A New Hero- Nora Stanton Blatch

I think I have a new "hero." This lady is Nora Stanton Blatch, the granddaughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton who was one of the founders of the woman's rights movement in the United States. She lived from 1883-1971, and the picture was taken in 1921. (Oddly enough, my grandmother was born in 1882 and died in 1973.)

It turns out that Nora seems to have had plenty of her grandmother's spunk. For one thing, she was the first woman to earn a degree in Civil Engineering. She graduated from Cornell University in 1905, and worked her entire life as an engineer, mostly in the steel industry. She also continued the family tradition of fighting for the vote for women.

However, the reason that I came across her name is because she was also the first woman to swim across Cayuga Lake in New York, in 1904. Here's the connection. Since completing my big North Country Trail quest, people have been asking me what I want to do next. For sure, I want to finish hiking the Buckeye and Finger Lakes Trails (both of them have miles that aren't NCT). But I've been thinking about another idea.

When I was a child, it was a local badge of athleticism and stamina to swim across Cayuga Lake. I never had a chance to do it, back then.

But I've now walked 4400 miles on the longest hiking trail in the US. I've ridden sea to sea on a bicycle. This is beginning to sound like some sort of lifetime triathlon; it only needs a swimming component. So... my mind wanders back to that old dream.

There are lots of places to swim across Cayuga Lake. As it turns out there's an annual swim at the south end, just 1.25 miles. Hundreds of women participate in that each year to raise money for the local hospice. But I want my swim to be longer; for most of its length the lake is two or more miles wide. Where Nora swam it, the width was 2.25 miles. I found a newspaper article that gives the approximate location. It's quite a bit north of where I lived, but there is some appeal to using her same route.

In any case, I've made up my mind that next summer I'll be working up to a swim of that length and crossing Cayuga Lake. I have to arrange for a boat to accompany me... one doesn't swim across a large body of water without an escort. There are too many power boats and too many ways to get in trouble.

Thus, my interest in completing the 1.25-mile swim this Saturday. I swam at least a full mile both yesterday and today. That distance is estimated, but I think it's pretty close. I'll swim it again tomorrow, and then take Friday off.

Om is planning to go to the start with me on Saturday, so I hope he'll take some pictures. The swim is not a race. It's to raise money for the Hamlin Lake Preservation Society. I have no interest in racing- I'm sure there will be many strong young swimmers entered. I just hope I don't come in dead last.

Naked Lilies

After seeing naked lilies in bloom at the Gene Stratton Porter garden, and also at the Wegerzyn Garden in Ohio, I was hopeful that mine would be blooming when I got home. It wasn't a sure thing. Here's why.

Naked lilies, Lycoris squamigera, don't like to be moved. About three or four years ago I dug up a clump and split them to plant in the beds I've created to line the driveway. They've never yet all recovered enough to bloom. For the first time ever, they are all in flower together!



These flowers really make me happy. They're also known as surprise lilies. The surprise is that they show a mound of bright green strap-like leaves in the spring, which dies back completely. Then, in August, a naked stalk grows almost overnight, and bursts into this lovely head of flowers.

Did I tell you that I'm participating in a 1.25-mile swim on Saturday? I did a full mile today, and don't feel any the worse for it. My plan is to swim tomorrow and Thursday and then take Friday off. The only thing I'm at all concerned about is that the event is in the morning, which is not a great time of day for me. I think I'll be ok, though.

Limberlost

This morning, Ester and I drove down to Rome City, Indiana, to visit the cabin of Gene Stratton Porter, named Cabin in Wildflower Woods. Ester has been there several times, but I had never been there. The buildings are closed on Mondays, but she said that we could still enjoy the gardens and look in the windows.



The gardens are extensive, for a place that was a private residence. This pergola extends through the planted beds. Even this late in the season it was very attractive. Ester says a visit in the spring is great for viewing the wildflowers.



The house and work shed are genuine log construction, but the house is fully finished inside. Since Ester has taken the tour several times she was able to tell me quite a lot while we looked inside.



This is one bench that was there when Gene lived here. The rock structure encloses a spring that flows out into Sylvan Lake. It was fun to sit there and consider that she also enjoyed that same view.



This is the monument where Porter and her daughter are buried.

So, do you know who Gene Stratton Porter was? I thought you'd never ask! She lived from 1863-1921, and wrote both romantic novels (not like those of today), and natural history books. "Romantic" generally meant that the emphasis was on relationships between people, and that the endings were happy or optimistic. One of her most famous is A Girl of the Limberlost (1909), which was also made into a movie several times.

She is considered to be one of Indiana's most famous authors. The Limberlost Swamp is a real place (but far southeast of the cabin we visited). Porter used the proceeds from her popular writings to support her love for studying and writing about the birds and plants of the wetlands.

I've actually never read more than a couple of her books. I've found A Girl of the Limberlost on line, free. I've started reading it.

Now I'm home... it will be back to work.

On the Way Home

I'm now on my way home. If all goes as planned I'm spending the night with my friend, Ester, whom you've met here. It's difficult to get on line from her house, so I scheduled this post with a couple more pix from the conference. The first picture is the upper branches of a huge sycamore tree. They are so typical of Ohio that I thought it was a fitting image.



And here is the set-up for last night's banquet. Yes, we spend a lot of time in the woods, but we know how to clean up and sit down to a nice meal. Last night's program included the auction to raise money for the Land Trust Fund. Over $6000 was raised.

I'm really tired, and at the limit of how many people interactions I can deal with, but they are all people I really care about so it's a good kind of tired. I'm glad you've enjoyed sharing the conference with me.

See you from home tomorrow.

	See North Country Trail Conference- Day 3

North Country Trail Conference- Day 3

Today, Marie and I chose to go on a ten-mile hike from Clifton Springs gorge to Yellow Springs. We began at Clifton Mill, which included this covered bridge.



Then we followed the gorge for a few miles. Ohio has a few places with limestone cliffs like this, and I hadn't seen this one. It's near, but not directly on the NCT.



A few more miles in the middle through woods and a couple of fields, and we reached Yellow Springs. The town was named for these water features, which were considered medicinal in the 19th century. The water is still safe to drink and was icy cold. This was great, because it turned into a very hot day. Soon after this we joined the North Country Trail and took it into the town where we had time to buy more cold drinks before the bus came.



In the evening, Bart Smith was our speaker. He is a photographer who has hiked all eleven National Scenic Trails, which includes, of course, the NCT. I had previously met Bart, so it was great to see him again. This is the first conference which three end-to-enders have ever attended.



There was also a fund-raising auction and the passing of the torch to Michigan, which will host next year's conference.

Now Marie and I have to say our goodbyes. She has to leave at the crack of dawn. Sigh. But it was a great week.

	See North Country Trail Conference- Day 2 See North Country Trail Conference- Day 1