unique ways to celebrate the season of the harvest, in the wild and wonderful hills of the Allegany Highlands of Western Maryland. October 10-14. Stop in at www.wildful.wordpress.com for details, photos, and insider tips, and listen to the audio on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spreaker, Youtube, and now on Alexa, too.

Wherein we hear first hand from: program veterans, what this outdoor education/retreat is all about; from instructors, how much they love teaching at it; and finally how much fun and how inspiring it's been for those who've participated in it as "students." Classes include kayaking, birding canoeing, fly fishing, turkey hunting, camping, blacksmithing, tree identification, hiking. How about the stress management benefits of being out in Nature for three days? Priceless! All at www.wildful.wordpress.com. On iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Spreaker, Alexa, and more.

Wherein the sonorous voice and first person monologue of local historian Al Feldstein brings the dynamic personality and life story of John W. Garrett, the county's namesake, to life. Garrett's role in the B&O Railroad and his patronage of the beautiful train station in Oakland are also featured, and of note. At www.wildful.wordpress.com. On iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Wherein we explore the architectural and historical gem, the B&O Station in Oakland, MD, and discover how it connects the dots to so many themes in the development of the nation: industrial, cultural, transportation, Gateway to the West, and many more. Hear from the townspeople who worked hard over the years to bring the station back to its former glory; a local historian who channels John W. Garrett, and some good old Steam and Steel bluegrass tunes. All at www.wildful.wordpress.com. On iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, Youtube, and Alexa!

Wherein Garrett County native son Chris Nichols shows us the many facets of Deep Creek Lake's past, present, and future, through multiple layers of beautiful maps, both old and new. And celebrating our first "Vodcast," or video podcast.

This audio file omits all the introductory episode text and speaking from Episode #38, playing only the affirmations and background music, repeating over a 30 minute period. Download to your phone and listen your way to the Sandman!