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Minister Creek in 4K | Backpacking the Best Trails of PennsylvaniaRandall Smitham September 13, 2019 0 COMMENTS
[Andrew narrating] On perfect days,
the wilderness becomes luxury: the sky and the canopy are the Sistine Chapel and every leaf and wildflower the Crown jewels With a warm fire and the company of the trees, time spent outdoors shows you
what it means not just to be alive, but to thrive Now, we would journey into the woods
to experience it for ourselves [Adventure Archives theme song plays] [Andrew narrating] On an early summer day,
we made our way out of the city for another outdoors adventure [Bryan narrating] For a day with such idyllic weather, we decided to return to an idyllic part of the Midwest: Allegheny National Forest [low music plays] [Robby narrating] Today we were
hiking on the Minister Creek Trail [Andrew narrating] We would be hiking on the
north loop of the trail, camping early on, before continuing We would camp again along the way before making our
way back south through the trail's interesting geology [Robby narrating] We were met with beautiful lush
greenery and perfect weather as we started out on the trail This is perfect There's been a lot of times
where I've walked out of my house and just been like, "Man, this is perfect weather for camping." And now I'm camping in that weather [Andrew narrating] And with the weather were
plenty of beautiful wildflowers and plants We've talked about wood sorrels all the time But these are some of the biggest I've seen,
and I've never really seen flowers like this Usually it's just yellow flowers coming out of them,
but these are really beautiful white and pink ones It looks like somebody just took
a paintbrush and painted the petals But these of course are edible
and have a nice sweet, sour taste And down here is a plant called knotweed,
and this is also edible, actually And when you look at some of the
younger plants you can notice a sort of faint purple v-shape on the leaf and when the leaves
are a lot younger, they're a lot more prominent [Robby narrating] Moss and foliage which glowed in the
sunlight added to the forest's lush and lively atmosphere [Bryan narrating] The openness of the trails,
the forest's understory, and the glow of the Sun reaffirmed to us that Allegheny was an incredibly welcoming place [music plays] [Robby narrating] Soon, we came to an
intersection on the trail We got a sign already [Andrew] Looks like somebody's missing a hat, too So, we got the middle loop to the left . . . oh- -Yeah we want the north loop, right?
-Right Yeah . . . alright. Let's go [Andrew narrating] We continued on All around us were a whole host of plants,
ranging from edible to medicinal to utilitarian So this is something you don't often
see in the forest, but it's called dogbane It looks really similar to milkweed
which is an edible plant, but this one is actually toxic The stem has these nice, flexible, strong fibers So right now, you could take some of the green fibers
off and make a temporary cord or rope out of them But in the wintertime, you can also kind of scrape
all the brown fibers and spin those into longer-lasting rope as well It's got this white, milky
sap on the inside of it that's kind of bitter tasting, which
kind of lets you know not to eat it [Robby narrating] Only minutes into our hike, we were
already overtaken by the beauty of our surroundings [Andrew narrating] Sometimes, a trickling stream
and a cool breeze is all you need to be happy in the wild Sometimes like, nature – you have to kind of
dig a little bit to get to the good parts And then there's other times like today where you don't need to do anything,
and you're just immediately like, "Oh!" "Perfect weather, perfect scenery, not too many bugs." And it reminds you of why you go out in the first place [Bryan narrating] The trail still had much more to reveal,
so we continued deeper into the forest [Andrew narrating] The forest floor changed as we
transitioned into a denser, shadier section of the woods [Robby narrating] We passed by another junction,
hiked over rivulets, and past Jack in the Pulpits and a
variety of other plants So these leaves belong to a tree called striped maple, and I think you generally see this more sort of to the
east of the US, around like West Virginia and this region and even when these trees get bigger – this one's just like a little sapling right now – but when they get bigger, the bark is kind of still a bright green color
and it has these stripes on it you can still kind of make that out on these
thinner branches – hence the name striped maple and you can see that they're also like
opposite branching, just like every other maple tree [Bryan narrating] Along and across the trail
were fallen trees [Robby narrating] But where there was decay,
there was also new life springing forth [music plays] So we came upon a junction that didn't have a sign,
and after we looked at the map a little closer, if you go right, it's actually a
fishing trail that goes off the main trail So this is the way we want to go
and we'll hit a bridge soon [Bryan narrating] We soon came across
a clear, calm stream [Robby] There's like, some sort of mini trail [Andrew] Well, I'll check it out, I guess
[Bryan] I'm gonna check out this way [Robby] There's definitely a fire ring right there [Robby] Let's go down there a little bit,
see if something will reveal itself So here's the bridge that that lady was talking about,
I was actually expecting something a little bigger Oh, there's a campsite over there Oh… Oh, yeah, there's people set up over there We'll probably start seeing
more and more campsites soon I'm not really seeing a great way to actually get to that piece of land there unless you wanna cross the river,
which I don't think we do but I'm sure there's plenty of
other good campsites, so there's really no reason to be
surrounded over there by the water [Andrew narrating] I reunited with the others,
and Bryan had spotted a familiar-looking mushroom No, no we've seen these –
these are black-footed polypores There's like, one log at the local park
where we always see them growing [Bryan] My first thought was dryad's saddle
or chicken of the woods, but I know dryad's saddle's more- it's thicker, right? Yeah, yeah, and it's got more of a pattern on it [Robby narrating] As we gathered some tinder, we
bumped into some hikers going the opposite direction And they said there's
not too many campsites up ahead so We may have to turn back [Andrew] Yeah, I feel like we've barely hiked anything, so we can still manage to hike
a little bit more before deciding There's also a great campsite literally right here [Bryan] That is true [Andrew] Hopefully they were just
not super observant but we'll see [Robby] OK, well, we have this one to fall back on
[Andrew] Yeah, definitely On the map, there's some rocks marked up ahead, and I wanted to at least get to there
and see if there was anything near there [Robby] OK, yeah I see the bridge that that lady
was actually talking about now It wasn't the one from before [Andrew] This is a really well-built bridge! [Robby] Yeah, wow! Like shop class or something I feel like there has to be at least
something that we could find Like I'm sure there's nothing
once we go up in the hills but the trail comes back down
to another stream right there and this offshoot might also have some stuff on it Yeah, I feel like we've barely done any hiking today We've been in the car for so long.
I'd rather do just extra hiking [Andrew] Yeah
[Bryan] OK [Andrew] Yeah, we'll be fine [Robby] OK, let's go [Andrew narrating] We passed the nice campsite
and hiked across the bridge Beneath us, the water swirled
around coarse boulders [Bryan narrating] The trail then led us up
to a forested hillside [Robby narrating] Here, Andrew spotted some
familiar plants growing beneath the trees, and was reminded of a story
from another camping trip long past So one time I was hiking through the Smokies Being my usual self, I was insistent
on using natural toilet paper And there's a plant called the false nettle I didn't know it at the time, but it looks
very similar to this plant right here And I rubbed a bit on my arm: got no reaction.
Rubbed it a little bit more, and it was fine So I was like, "Well, I'll use this for toilet paper," "The leaves are nice and wide and thick,
if I gather a few I can use that" The next day on that trip,
I thought I saw the same plant and, uh… didn't bother testing because
it looked exactly the same [Robby giggles] so I gave it a shot The next day – and then once I got home – I was . . . hurting real bad down there
[Robby continues giggling] and I had to put some medicinal cream
to finally get rid of the pain but it was pretty awful But this is wood nettle, and uh- Yeah, if- if you brush up against it, you get stung real bad
and you can even see on the stems and the stalk there's all these tiny little barbs But they actually inject a little chemical in your skin
and it causes it to welt up a little bit It's nothing really severe or permanently damaging,
but it just hurts for a good amount of time [Andrew narrating] And up ahead, I spotted
another plant that most people are familiar with So this is a very familiar plant to most people You usually don't see it in the woods:
a lot of times you'll see it in your own lawn It's dandelion Sometimes the leaves have
bigger serrations than others But the name "dandelion" actually
comes from "Dante de Leon," or whatever which means "the teeth of a lion" Because the leaves have such deep serrations
and they kind of look like the teeth of a lion But the whole plant is edible:
the flower, the leaves, the stem And also the root can be
processed into a coffee-like drink It's pretty good [Robby narrating] We hiked on, but the trail
was still surrounded by a hillside with no campsites. Okay, so looking at this map- I think the next campsite
based on the topographical, like, look of it would probably be this second stream up top And then it's 7:30 right now,
sunset is at 8:50 That gives us like an hour and 20 minutes
to get all the way there I mean we could go up to the next rocks
just to go see them and then come back to the campsite or we could just go back
to the campsite and get set up I mean, we'll see the rocks either way We've got all day tomorrow, so . . . Yeah . . . okay, let's go back. I think that's good. Plus, we'll
just have a water source right there ready to go Yeah You guys know my opinion! [laughing] Don't be acting like I have a say in this [laughing] All right, let's do it [upbeat music plays] It would be really funny and really unlucky if we got to that campsite
and someone else had set up there [Robby laughs] I was worried that like – because
we were talking about, "Oh, if we don't find anything,
we'll just go back," I was worried, like if we had passed someone along the way,
we're gonna be like, "They're gonna take that campsite." [Bryan narrating] Thankfully, when we returned
the campsite was still vacant [Bryan] Yeah, this isn't too bad, actually You know, some decisions are not clear
until after you've made them [all laugh] [Robby] So true [Robby narrating] And our campsite
even came with its own La-Z-Boy From the lowliest peasant to the mightiest king, everyone enjoys a good sit I do have my chair though, actually So I got my own throne Not as good as this one! [all laugh] So this campsite has a mix of hardwoods and then these Eastern hemlock trees I was collecting some sticks over there They're all kind of like,
damp and not breaking super cleanly But I walked over to these hemlocks,
and these usually have really good kindling because the branches that are dead on the bottom of the trees
that tend to fall off have like, super thin twigs, so I'm just gonna collect a bunch of those,
but hopefully it's not too humid for the type of fire starting method I had in mind [Bryan narrating] As Andrew collected firewood,
I started setting up my hammock This time, I was using a handy knot
with my tension lines So you actually see Andrew
use this knot a lot with his tarp setups but one of the biggest advantages
is that it's a tension slipknot and you place it down on the ground,
and I can adjust the knot without actually having to untie it And that'll make my rain fly as taut as possible,
won't get any saggy spots in the rain fly, and we'll avoid disaster like in Wayne. But it's a good knot, I figured I should probably learn it
at this point since I always have Andrew tie it for me [Andrew narrating] In the meantime, I looked for more wood
as the others continued setting up camp Ironically, some of the driest wood
was dangling over the stream So today we're gonna be using
the bow drill method to start a friction fire Now, I should add a caveat which is I'm using a kit
which makes it a lot easier than having to find material, especially because everything
I found so far has been pretty damp Just to be safe, we do have
some birch bark, which is great tinder but I've also got some pre-made, really fluffy
jute tinder, and we've got the bow right here And what I'm doing right now is I'm carving
one side of the spindle so that it's pointier You want one side of the spindle to be really pointy
so there's as little contact and friction as possible, and you want the other side to be flatter
so that there's more friction And in addition to this,
I've also got some beeswax The beeswax essentially
lubricates one side so that it creates less friction which allows the spindle to spin smoother and allows you to focus on creating friction
where you're actually gonna have your fire and this is a little hand hold for the top part Really important is that you also prepare your tinder
ahead of time because once you have an ember going, you don't want to be
thinking about anything else No, this was actually pre-made by somebody else,
but it's basically just jute and you just spread it apart So you want the string on your bow to be tight enough
that when you wrap this spindle into it, it kind of clicks And then you kind of want a line
from your foot to your wrist and have your wrist securing your knee
and have the line go to your shoulder and you want to make sure your wrist
is pretty still while you're doing this, so All right, here we go Oh, shoot Maybe like six or something Yeah, recently though, only recently The string might be a little loose, I'm not sure, so Yeah, hold on.
I'm gonna just tighten it really quick [bow drill squeaking] [Andrew narrating] As you're
working the bow drill, you want a nice grinding noise That grating, squeaking sound means that the wood is polishing rather than grinding, and this usually means
you need to apply more downward pressure When there's smoke, you usually want to keep drilling
as much as you can before your arms give out You also want to gingerly lift the board
so you don't disturb any ember you create All right, so it was smoking
but that's not quite enough But the good news is that dust that I just created
from grinding the spindle into the board can still be used Humidity does play a part into this, but… [Andrew narrating] Since the dust you've already made
has been heated up part of the way, it's easier to ignite it
on the second go But with high humidity,
what should create an ember in ideal conditions, just ends up creating smoke [Andrew] All right, do we have it? It's a little hard to tell, can uh- can I get a light, actually? Because I need to be able to see the smoke,
but yeah, I don't think we have it So we're just adjusting this tip, so it's flatter
so there's more surface area to create friction But now that I cut into it,
it's really rough- oh dang So the bad news is I'm gonna have to start
with a completely new hole I had started this one before
but I'm gonna have to grind into it some more and once it's worked it out a little I'm gonna have to cut
a notch into it for the dust to collect because this piece over here
just broke off, so gotta start over [Andrew narrating] With a new divot, you use the same process
to work it out just a little bit But you don't want to overdo it: once it's grinding smoothly enough, you can use a knife
to cut a new triangular notch into the divot It takes some patience and some carving know-how,
but eventually you can get back to it [bow drill makes a smooth grinding noise] [Andrew narrating] It's important to be light and ginger
when removing and replacing your board so that you don't knock over your pile of dust which can be challenging when you're
a little worn out from working the drill over and over I think it's the humidity: when it's drier,
it takes less to ignite the stuff Shoot Hopefully the spindle won't grind into dust
before we get this going [Andrew narrating] I've also been told that it's important
to maintain humility and intentionality while working the bow drill Believe what you want,
but those are pretty good principles to live by regardless Maybe the first few tries at the drill
were just to humble me a little bit [Andrew narrating] Finally, I got it: the pile of dust continued
to produce smoke on its own You don't want to blow hard on the dust,
or you may just blow away your ember, but you can gently feed it air [Andrew] Now once I see the orange
of the ember, I'll feel safe enough to move it Just giving it some air,
but I'm being pretty gentle still [whispering] OK My hands are trembling [Andrew narrating] Transferring it to the bundle
is a process that requires gentleness as well, but one that still commands
confidence in your abilities I see orange now [Andrew narrating] Once the ember
is inside of your tinder, you can wrap it up
fairly snugly as you feed it oxygen Whoa, whoa, all right [Andrew narrating] And of course,
all of the preparation of your kindling is critical: without it, all of this work
would have been for naught [Robby] Nice work Wow [Robby] That was ballin' dude! [Andrew] And, we have fire [low, soft music plays] [Bryan narrating] With the fire prepared,
it was time to enjoy our dinner: [Robby narrating] Hawk Vittles bison stew,
courtesy of one of our viewers, James Elder [Robby] This is bison stew?
[Andrew] Yeah [Andrew] I think the beans
are a tad hard, but it's really good [Robby] Yeah, that's not bad!
Really nice seasoning [Andrew] It's like a nice- such a nice,
hearty meal, you know? [Bryan] It might be because
we used too much water, but I actually kind of like how it's not
like, overpoweringly salty [Andrew] Yeah, yeah, yeah [Andrew] Yeah, it's like the
ground bison chunks are really good Oh! [Andrew] You can tell there's like,
real tomato in this soup, too [Robby] Nothing like a hearty piece of bread
to dip in some sort of stew Here, do you wants some on your bread, too? Oh yeah, that's like a little peanut butter pocket! [Bryan] People always ask us, "How do you guys
share food? We never have enough food." It's like, I always feel like it's enough for me [Andrew] We always have more than enough
[Robby] More than enough! [Bryan] Also, we eat a lot of snacks too, off screen [all laughing]
[Andrew] That's true! [Robby] You don't see all the eatin' we be doin'! [Bryan] Except for Robby.
You always see Robby eating [Robby] Thank you, James
[Andrew] Yeah, thank you, this is delicious [music plays] [Bryan narrating] Some nocturnal critters took our place
at the campsite as we headed into our shelters [Robby] But yeah, welcome back
to the smallest tent ever [both laugh] Yeah I have not missed it [Robby] This time I'll suffer with you Yeah, now you're getting your comeuppance I didn't know I'd be part of it It's not supposed to rain tonight, so we're gonna
risk it to try and give it a little more openness: we don't have the rain fly [Andrew] Famous last words [bright, cheerful music plays] [Andrew narrating] The next day was just as bright,
peaceful, and cheerful as we'd come to expect
from Allegheny It was the perfect environment
to practice some gongfu [Andrew narrating] Nature sprung alive
all around the campsite, displaying a beauty that brought forth
nostalgic memories of childhood [Robby narrating] Soon, the rest of us woke up I tossed Andrew some drinks
to chill in the river, then it was time for breakfast This Vietnamese coffee was sent to us by Rich and Yan It's got a special message on the back "It is to a man's honor to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel" So have you had
Vietnamese coffee before? I don't think I have, actually Is it good? Uh, I've had it once and it's like
really strong and sweet from what I remember It's kinda like Cuban coffee, I've heard [Robby narrating] Along with that, we had some
freeze-dried cheese and birthday cake from
one of our viewers, Pamela Footman [Robby] It definitely tastes like cheese, but it has a texture . . .
[Andrew] Oh, whoa! [Robby] . . . not unlike chalk No to me, it's like, um, like a nut
that tastes like cheese or something Mmm, OK [Robby narrating] Next up: the cake It's like some sort of
really sweet cereal or something This is not breakfast food Yeah, pour some milk in it [Robby narrating] Bryan woke up,
and we waved him over The coffee is already ready: join us. Come try some of these snacks, too [Robby] I had a really good night, too!
[Andrew] Yeah, that was like a perfect night Mmm, yeah that is real good Wow, that is like, super creamy Here, try some of these indulgent snacks These are like, basically like cake – cake croutons [Andrew] Yeah
[Robby] Yeah Havarti cheese and pretzels Ah, no one cares about the pretzels Thank you Pam,
and thank you Rich and Yan Yeah! [Bryan narrating] After our light breakfast,
we filled up on water from the stream and then we packed up [Andrew narrating] As we packed,
a little silkworm did some morning stretches [Andrew continues] There was also
an American toad resting on this tree [Robby narrating] We grabbed our chilled drinks,
then headed out of camp [Bryan narrating] We made our way back
across the bridge, up the hill, and through the trees [Robby narrating] And we bumped into Josh and Carol,
two fellow hikers who also watch the show [Bryan] Nice to meet you!
[Josh] Nice to meet you too! [Robby] Did you have a shout-out? To you guys! You- you guys are the reason
why we're backpacking! [Bryan narrating] We continued hiking, this time
with new information about what the trail had in store for us They said that there really
wasn't too many campsites up until we reached around the-
I think the North Country Trail [Andrew] I think that's like where we
expected to find a campsite, too They said that there was plenty of water, and I guess we've- we've taken
the correct route because doing the overlook last means that we're gonna have a
downhill at the end instead of a pretty rigorous uphill and you know I like that [Andrew narrating] We sloshed through some mud,
then came to an overgrown part of the trail They've definitely told us there was a place that was
a little bit more brambly and scrambly, and this might be it [Robby narrating] If this was the brambly section
they had mentioned, it wasn't all that bad [Robby continues] Soon, we were back in the woods [Andrew narrating] And in the woods,
there are more trees to talk about So this is actually a much better example
of the striped maple It's about like wrist thick already but still the trunk looks kind of green and fresh, and it has these dark striations
running all the way up and down the bark You can clearly see where it gets its name [Andrew narrating] And beneath the trees
were other plants So all during this hike we've been seeing all these
really pretty white flowers just all along the trail and this is something in the rose family.
I'm not exactly sure what species it is, but it's either a rose or something related to like raspberries or blackberries. But either way, whatever fruit
is produced from that flower would be edible Obviously right now they're just flowers, but over here
there is a fruit on the ground that's growing
called a partridge berry We've had these before, uh,
they grow on these little vining plants They don't taste like much but uh,
I figured I'll give it another shot and see if I can notice some of the more subtleties of the flavor Alright, so I'm assuming you guys
don't want the berry that tastes like dust [Andrew] You've had it before anyway, right?
[Robby] Yeah, you can have it Kinda tastes like
a mushy apple or something [Robby] These are the sorrels?
[Andrew] Mm-hm Look how pretty
that flower is, too [Robby] Oh, wow! And these are the ones
that taste like green apples? [Andrew and Bryan together] Mm-hm [Robby] Oh man, that's so good
[Andrew] Yeah [Andrew] Now, this is an edible
and medicinal plant called plantain Like the dandelion,
it grows in lawns and everything It is edible, but it's mostly
a medicinal plant where you chew it up and you spit it back out
onto like mosquito bites or rashes and that'll help
the pain or the itching But these ones are pretty mild There's another species of plantain
that's a lot more bitter, but- That's pretty bitter, though I've got a mosquito bite here, actually [Andrew] You just leave it on there for like 30 seconds [Bryan] Man, those mosquitoes have been
going to town on you, Robby [Robby] Looks like the swamp man got me There's another flower belonging
to a dust-flavored berry This yellow flower is in
the genus potentilla, I believe, and it's basically the flower
of a false strawberry A little later in the season you'll see
a red, plump fruit that looks just like a strawberry Typically you want to look for plants
that have three leaves and white flowers for strawberries that actually taste
really good and sweet Give this bark a little scratch
and then sniff it [Robby] Oh! It smells like . . . what's that? [Bryan] Root beer-ish [Andrew] Yeah, like root beer!
[Robby] Oh, yep! Yeah So this is a cherry
birch tree, if I am correct, and this tree was actually one of the
first plants that I had identified for me I was doing like a day hike through Hocking Hills
and we had a guide and he pointed this out [Andrew] But yeah, it smells so good
[Robby] Yeah [Robby] Can you put this in a tea or anything? I think you could, yeah. I've never
done it myself, but I- I don't see why not [Andrew] And it smells really good
[Bryan] It smells really good: definitive proof [Bryan narrating] After that smorgasbord
of edible plants, we kept hiking along the trail [Robby narrating] Scattered through the forest were
large boulders with trees and roots tangled around them Before long, we came to the junction
leading to the small offshoot trail along the loop So I'm pretty sure there is
a creek that goes down here [Andrew] Yeah, parallel to this [Robby] This goes all the way down to
Minister Creek and I say we go check it out [Bryan] OK. Where's the pile of rocks? Yeah, there's supposed to be a
pile of rocks on the right somewhere there [Andrew] Well, I feel like those big rocks
we passed were one of them Maybe [Andrew] These ferns are beautiful, though Yeah, this is like Manitou Island [Andrew narrating] Sunlight scattered
across the waving ferns, making our surroundings feel almost more like
the ocean floor rather than the forest floor [music plays] [Robby narrating] On the trail, we saw a garter snake
and Andrew found an old bone I don't know what animal this belongs to,
but clearly some sort of a limb And the inside's been all hollowed out,
all the marrow is gone [Robby] Oh yeah, somebody had a good meal
[Andrew] Yeah [Andrew] Huh [Bryan narrating] Just off the trail was a path leading to a
small campsite which would be a perfect spot for lunch [Robby narrating] We settled down by the stream
and broke out our previously chilled drinks Okay, so we got these fruits jelly drink from
Rich and Yan. This one is aloe vera flavored This one's lychee flavored [Andrew] These are like
two of my favorite flavors [Robby] And we put them in the river
to try and colden them up [Andrew] Yeah, en-colden them [Robby] That's jelly, all right
[Bryan] Whoa, that's so weird! But I like it [Bryan] I like the flavor
[Robby] Yeah, that's good [Andrew] Mmm, mm-hm! [Andrew] Yeah, that's really good
[Robby] Oh man It's like the- the texture is kind of like
appealing, but gross at the same time [Bryan] Oh, I can't get my jellies to come out
[Andrew] I like the texture! [Andrew] Is this one different?
[Robby] No, it just- it shot out and it tastes a little bit
like suntan lotion smells [Bryan] So when they say aloe vera flavored,
it tastes like pear to me or something Oh, yeah Beef jerky and cheese
[mimics sound of glasses clinked together] Here I have something that's-
they're fruit yo-yo's But I guess the brand is "Bear," and for some reason
the bear has a leaf covering his junk [Andrew] It's got a fig leaf on it!
[all laughing] You may or may not know that, uh… we say "Yo bear!" a lot, and that stems
from an episode of Man vs Wild when he was talking about making yourself- your presence aware to bears And he just goes around going "Yo bear! Yo bear!" So now we just say
"Yo bear!" like- and "Yo snake!" [all laughing] Apparently there's a free card inside
and I have no idea what that card's supposed to be [Andrew] I got Kenya – it's like a little postcard!
[Bryan] That's kinda cool, actually! I got Ethiopia [Robby] That's just straight Fruit by the Foot It's a fruit whip!
[all laughing] [Bryan] It's actually not bad
[Andrew] It's like a tongue [all laughing] Ahh, it didn't work [all making licking noises] Yo bear! [music plays] [Andrew narrating] Afterwards, we went back
on the trail and continued further down, but it was getting more and more
crowded with the vegetation I think it's just gonna get thicker.
I can't imagine it's that interesting at the end [Andrew] Yep Yep! [Andrew] That's why I gave you the
dismissive and patronizing shrug [all laugh] [music plays] [Robby narrating] Now, we were
back on the main trail It briefly forked into three paths
before continuing past ferns and across streams [music continues] [Bryan narrating] We passed by
more rocks wrapped in tree roots, and off the trail was
an even larger boulder [music continues] [Andrew narrating] Soon, several moss-
and fern-covered boulders surrounded us, giving us a glimpse
of things to come [music continues] [Robby narrating] Seeing these gargantuan boulders
scattered throughout the forest gave us a new sense of scale, both in terms of size and time [music continues] [Bryan narrating] The rocks also provided
a nice place to sit and rest once in a while [Andrew narrating] As impressive
as the massive boulders were, there were also wonders
growing far below So these really beautiful,
umbrella-shaped plants are called May apples I think these are all first-year May apples
because they all have a single stalk, but sometimes you'll find one
with two stalks branching off, kind of like a Y, with a flower or a fruit in the middle And that fruit will grow into a big green ball,
like maybe the size of a ping-pong Later in the season, like around August, you'll see these
fruits shrivel up into sort of like a yellow wrinkly texture, and that's the perfect time
to pick them and eat them Now, if you eat too much, you can get
a little sick, but these fruits are so delicious they taste like
passion fruit, kind of And they even have a similar texture
with like, the seeds and the slimy inside, but it's like such a
delicious, sweet flavor The only downside is that
because they're so delicious, it's really hard to find good, ripe fruits because usually
the deer or other animals have eaten them already This trail is really nice because
it's nice and maintained, or maybe it's just well-traveled enough
that it's not overgrown [Andrew] It's been relatively flat too,
which is always a great blessing [both laugh]
[Robby] Yeah Yeah, just open and peaceful and calm [Robby narrating] We eventually
came to a junction We remembered being told that the trail
leading off of the loop would have some campsites [Andrew] So now the question is:
do we want to keep going, or go up this trail and camp? Well, why do we need
to go up the trail to camp? [Andrew] I just remember them saying
there were campsites up there, but, we probably don't [Robby] We have lots of time, if we want to explore
we can go check out the North Country Scenic Trail, but I imagine it's pretty similar to
everything else we've done, so [Bryan] I don't think finding a campsite
will be an issue, honestly [Robby] I don't think so either
[Andrew] All right, let's keep going, then [Andrew] That's true Yeah, I think we can keep going [Andrew] All right The rain's not supposed to hit
til tonight anyway, right? [Robby] Yeah, it's supposed to hit like,
at 2 am or something [Andrew] Oh, really? [Andrew narrating] On the trail,
we saw large trees with long vertical scarring, possibly caused by unusual
thawing and freezing patterns of ice [Bryan narrating] We passed by more boulders
and ducked under a fallen beech tree [Robby narrating] And up ahead was a witch hazel tree,
which has medicinal properties And the leaves are astringent, so just like other medicinal plants
that are good for bug bites, It kind of like sucks out all the stuff
and reduces the inflammation They also sell witch hazel mixed
with like an alcohol solution in the pharmacy for similar sorts of treatments [Andrew narrating] The trail entered a grove of saplings,
and through the foliage, Robby made quite the discovery Yo, there's a heck of a
camp site down there! You see that? [Bryan] Oh, yeah! [Robby] Yeah, I guess it must just be tons of stuff.
Oh, man, let's get down there Let's do it This is what I'm talkin' about! [Bryan] Come on, son! This is what I'm talkin' about! [Bryan] Yea- Ooh! Look at that! Pick of the litter! Wo- Ooh, man! [Robby] Oh my goodness, dude Andrew! You gotta see this! THIS is fantastic! What's that place that
the elves live in Lord of the Rings? Like Elvendor or something?
This is like Elvendor [both laugh] Wh- and it just goes on and on! It feels like we just entered
like, a medieval civilization, like we just came out of the woods
and like some farmer John's got his plot over there, and the castle's just like a mile down This place is so indescribably
like paradise, like the lush moss on every root,
the running water and the open space I cannot believe this is real [Robby] Yeah, this is- this very much
feels like a paradise of some sort This comes straight
out of a comic strip [both laugh] [Robby narrating] Stretched out before us
was an endless choice of incredible campsites Last night, we had one great throne
that we all had to share But tonight, we have three
for each of us For each king of realms! [Robby] Oooooooh Yo Doesn't get better than this [Robby narrating] After sitting on our thrones,
we went for a swim in our private pool [both exlaiming] [Andrew narrating] After experiencing
what it was like to be like water, I channeled my inner
Daniel LaRusso in the stream [Bryan narrating] We all rested around the campsite,
taking in the relaxing atmosphere [all exclaim] So I'm gonna see how far this goes
and if there's more campsites, because it seems like
it just keeps going and going Definitely one more
campsite over there Oh, yeah, there's a whole
nother campsite over here Man, how far does this go? It's just like an endless
set of campsites That's probably about the end, but it looks like there's
even more campsites across the way Endless camp grounds over here [Robby narrating] It was pretty incredible
getting such a luxurious site, having no one around
but the wilderness [music plays] [Bryan narrating] Back at camp, the serene environment inspired us
to have some milky matcha green tea [Robby] Milky green tea,
thanks to Rich and Yan, once again [Andrew] Actually, I love green tea,
especially the milky variety [all laugh] The last time we had milky tea was Bryan on– halfway to the summit to Mount Kumotori Oh yeah, the Royal Milk Tea [Bryan] Ooh, that's really hot It smells really good, though [Bryan] Mmm!
[Andrew] You can taste it? Oh, yeah Oh, that's so nice. It like,
tastes clean, you know, even though it's milky, it's like, got that clean, green taste [Robby] Clean, green giant It tastes like how
this environment feels right now Yeah, it's a nice sweet taste I don't really taste
the green tea that much, but [Andrew] Oh really?
[Robby] Yeah What is this, dog food? [all laugh] But it definitely just reminds me of like, more of like a– what a
green tea ice cream tastes like I need to drink tea
more often when I'm camping like, this is the perfect
tea environment Yeah, this is the time to drink tea, for sure Yeah, yeah, yeah There are no words
to describe this right now [Bryan] Idyllic That's about as close
as you can get, I think: idyllic Yeah, yeah [Andrew narrating] Before long, our idyllic afternoon
faded into a dreamy, golden evening [low, dreamy music plays] [Andrew narrating] It's always so sublime to be able to enjoy the free time
you have out in the wilderness, to be able to relax for hours with nothing
but the present moment on your mind [Robby narrating] As the sun set
behind the hills, we started to put up camp [Robby continues] My rainfly had
somehow gotten a hole in it, so Andrew rigged up a tarp
beneath in case it rained [Bryan narrating] Meanwhile, Robby gave
the hammock a try I've never actually gotten in a hammock for real
without shoes and truly relaxed Do you just stick your butt in? Yeah, just sit on– make sure you're
sitting on the edge of hammock there So, stick your head in there Yep, now turn around [Andrew and Robby laughing] Sit your butt– [Robby] Like this?
[Bryan] Yep, and then just pop your feet in And then your head
should be on this side, and your feet on the other side Okay, that is pretty nice That is not bad at all!
[both laugh] Yeah, this is super comfortable, whoa! And it's more spacious than I thought,
look I could give birth right now [all laughing] [Robby narrating] While we can't give birth in the
traditional sense, it was time to give birth to fire [Andrew narrating] And to keep the analogy going, we were about to
deliver triplets via c-section This is called a blast match,
and Andrew got it for me for my birthday I don't know–
[Robby] Oh happy birthday! [Bryan] Oh yeah, thanks
[Robby] Your birthday was just like a few weeks ago! And I don't know
how it works or like, what I'm supposed to expect, but he says it's like
a flint striker, right? [Andrew] Yeah, it's like a flint striker
on steroids Okay, so what do I do though? OK Uh-huh [Bryan] So like, I go [pssht]
[Andrew] Yeah, yeah, yeah Oh, whoa! [Robby] That is useful, wow! Well that was an easy fire! [all laugh] It's like a firecracker, almost [Bryan] And it kind of
focuses the sparks really well Wow, yeah that survival class
you went to was definitely worth its money Thank you! [music plays] [Robby narrating] Even though our day
had been super relaxing, we were hungry for some food So when we went to Red River Gorge,
we ran into a guy named Ron, he gave us these Packit Gourmet meals We had never heard of
Packit Gourmet before, and Thomas was like,
"Well let me reach out to Packit Gourmet, see if they can send us anything." And they sent us some good stuff! "All-American Works Burger," and apparently
you need tortillas for this We didn't know that,
but we do have bread And they come with like,
little packets of stuff It's like, very homemade,
1950's fun – look at this! It's like a little baggie of cheese
or something that somebody prepared! [Bryan narrating] As we prepared the meal,
we had a peculiar appetizer to eat: pickled okra Honestly, it's really not that weird, it's like kind of like a soft pickle I think the pickling must get rid of
some of the sliminess, but it has a similar flavor too Of all the pickled vegetables,
I feel like okra is one that makes more sense [Andrew] Like it somehow seems to fit
[Bryan] Yeah Yeah, I really like that, actually [Andrew] I saw you wince a little bit Well this is a pickle-sour [Bryan] Yeah, that sourness
can catch ya hard [Andrew] You can eat the stem too
[Robby] Yeah, this vegetable definitely fits for pickling It's not like a . . . pickled hotdog Sorry, Hoo Billy I– I like pickled hotdog a lot! We know, Andrew Andrew is: "I like [insert food]" People have commented on that. They said: "Is there anything Andrew doesn't like?" [Andrew] Black licorice But even that, sometimes
I've enjoyed some flavored candy Woo, that smells great! Oh, wow! That smells like Taco Night [Bryan] Yeah
[Andrew] Yeah, that's awesome [Robby narrating] The instructions
suggested using tortillas, but what we had on hand
was some nice, whole-grain bread We added the various condiments
and dug in [Robby] Let's do a dink– dink! Dink! And, scene Mmm If there weren't smoke in my eyes, I'd be enjoying this [all laugh] [Bryan] The taste is really good
[Robby] Very tasty That's the only time I've had
the flavor of burger while camping [Bryan] Yeah
[Robby] Yeah! [Robby] Well, since we're here, we've also got "Mom's Banana Pudding" [Andrew] That . . . sounds amazing [Robby narrating] All that was
needed for the pudding was to add cold water: convenient and delicious [Andrew] That is incredible
[Bryan] I'm excited Like there's no two ways around it:
that is banana pudding [Bryan] Wow [Bryan] I would just buy this
normally at home, and just eat it
when I want banana pudding [Andrew] Seriously! 'Cause all you have to do
is add water and just let it sit Well, that was a . . . solid meal tonight! [Bryan] Mm-hm
[Andrew] Yeah, that's so good! [Andrew narrating] It's funny how
a couple of rocks, a river, and an open campsite
can feel like luxury. Memories may become more pleasant with age, but these memories
were fond from the start [Andrew] You know, it's not often
that we have so much time to mill about camp [Bryan] Yeah, it is
a nice change of pace [Andrew] Do you guys get bored
when you're at camp and there's nothing to do? I feel like it's just– when you're camping,
it's nice to have that time off sometimes [Robby] "Bored" is way too strong of a word [Bryan and Andrew agreeing] It's more just like, a nice chance to finally
sit with your own thoughts with no distractions [Andrew] Yeah, yeah. It's bored
without the negative connotations [Bryan] Right, exactly! Because like,
when you're bored at home, and you have nothing to do
on your phone, but you're looking at it, or you have nothing to do
on your computer and you're looking at it, but here you have nothing to do,
but you don't have the other things to distract you, so you get to think [Robby] It's like, you're not
doing anything, but it's on purpose [Andrew] And you need moments like this to slow down
and just like, put things in perspective really [Andrew] Yeah, so whether it's like
in civilization or in the woods, like learning skills that make you
feel more comfortable, that's something nobody
can take from you Like, you can buy other things
that make your life more convenient, but having actual like,
knowledge or physical skill really . . . It's with you forever
as long as you keep practicing it [Robby] For experiences, too [Andrew] Yeah, yeah
[Bryan] Yeah, that's true [Robby] Like, those last a lifetime,
and they only get better with age [Andrew] Yeah, that's true! It's funny because we think of it as like,
memories degrading but actually it– it ages like a fine wine [Robby] Yeah, the joy of it?
It just gets creamier [all laugh] [Andrew] What do you think
Thomas is doing right now? He's like, in a jacuzzi with–
with lobsters in it with him [all laugh] [Andrew] With various seasonings
[Bryan] The lobsters are like, cooking in the jacuzzi [Robby] They're like, swimming, slowly getting cooked, and then he just waits for them to stop moving
and that's when he starts to eat [all laughing] [Bryan] He just takes them out
and goes [crunching, biting noises] [all laughing] [music plays] [Bryan narrating] Eventually, we doused the fire
and readied our shelters for the night [music continues] So we're expecting,
possibly, rain tonight, and if I lay my tarp out completely
it'll probably poke out and rain will get pooled up in the middle So I just took my backpack and
folded all the corners in and put a rock on it [Robby narrating] And these lights from
one of our viewers, Gregg Gustafson, made preparing our bedding
that much easier Starting to think, uh . . . Should have
brought the other tent It's like, when you put the rain fly on
and have your stuff under the little vestibule, it kind of pushes in on
the space you have in here [Robby] Andrew got all situated
and now he's gotta pee [Andrew] Might as well do it now while it's dry I don't want to be stuck in here
with a full bladder As we're laying here, I think we realized
that we're not all that tired [both laugh] It's like 9 o'clock or something That is one disadvantage of
always hiking in at night, is that when you actually do get to bed
at a normal time, it feels too early Yeah OK, goodnight [music plays] [Andrew narrating] We woke to a calm
and surprisingly clear morning [Robby narrating] We reflected on our night
while packing up our gear [Robby] Well, that was some sleep! [Andrew] We lucked out: it's like, it did rain,
it was so light it was hard to notice [Robby] All I know is, both nights sleep was so comfortable,
it was just so hard to get up, man Yeah Like, I feel really good right now,
but I could also immediately go back to sleep Yeah, something about Allegheny
makes you like stay at your campsite till 5 pm [both laugh] If it just stays dry and cool then . . . I will kiss the ground [Bryan narrating] After getting most of our gear situated,
we prepared a unique morning tea Right now, I'm collecting some
hemlock needles for tea What I'm doing is I'm just picking
a few sprigs from each tree so I'm not doing
any major harm to any tree Even though it's called hemlock,
this is actually perfectly fine to drink tea with Uh, it's a little misleading, but there's
another plant called poison hemlock, which is not at all related to this
that is deadly poisonous But this is just gonna taste like uh, kind of nice and herby and minty [Andrew narrating] I also picked several
of the juicy wood sorrels, which I expected
would add a tangy flavor This actually smells like one of those
like fruity tea blends to me It's pretty mild but it's good There's like a hint of like,
herbal fruitiness to it, I think Mmm, yeah. Tastes like
a hotel in China What does that even mean? It means there's an exotic flavor to it,
and a hot water of some sort, Okay but it's not very strong
at the same time Yeah, yeah You just got up
and you're still kind of jet-lagged Now it all
makes sense That's probably the poison of the hemlock —
no I'm just kidding Oh man, that feels good to drink [Robby narrating] After enjoying the tea,
we began taking down our campsite [Bryan narrating] With our bags packed,
we left the campsite and returned to the main trail [Andrew narrating] Just a little bit ahead
were even more campsites with more than adequate accommodations [Robby] See what we were missing Literal Lay-Z-Boys! for everyone [Andrew] Yeah, we were
in no shortage of campsites [Robby] No So not only did that campsite have good chairs,
it also has like birch bark for great tinder And this is actually a chaga fungus,
which is also good tinder This one looks a little more, you know . . . [laughs] gross than usual For chaga that's saying a lot, because
chaga usually looks gross, but this is actually– Yeah, there's like a little
mosquito right there too [Robby] What's he doing? I have . . . I have no idea Is he stuck on something? No, he's just being a weird mosquito [Bryan narrating] The muddy trail led us past
a field of ferns and we came to another junction Yeah, so the next bridge will be
about a quarter mile down that way, I think [Robby] This is the
North Country Scenic Trail, this is the North Loop I'm glad we're not going uphill! Along this trail, we've been
bombarded by quite a bit of mosquitoes, but luckily there are some
plants growing here which are great
for mosquito bites And this is called jewelweed It grows a lot of times
in like, wet areas like this, there was actually a ton of this
at the beginning of the trail But it's got all this juice
in the stem and you just kind of crush it all over your bites, and it'll help with
the itching and stuff This is also good for like poison ivy
and skin rashes and things like that Yeah, this stuff is great.
It's nice and juicy, you can hear that juicy sound Wow, you can hear that juice This is horrible [both laughing] [Andrew] You're not a fan
of the juicy sound? Not a fan of rubbing
juices all over my face [both laugh] [Andrew narrating] Mixed in with the jewelweed,
we also saw some mangy looking wild violets [Robby narrating] A light drizzle began falling, but that didn't deter Andrew from
checking out a couple of other interesting plants We're a little early in the season, but if I'm not mistaken,
these are wild blueberry bushes Usually around like July or so, you'll
see the actual berry start popping out In the Smokies, you see this just
growing all along the trail all the time pretty much But obviously, no berries right now Bryan, give this a whiff Ooh, mint! Yeah [Bryan] Wintergreen again?
[Andrew] Yep That's some nice wintergreen Got some blueberry
and wintergreen, this is like, uh a grazers heaven minus the rain and mosquitoes [Bryan narrating] We came to a calm but wide and deep stream, and took our boots off to cross it Whoa, there's some funky
slime molds on this log [Robby narrating] We took turns with the flip-flops
as we crossed the stream [Andrew narrating] The water was cool
and refreshing on our feet [Robby narrating] After crossing,
we checked the map and got our bearings Are we here? So we want to
be going south, right? – I think that's south
– Yeah [Andrew narrating] The trail
ran parallel to the stream, and in a rotting log, we saw
some slime molds like this Wolf's Milk There's a couple slime molds on here I'm gonna take an educated guess
and say the yellow one is Dog Vomit You know, they always have weird names
like Wolf's Milk and Chocolate Tube But slime molds are
actually really interesting A lot of people who study mushrooms
and fungi study slime molds, but these are actually a protozoa So this is actually a collection
of single-celled organism But they combine and act
as one collective organism, and they grow together and multiply and you know, I'm probably butchering
the science behind it but it's basically a bunch of individuals
that become one greater individual Think of it as like, if a group of humans–
each human was a cell and they just worked together
in a community They're considered– they can– they can
work together to achieve things, but they're not considered
like, one human But it kind of acts like one, right? So it's interesting,
this downed beech tree has some new spring growth
coming out of it Usually around June like,
you don't see leaves this fresh But when they are this fresh, you can actually just pick them
and eat them like a salad green And you can see they've got the typical
cigar-shaped buds of the beech tree It kind of just tastes like
a neutral, greeny kind of taste Anyone wanna try? [Bryan] No
[Robby] I do! [Bryan] You gon' die You can imagine with like, salad dressing
it would be actually pretty good Actually tastes a bit like oat bran
or Wheaties or something [Bryan narrating] With that,
we continued on the trail, passing by a campsite
and hiking into sunny patches of forest [upbeat music plays] [Robby narrating] The path ran along the stream, and beneath trees that gave the forest
an ancient, omniscient feeling [upbeat music continues] [Andrew narrating] Amid the tangle of roots,
brightly colored fungi grew on fallen logs So, growing on that
little branch there are really bright, orange
mushrooms called orange mycena They're not edible or anything, but they're really pretty, and when you touch them,
sometimes they stain your hand orange And I think a lot of people often ask what they are
because they look like something special And a lot of edible mushrooms
are actually orange And for some reason, I always see them
growing on dead beech branches and it looks like in this case,
it's no exception We hiked up a steep hill,
past some blackberry flowers, and into an open, fern-filled grove [music plays] [Andrew narrating] Large stones
and thick patches of moss made the forest truly feel like
the home of gnomes and elves [music continues] [Robby narrating] But soon, we entered
a completely different portion of the hike Well, this is the torn down, overgrown area
that they were talking about the other day A lot of this is like, thorny stuff I'm imagining there's some sort of a berry
that would grow because all of these are in the sort of blackberry/raspberry family Oh, there's some stinging nettles
to the right here, so be careful Wood nettles, to be precise All the little species of plants that you see
growing here and there in the forest floor are suddenly dominant in this area because all these trees
have been cut down [Robby, laughing] I was just thinking to myself,
"I hope this doesn't go for too long" [Andrew] It's funny how it's like more open
but more claustrophobic at the same time [Robby] Woo, you can
see the hills in the distance It's definitely the first time
we've seen a view like this [music plays] [Robby narrating] As beautiful as the views were,
this was definitely a much thicker, thornier section than the small patch of brambles
we had experienced the other day Yeah, I think this is actually possible that this is
the thickest that we've ever been through, on an actual trail, especially Looks like we're about to get
back into the woods Thankfully Yeah, there's that nice cool breeze [Robby] Man, that was intense It's like walking into an
air-conditioned building or something Oh this feels so good! [Robby] This feels great Nothing like a little bit of contrast
to really make you appreciate what you were taking for granted The bird sounds here are
just like, totally unreal I think it partially has to do with the fact that there's just
a lot of bird calls that I don't hear normally But it almost feels like you're
walking through like a premade forest and they've got like speakers
with bird sounds just playing on repeat I don't know a lot of the bird calls,
but there's one bird call I keep hearing in particular That one– and that's the wood thrush,
and for some reason it's always has like an exceptionally echo-y sound whenever I hear it But we actually heard it and filmed it the first time
we tried filming Adventure Archives at Hocking Hills And that's why I know that bird It's such a pretty, flute-y sound [Andrew narrating] Growing nearby were intricate flowers
to match the beauty of the bird calls So along with rhododendrons, there's another plant
with really waxy, shiny leaves, and this is called the Mountain Laurel, you see
both of those a lot in Appalachian landscapes and the main thing that stands out
about these for me is just the flowers, because they have this
incredibly intricate kind of look and this really beautiful pink and white color It's just like such a weird,
otherworldly looking flower [music plays] [Bryan narrating] We entered into another
section of the forest scattered with large rocks [Robby narrating] And in the soil below,
salamanders scurried about [music continues] [Andrew narrating] The boulders
towered above us, but on the ground were signs of trees
that towered even higher So I found this on the floor And this is actually
a tulip of a tulip poplar That's where it gets its name,
is this beautiful, beautiful flower And what I like about it is that
the petal has these bright orange striations on it
that actually look like flame And it's funny because tulip poplar,
the bark and both the wood are great for fire But it's cool that it looks like
a little flame on the petal there It's really pretty [music plays] [Robby narrating] We often talk about the dichotomy
between struggle and leisure in nature And how the contrast between the two reminds us
how little we need to be happy [Bryan] But sometimes, it's the most peaceful,
pleasant moments in the wilderness
that really hit the message home [Robby] On perfect trips
to the wilderness like this, a small stone chair and a dip in the river
can take an already pleasant moment and make them that much better [Andrew] When you boil down any
creature comfort or material want to find what lies underneath, you discover that they all
point towards the same things things like community, health, security [Robby] We don't need
vast amounts of wealth to be happy We don't need big mansions
and we don't need shiny cars [Andrew] What use are all the world's riches
if they're hoarded by one person? What good is a luxurious home
with nobody to share it with? [Bryan] Yes, dealing with the roughness of nature
can make you truly appreciate the small things in life [Andrew] But a pleasant day's breeze
in the soft glow of the evening sunlight can reveal to you all the same how little is really needed
to live luxuriously [music continues] [Andrew] Paradise isn't the Palace of Versailles: It's the Garden of Eden, a wild and modest forest, whose glowing green canopy shines
more beautiful than all the gold leaf in the world [music continues, swells] [Andrew] This really was
the perfect way to finish it Like we had that
sweaty, uphill hiking And then we came to this overlook
and we just really– It feels like we earned it, you know? [Robby] Yeah [Andrew] The payoff is just
that much more rewarding [Robby] It's hard to imagine:
we were down there [Bryan] Yeah Whenever I see an overlook like this,
it's just always mind-boggling to me Because when you're hiking and you're on the trail
and you're just referring to that map, you can only think of
that little, enclosed location But then you get up here and you think like,
"Man there's just miles and miles of trees and mountains." [Andrew] Yeah . . . good
change of perspective to be up here [Andrew narrating] When we
collectively abandoned the palace, when we tear it down
and let a forest grow in its place We may all begin to feel
much happier in life [Bryan] Maybe somebody got lost [Robby] Weird Because we saw that also
at the like first junction sign too [Andrew] Oh really? Well, I am doubly glad we picked this direction because
this would be a really difficult uphill if you started it
from down here Mosquitoes Yeah, the parking lot's like–
you might be able to see it from here Drastically more empty than it was the other day though Man I love all parts of a hike:
start, middle, end [Andrew] Whale is illegal [Robby] Oh is it illegal? I think so! [Robby] Well we're goin' illegal today! Can't really taste the mushroom, but the fried crunchy bits are good. Now the reason it does not taste like mushrooms Is it because it's actually cauliflower Here we've got the whale dinner that is huge it's like one piece of fish, so it makes your face [Andrew] That is huge! It's like one piece of fish Hold it next to your face That's giant! So me and Andrew,
we're gonna share this and we'll share the meatloaf [Bryan] And mine is gonna be two meals Don't think this is the proper way to eat it, but Oh That's good, man! Look at all that meat right there [Robby] How's that tartar sauce? It's good. So is the meatloaf Mmm, really good spices Potatoes have the skins in them,
that's how I like it [Robby] Mmm, potatoes with the skins
is the best This place has something called the whale challenge And you eat like four pounds of fish –
a whole loaf of bread Bowlof our coleslaw, an order of french fries,
a piece of our signature gob cake [Robby] Andrew did it all I did not This is a dark chocolate cake with
whipped vanilla icing and it's made by her grandmother So it's gonna be good, you already know it That IS really good! She was warning us it would
still be frozen but that's like — [Robby] It's perfect Ooh, that's good Yeah, it's like eating an ice cream cake Whale dinner and the gob cake:
that's what you gotta get if you come here It's enough food for five men Thank you very much for watching quick sidenote you asked for it And we finally have them t-shirts are available by clicking the link in the description or using the tray below the video Feel free to check those out and we will have more designs in the future. Thank you very much. Hope you enjoyed the video Jim Potts Hmm. I see your skills have gone beyond the mere physical level your talents are now at the point of spiritual insight I have several questions What is the highest technique you hope to achieve to have no technique very good What are your thoughts when facing an opponent like s11 n to keep sharing and caring? continue a good fight should be like a small play but played seriously a Good martial artist does not become tense but ready When Clinton and Corrin Johnson, give a shout out It is to Noah and Mila Johnson when I receives a shout out It is from Josh and Carol Riggs and when there is an opportunity Jason bourgeois does not hit It hits all by itself No, you mean oh, he's Jasper cop errata the whole time He was the one controlling it Eric broom. Oh was telling the truth. He really wasn't doing it Yes, that's right. Good boy Too bad. You're not your sister Melissa pool, or you would have figured it out a long time ago, duh Please mercy I beg you I've already given you back at McBride soil have a night You want to know whether I'll forgive you or not? Why don't you just do what you do best and read my mind? No Answer this. Well, I hit you with John Truitt or well I decide to deck you with Lisa Truitt Well, since you're asking you'll use John Truett. No Lisa Truitt, no. No, you're not gonna use both. Are you? Yes Charlie Joe Aaron Joan Have fortunate of me to meet the Joe Joe brothers. I'm with the organization expedition of research LLC We run this town and they want me to bring you I Have to fight for my partner Cynthia because we're having a kid so I'm afraid we're gonna have to take you down Deb some of my staff team Anderson Sarah Churchwell Shoutout to Cincinnati area backpackers. You can never defeat the power of brothers who are each other stands Feeble fire put again whose for look at it. It's like his eyes are like glowing well Nothing to do with that beetle Look let's snatch them out of the air. Whoo


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Detective fiction, over the years, has become a genre that has an unspoken template. The detective is inevitably accompanied by a friend or fellow companion. The protagonist's intellect is beyond general human reach, evoking wonder and awe. Of late, characters have become more humanised and so has the detective. They are now flawed, subject to reproach rather than reverence.
In this vein, author Taposh Chakravorty writes The Devil Tree and lets his voluntarily unemployed detective Papi solve a murder mystery set in the capital. The author spoke to indianexpress.com about his influences and the reason behind choosing such a detective.
Your novel, The Devil Tree presents a rather existential sleuth, Papi. This is a departure from the detectives we have grown up reading, like Ray's Feluda or even Sherlock. The mind of the detective is mostly sealed seeking our admiration and not empathy. What was your inspiration?
The sharp, smart, invulnerable sleuth is long past, as is hard-boiled crime fiction. These belonged to the era of optimism. Since the 1970s new, soft-boiled crime fiction, with a flawed sleuth has become the norm, although not yet in India. I have liked Henning Mankell, Ian Rankin, Michael Dibdin.
Your novel is based in Delhi and the nature of the rape of the first victim is strongly reminiscent of the 2012 gang rape case. Was it deliberate?
No, it was not based on those murders, but on the general scents in the winds.
Do you think detective novels or those about police procedurals need an innate social commentary or can they exist in a vacuum?
Social commentary is a must, in my view. Otherwise, it is just a parlour game, self-indulgent virtuosity. Crime fiction is as much serious business of literature as, say, Tolstoy or suchlike.
What are the books you have grown up reading?
Hard to say. Everything, really. Wodehouse to Dostoevsky, Steinbeck to Naipaul, Rowling to Mailer, Doris Lessing, Amitav Ghosh, Camus.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Light and fresh, this #JustDelicious salad is perfect for Spring but won't leave you hungry! Get that spring back in your step with this #JustDelicious saladIngredients250g Eskort Mini Picnic Ham, diced500g shell pasta250g frozen peas, defrosted 150g cheddar cheese, diced½ onion, diced45ml (3T) mayonnaise45ml (3T) creamzest and juice of ½ a lemonsalt and freshly ground black pepperMethodBring a pot with lightly-salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.Bring a small pot of water to the boil, add the peas and cook for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.Add the peas, ham, cheese and onion to the pasta.Whisk the mayonnaise, cream, lemon zest and juice together and add to the pasta.Season the salad with salt and pepper and toss everything to coat.Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled before serving.


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« 檜瞪啗樓 »
" The Spaniards fought like furies, and two redoubts, which they blew up at the moment when they were entered by the French soldiers, produced a tableau than which it was impossible to imagine anything more frightful and more horrible. The general was struck by a shell, which caused him to share the lot of the brave who gloriously terminated their career on that day. There were seven hundred men wounded, a third of them very severely. They were all operated upon and dressed within the first twelve bours. Subsequent events were more fortunate for the French arms, and the fortress of Figueras, a chef d'auvre of Vauban, fell. The provisions de guerre et de bouche found in the magazines were immense ; • I never saw,' says Larrey, * such beautiful hospital stores: the bandages were like batiste, and the liut was as fine as byssus, the silk of which the mantles of the Roman emperors were formerly made. It was inade up in little packets, tied with favours of different colours, by the Queen of Spain and the ladies of her court."
"I wrote to the schools of medicine of Montpellier and Toulouse, to request them to send me, with the least possible delay, a certain number of surgeons, well-instructed, courageous, and capable of bearing painful and tedious campaigns. Scarcely was my invitation known in the schools, when the honour of sharing in our perils and our glory became an object of warm contention, and shortly a hundred and eight surgeons (exclusive of the regimental medical officers) were united under my orders. I employed those who were at Toulon, during our short stay there, in preparing thirty chests of dressing materials, fit to be carried on the backs of animals in the rear of the divisions. The surgeons, at the same time, were exercised in the practice of their art, in the military hospital of instruction of the place. I had a complete collection made of instruments and utensils of surgery, and a sufficient number of flexible litters, easy to be carried into all sorts of places. Desgenettes directed the preparation and reception of medicines. The other branches of the medical service were equally provided for by the administrators in chief of the army. We are not informed as to how many acres of lint, gallons of balsam of capivi, or tons of sticking-plaster, were ennbarked ; but we are assured, that everything necessary or likely to be useful was provided, and that the medical stores were separated and distributed among the ships, ready for use in case of an action at sea, or at the moment of disembarkation. Doubtless they were not packed by hundreds-weight in bales, at soine wholesale drug warehouse, and shot from waggons into the hold of a transport, there to be buried under a cairn of shot and shell. The surgeons were also disposed of among the transports, and so distributed, that no vessel of above a hundred men was unprovided with a medical officer."
SUFFERINGS OF THE FRENCH IN EGYPT, AND HOW THEY WERE MET. "It was not until the fifth day that the French arrived at Damanhour, the first spot offering them any resource; and never did army experience so great vicissitudes, and so painful privations, as during the march. Struck with the rays of a burning sun, marching, all on foot, over a sand more burning still, traversing immense plains frightfully arid, where they barely found a few mitches of muddy water, almost solid, the most vigorous soldiers, devoured by Thirst and overcome by heat, sank under the weight of their arms. The luanner in which death approached these sufferers was strange. "They perished
by extinction. This death,' says Larrey, 'appeared to me sweet and calm; for one of them said to me, at the last moment of his life, that he found him
II in a state of comfort inexpressible.' They were also continually harassed "Y swarms of Arabs, among the first of whose victims was a surgeon of the
ambulance. Amidst these troubles, Bonaparte was kicked by an Arab hors. receiving a very severe contusion on his right leg, which threatened mischief, but the case was very soon brought to a happy conclusion by the cares Larrey, notwithstanding the painful march and the natural activity of the patient, which forbade repose. Arrived at Cairo, Larrey lost no time in orzu ising a sort of head-quarters for his department. He formed a school of practcal surgery for the instruction of the young surgeons of the army, ax addressed to his colleagues, surgeons of the first class, a memoir on the epidem: ophthalmia, which began to show itself, in a formidable manner, among the troops. Tlie climate and the sabres of the Mamelukes provided patients in abundance, many of whom had limbs cut clean off by those terrible weapes The repose, too, they were beginning to enjoy after the first storm had passe) over, was disturbed by what the Frenchman calls a revolt of the people & Cairo, in the course of which he had himself a narrow escape, when passos through a · horde of assassins,' in a vain atteinpt to assist General Dupuy, sb was mortally wounded by a lance. On returning to his duty, what was lb astonishment to find the bleeding corpses of two worthy comrades, Rousse and Mongin, surgeons of the first class, stretched on the threshold of the hospital, where they fell fighting with many other brave soldiers. They caused the asylum of the sick to be respected, but it was at the cost of their lives.'
" Larrey accompanied Bonaparte throughout the campaign of Syria, ao took his part in all the important transactions of that disastrous expedition. In foreseeing and preparing to meet the new forms of danger, and the unpre cedented difficulties of this warfare, he showed his accustomed penetration, as) the fertility of his mind. His ambulance carriages, for example, were no longer available, and he therefore procured a hundred wicker-work cradles, which he had suspended, by pairs, by means of elastic straps, one on either side of the humps of fifty camels. In each of these baskets a wounded man could lie di full length, The means of transport were, he says, the first object of his attention. He himself mounted a dromedary, and rod hither and thither over the desert, to whatever spot was most encumbered with the sick or wounded. In the course of this service, the want of materials for broth for his patients taught Larrey the use of a dead camel, which he found to be very superior to horse flesh, being nourishing, and very agreeable to the taste. Before St Jean d'Acre the plague showed itself among the troops with frightful violence, and there was great difficulty experienced in the establishment of hospitals Scarcely any spot could be found safe from the sorties of the besieged. The only beds procurable for the sick were the leaves of reeds, of which there was but a scanty supply. Wine, vinegar, and medicines were wanting. There was great misery, in every form, experienced by the whole army. During the siege, Larrey never enjoyed a moment of calm and of perfect repose. The wounded amounted to about 2000, among whom were many officers of rank. Cafferelli, who had honoured Larrey with his esteem and friendship, and who had even conceived a project for the improvement of the condition of military surgery, he was, to his eternal regret, unable to save. The chief engineer, Sanson, Duroc, Eugene Beauharnois, Lannes, Arrighi, narrowly escaped. The latter, when in the breaching battery, had his carotid artery divided by a ball, and was only saved by the promptitude of a gunner, who afterwards became Monsieur Pelissier, an officer in the Imperial Guards, in thrusting his fingers into the wound, and keeping them there until Larrey arrived, and secured the bleeding vessel, in the midst of a storm of bullets and balls. At length, after thirteen successive assaults, the genius of Bonaparte yielded before the obstinacy of Sir Sydney Smith; and the siege of Acre having been raised, it was determined to retreat upon Egypt, carrying off all the wounded. For this purpose, as Larrey states, Bonaparte gave up his own horses, and marched on foot with the army. The evacuation of the wounded was accomplished with great success, and Larrey refers to it with satisfaction, as a grand triumph of
field surgery. He seems, truly, to have been very glad to get back to Cairo, near which they were met by General Dugua, who came out, at the head of the garrison, to welcome and assist their return. "With what pleasure,' exclaims Larrey, did we again see our brave companions ! Fatigued by the labours of a long campaign, enfeebled by continual privations, blackened by the burning sun of the desert, we embraced brothers and friends, bound to us by interest and glory, in the spot where we had created a new country, in the midst of a strange people.'
LIKE FERTILITY OF RESOURCE AT TIIE PYRAMIDS. " At the first battle of Aboukir, Larrey again evinced his aptitude in accommodating means to ends, by substituting hospital boats for carriages or camels, and in the conveying the crowd of wounded men without any accident to Alexandria. These boats were provided with flexible litters, wine, vinegar, brandy, so as to form a sort of reserve magazine of medical munitions. The routine practice of that army was manifestly for each officer, charged with a department or a post, to do the best he possibly could to advance the service, caring little for old formularies or customs. There was no waiting for orders from a departmental chief at Paris ; whatever was known to be necessary and possible was resolved upon, and done at the same instant."
" At the conclusion of the Egyptian campaign nothing succeeded.' Sickness increased. The hospitals became over-crowded, and the material and personal means of performing the duty daily grew less. In the defence of Fort Marabou two surgeons were killed, and a third had a leg shot away; while, during the blockade of Alexandria, the cavalry horses had to be killed for food for the sick—and very good broth their flesh made, and very agreeable to eat, with some little care in the preparation, although certain pusillanimous and unenlightened persons murmured against its use. "At least,' says Larrey, I was very happy by my example to establish confidence in this fresh provision, the only kind we were able to get.' At length matters arrived at an extremity, and a council of war having been held, at which the two chief medical officers assisted, it was agreed that further resistance was impossible. A capitulation was accordingly concluded, the report of the medical officers being annexed to the articles, and the arıny was allowed to return to France with all the honour's of war. The moment the capitulation was signed, Larrey visited the English camp and hospitals, of which he gives a favourable account. The field-hospi. tals, he says, were well kept, and provided with everything necessary, under the direction of the inspector-generall (M. Yonck, as he calls him), who had the entire medical and administrative control of the service, with no middleman between him and the General-in-Chief. Larrey and M. Savaresi, then acting physician-in-chief, were named members of the Commission of Armament for carrying out the terms of the capitulation, and to them, in concert with Inspector General Young, was confided the arrangements necessary for the removal of the sick and wounded. Thirteen hundred of these, not including a corps of invalids, were embarked in twelve hospital ships, and sailed with the army. Three hundred were left at Alexandria, confided to the care and kindness of Inspector-General Young, and two months later they all returned cured to France."
The reader will find allusions made to Mr Young in the interesting lecture of Sir George Ballingall, at pp. 474-5 of the present Number.
THEORY AS TO OPERATIONS. " It is a canon of Larrey's, that in order to afford important operations a fair chance of success, they should be performed within the first twenty-four hours after the shock of the wound that renders them necessary. The proper method is, he says, to place the field hospitals as near as possible to the line of battle, and to form head-quarters, to which all the wounded requiring operations should be brought to be operated upon by the surgeon-in-chief, or under his immediate observation. One ought always to begin with those most dangerously hurt, without regard to rank or distinctions. Those less injured can wait till their brothers-in-arms, horribly mutilated, have been treated, otherwise these will cease to exist in a few hours, or not live beyond the morrow. It is easy for those slightly wounded to repair to the hospitals of the first or second line, especially for officers, who commonly do not want means of transport."
THE RUSSIAN FIELD. " The march from Posen to Pulstusk and back to Warsaw, accomplished by the French Imperial Guard in nineteen days, was one of extreme difficulty. In many parts the men marched through thick mud, reaching to their waists and to the bellies of the horses; yet the field hospital kept its place, and the light spring waggons, on two wheels, were found to work better than four-wheeled carriages, or even bat-horses. The sick list grew larger accordingly, a circumstance which Larrey turned to advantage, by devoting one day in each week to a clinical conference at his hospital at Warsaw, where he was about to open a complete course of military surgery, when the trumpet again sounded, and, on 1st of February 1807, he was obliged to follow the army. There was about three feet of snow on the ground, and the thermometer was six or seven degrees below zero R. when they left Warsaw. At the battle of Eylau, fought on the 7th of the same month, Larrey, being the only inspector-general present, had the direction of the medical service, and his account of his work is truly terrible. The army bivouaked on the night of the 6th; the thermometer that morning having fallen to thirteen or fourteen degrees below zero. The field hospital was in open barns, from the roof of which the straw had been taken for the use of the horses. The wounded were laid upon the refuse of this straw, covered with snow. The cold was so extreme that the instruments often fell from the hands of the assistants. Larrey happily retained a supernatural strength, excited, no doubt, by the grand interest with which those honourable victims inspired him. The ardent desire,' he continues, 'that we felt to save the lives of these brave men made us persevere. The night arrived, and we had not had a moment's time to satisfy the wants of nature. And in the midst of what torturing scenes had we to discharge our sad, but useful duty! While I operated I heard my services called for from all sides, with the most pressing entreaties. It is true that the moans of these intrepid soldiers were succeeded, after the operations, by a prodigious calm and a sort of internal satisfaction which they expressed by demonstrations of the most lively grati. tude. They no longer seemed to be occupied by their personal sufferings; they prayed for the preservation of our Emperor, and the success of our arms.' It was upon this occasion that the alarm was given, by the advance of the enemy, to which we adverted in a previous page. It was quieted by a successful charge of the cavalry of the guard, made in the midst of whirlwinds of the thickest snow. All the severe wounds of the guards, and most of those of the soldiers of the army, were dressed within the first twelve hours, and then only had the medical officers a moment of rest. We passed the night,' says Larrey, 'on the frozen snow, around our bivouac fires. Never did I pass through a day so painful ; never was my soul so deeply moved. I could not restrain my tears even when I strove to sustain the courage of my wounded.' Another of Larrey's canons of military surgery ruled the proceedings of the
ensuing day; the wounded were all removed—the worst cases to Eylau, the remainder a distance of fifty-five leagues, to Inowraklaw, beyond the Vistula. Prompt evacuations of the wounded, upon the bases of military operations, Larrey considers to be necessary, in order to prevent the epidemics that always attend the crowding of a multitude of sick into one place, and also to be useful in raising the spirits of the men, and highly beneficial as regards the effects of motion upon the wounds, which heal better even when it is somewhat rough. The results justified the theory upon this occasion as upon many others; but it must not be forgotten that the operation demanded much care and forethought on the part of those who conducted it The AssistantSurgeon-in-Chief, Paulet, was ordered to repair immediately from Warsaw to Inowraklaw, to make the necessary preparations for the reception of the convoys, each of which was accompanied by a sufficient number of medical officers, sub-officers, and hospital men. Their quarters and soup were made ready for them, at each station, by sub-officers, who marched in advance ; and M. le Commissaire Ordonnateur Dufour displayed a zeal and activity in all those administrative operations that entitled him to the gratitude of the troops. The services of Larrey and Percy in this battle were rewarded by crosses of Commanders of the Legion of Honour, and the rank of Chevalier was conferred on many of their subordinates."
EXPEDIENTS AS TO DIET AND SURGICAL APPLIANCES. " The wounded collected in the isle of Lobau suffered much from a grand penury' of commissariat supplies. An excellent soup was, however, made of horse-flesh, and seasoned with gunpowder, the latter of which, we are assured, did not, as might be supposed, impart its black colour to the broth, which was clarified in the process of cooking.
" At Witpsk, a considerable battle was fought; and there the sufferings which subsequently reached so unparalleled a height, began. The surgeons were obliged to use their shirts for the first dressing of the wounded ; and the misery of the disabled Russians, who had been abandoned or forgotten, was extreme. Four hospitals were established at Witpsk. At Smolensko, where the grand army had 1,200 killed, and 6,000 wounded, the appropriate penalty of its grandeur became still more galling. It was necessary to use the records found in the Archives for dressings ; the paper was emploved for bandages, the parchment for splints, tow and the down of the birch-tree served for lint. Forced to imagine the means of supplying their wants, they bedded the sick upon heaps of paper."
HOW TO AVOID FROST-BITE. "Owing to the deficiency of superior medical officers, Larrey himself was obliged to perform about 200 amputations in the first twenty-four hours after Borodino), and that in despite of a bitter northerly blast, which rendered it very difficult to keep the wax torches lighted during the night. Over the horrors of Moscow, and of the retreat, we must not linger. Larrey lived and worked through them all, bravely struggling in vain efforts to do his duty, even long after the disorganisation of the army had unmistakeably commenced. Death approached him in every shape. At Dorogobouje, he barely escaped with life from the flames of a burning hospital, in which many victims perished. While his comrades sank under the influence of cold, in which Reaumur's thermometer fell to nineteen degrees below zero, the Baron, always marching on foot, and careful never to approach a fire, escaped."
DEVOTION OF THE SOLDIERS TO LARREY. "At the passage of the Beresina, a touching proof was afforded that the misery of the wretched crowd of fugitives had not deadened their sense of honour and


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"Now more than ever": The phrase is all over the publicity for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's season at City Center this year. It's easy to imagine why the inspiration and solace for which this company is known might be newly relevant, newly needed. Near the start of "Revelations," the work this troupe has danced in most of its performances for decades, torqued bodies express the pain of the oppressed to the sung words "there is trouble all over this world." At the end, those bodies rock in joyful redemption.
That arc is an Ailey guarantee, but the season's premieres have promised a timeliness as well. Two deliver to varying degrees, but not "Walking Mad," the 2001 calling card of the Swedish choreographer Johan Inger, new to the Ailey repertory. It's a pretentious farce, set to "Bolero," in which people in trench coats and bowlers push around a wall on wheels, followed by an overwrought duet about intimacy issues.
"Now more than ever, we need dance to express what words cannot." So says the Ailey publicity, but that doesn't mean we hear no words. In Kyle Abraham's "Untitled America," we hear voices of people who have been in prison, speaking of the damage wreaked upon their loved ones by enforced separation. Despite this terrible context, the words are flat, banal, their tone almost numb; Mr. Abraham's choreography has a lot of expressing to do.
The work, which has been unveiled piecemeal over the past year in sections billed as "movements," has been advertised as a three-part suite about the impact of the prison system on African-American families. At the premiere of the full production on Wednesday, those earlier sections were revealed to be less installments in a trilogy than work-in-progress segments for a dance of many parts and one mood: melancholy.
The dance now begins with the cast in a row, cycling through gestures to the sound of quick clapping and slammed cell doors. Their hands go up, behind their heads, behind their backs, as if ready to be handcuffed. The hands-behind-the back posture recurs throughout the work, as the dancers gently lay one another down, or lie down without prompting — only to get up and go down again, as if from habit, as numbed as the voices. That's political commentary, but it doesn't go beyond mourning.
More emotionally expressive voices enter: an old Alan Lomax recording of the prison holler "No More, My Lord"; Laura Mvula's rich and recent broken-family lament "Father, Father." Mr. Abraham mixes in embraces with a hint of forgiveness, and brief, shuddering collapses. His choreography sometimes achieves a delicacy of line that exposes more intense pain. Yet when one of the voices says, "My body was inside, but my mind was always outside of prison," the words exceed what Mr. Abraham is able to show.
As Hope Boykin's "r-Evolution, Dream" opens, Matthew Rushing seems to be gesturing in some silent language, his hands and fingers flashing and pointing. Near the end of the work, which had its premiere on Friday, he repeats this solo and we hear his sermon, taken from the gospel song "If I Can Help Somebody": If he can help somebody with his art, his life shall not be in vain.
We hear these words in the mellifluous recorded voice of Leslie Odom Jr. of "Hamilton" fame. Mr. Odom also recites Shakespeare and inspirational verse about inner beauty ("be the best whatever you are") and about how skin shades may differ but everyone has feelings, along with some rhymed lyrics about dignity by Ms. Boykin, a longtime Ailey dancer. Ms. Boykin's 1960s costume design divides the cast by fabric color: black, white, fuchsia, grass-green.
The potential triteness of all this is partially offset by the hipness of the music, an original score by the jazz drummer Ali Jackson. It summons the '60s with swinging elegance in various meters and moods. Ms. Boykin's choreography, often compositionally complex, is closely attuned to the rhythms of both the music and the speeches. Always pleasing, sometimes delicious, it never quite finds its own song.
There are many fine moments, though, often in the universalizing mode of Ailey tradition: sophisticated and youthful romance and an especially touching mother-and-daughter section, using younger dancers from Ailey's junior troupe. The way Akua Noni Parker holds her head as she walks expresses dignity better than Ms. Boykin's rhymes.
"r-Evolution" builds to an acceleration more exciting than "Bolero" and concludes with a lovely twist, as cast members, heading for one exit, turn to advance on another diagonal, still on the path. "Now more than ever, we need dance to bring us together" is another Ailey slogan this season; the thing is, this company can do it.


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Meet Our
It all started with a horse… A Grand Slam Champion, in fact. American Pharoah brought us together and a shared entrepreneurial spirit strengthened our bond. We grew up around horses, and they taught us what it takes to be part of a team. We've mucked stalls, been thrown, broken bones, and experienced the thrill of a perfect ride. Determination is in our DNA and it fuels everything we do.