I grew up in the Glaciel Moraines of Michigan. Expansive Oak and Maple forests covering hills of sandy cobble sediment. For years I have contemplated how the midwest has continued to exist without a mountain in sight. Nothing other than sand, the organic loam, and the random glacial erratic that was dropped off after coming 500 miles from the north.

When walking through the forest, now and again I would come across these “sheep walls”. Not much of a wall and not sure how it would keep sheep behind it. Still these are made up of field stones some of them being to large to move without some implimentation of physics. They can go for hundereds of feet totaling at least 100 square yards of rock. Which was probably a summers worth of work for some farmboy.

Bringing these elements together into something enduring is not easy. All the other cultures of the world had stone complexes. Here we have cracking cement, rusting steel, and the Mississipian Tribes had Earthen mounds with Wood huts.

Cultures enevitably become an outgrowth of the environment in which they live. The ecology, the geography, and hydrology all subtly shape the character of cultures. When we do not recognize this distinction, we enevitably see the world incompletely. I’ve had to confront this first hand doing trail work in Michigan. Compared to the Western Mountains or Appilachians there you have and endless supply of stone to literally build staircases to the clouds. In Michigan for natural supply there is sand, cobble stones, and timbers which rapidly rot away.

This is really pushing me to look at new things to stablize hillsides like native ground covers, experimental microorganism sediment cementing, and strategic gabbions.

Traditional trail work is quite avante-grade it represents foot travel as a form of recreation. Compared to a way of life. Which in New York City it is very much a way of life.

That sort of world where we travel by foot, horse, and jump ship. Still feels a long way off. It is a good way of life though. Remembering that we came from the Earth and have the blessing to glorify God.