Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Story of the Cactus

It might be a surprise to some of you but the Dark Lord had a twin brother. He was like the Dark Lord in so many ways but his compulsiveness was far greater than could be imagined. His name was Ki and he was a very clever and quick witted being but he looked at the world with intense fear in his heart. He feared things beyond his grasp but he especially feared his brother, the Dark Lord. The reason for Ki's fear has long been forgotten. Some speculate that the Dark Lord was physically stronger than Ki and when they were first created the Dark Lord continually used this advantage against his weaker brother but other simply say that Ki was just too intelligent and it drove him insane. Regardless, Ki became obsessed with protecting himself against his brother so he picked a spot with a clear tactical advantage and began to build a monumental fortress. He made the mortar from the surrounding sand and gathered round stones from a once running river to place within the sand to give his fortress strength and stability. Everyday he would work on his fortress but to Ki, it never seemed good enough. He would still sleep with one eye open, fearful that his brother would enter his fortress and sabotage the whole undertaking. But, Ki's plight did not go unnoticed and the Voodoo King took pity on his poor creation. The Voodoo King felt responsible for Ki's inclinations and felt that no creature should spend its life attempting to accomplish a feat that is completely out of reach without assistance. So that night while Ki slept with one eye open, the Voodoo King beckoned the Earth, with a song not sung before, to sink Ki into the ground while the Voodoo King sharped thin sticks to a fine point. The Voodoo King stood before the trapped Ki, who was extremely frightened, and threw the sharped sticks at his creation and instantly Ki turned into something not seen before, a cactus. Ki, with the help of his creator, finally realized his dream and slept easy for the first time in his life. Interestingly enough, Ki's fortress is still standing in a place called Maple Cannon. I recommend you go there sometime.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Catching Turtles

If fishing were easy then I more than likely would not do it but like many things I am left to my own short falls and short comings when it comes to my various undertakings. Much like this turtle, I am dangling on a line at the end of fate's reel. I say, "Read my stories. See how clever I am." But in fact, I am not. Just a thief of words and ideas. I post pictures on Facebook saying to myself, "Surly someone will see my photographic genius." But this is not the case. The reality of the situation is, I am not that impressive. That even goes for my climbing as well. If my boyfriend were not so generous with his advise I more than likely would not climb a single thing and that is more or less a fact. I accidentally filmed myself climbing one day and then watched it, not knowing it was me, I said, "Shit. That girl is fucking strong but has no technique. That boy is telling her what to do." Let me just say that it was very embarrassing to discover that it was none other than myself. I erased that video. It invoked the same feeling of those very embarrassing high school photos that you never wish to see again. Fuck. My boyfriend tells me to stay positive so I look at it this way: Fish are not the only thing you can eat.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Story of the Voodoo King

The Voodoo King, believed to be the creator of the greater beings and holder of their true powers, lives in a land now known as the New River Gorge. He created the gorge with is own wooden mask which he dragged behind him as he beckoned the trees and water to follow him. The gorge, with its exposed rocks and raging river were meant to be the ultimate form of protection from the Great Father, the Great Mother, and the Dark Lord. The exposed rock would offer the Voodoo King the ability to hide himself in the moss and lichen while the raging river would make his footfalls inaudible. He sings to the forest and it is a song lower than the belch of the bullfrog and louder than fighting raccoons and it is a song of the dirt and roots of the Earth. He hides so that his offspring will not know of his existence and therefore will never discover their true abilities. In a way, the Voodoo King, fears his creations and their powers, yet he allows the land to be shaped by their decisions. The landscape of the Voodoo King's hide has changed greatly but do not be surprised if you feel you are being watched during your visit there and if you hear paddle strokes on the lake, late at night, know that it is the Voodoo King in his mighty mask seeking cool and sweet smelling place to rest his mind.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

The Story of the Warrior's Test

After the Great Father's annihilation of the greatest warriors, the Great Mother and the Dark Lord decided that the Earth could not survive without the nature of the hunter, warrior and athlete. They decided to make the greatest test for those that wish to claim the spirit of the warrior for themselves and picked the location of this test in a dry, harsh, yet fragile environment. The Great Mother found a great lake and set the mighty Winds upon it so that it would dry. The Dark Lord created creatures of endurance and stealth to set loose on the land. This place was a land of wicked sands, constant winds, burning sun, and frigid nights. The land could keep a track fresh for hundreds of years and the paths lent themselves to very few options due to the steep and loose terrain. Warriors came from far and wide to test themselves and gathered at one of the many temples that the Great Mother and the Dark Lord had created at the entrance of the Warrior's Challenge. The Challenge's duration was ten years and it included three stages. The first stage (and the shortest) was meant to weed out the weak, faint of heart, and the less inclined to adaptation so it is solely based on survival. Once a Warrior has proven that they are capable of surviving in the Warrior's Test then they could move on to the next stage which meant the Warrior must successfully hunt specific animals with stone and spear. The Warrior could only kill an animal if they had a 'kill shot'. If the Warrior failed to kill directly then they suffered pain of death, immediately. The final stage of the Warrior's Test was by far the most challenging and long lasting due to the delicate nature of its object: A Warrior must hunt and kill one of the remaining Warriors in the Warrior's Test. The Warrior had a choice to leave at this stage of the Warrior's Test but few ever did and this was due to the belief by many that this would be the easiest part of the Warrior's Test but in this they were mistaken. Many Warriors had suffered a long and painful end because they had been tracking tracks that had been laid hundreds of years ago. Also, many of the final Warriors did not contemplate that they would have pure blood on their souls for the rest of their spiritual lifetimes thus binding themselves to the Earth forever. Few Warriors stood in the mighty temple at the end of the Warrior's Test but those few still walk this very Earth. Although, the great temples are mostly hidden by sand, the Warrior's test still exists as it did and it can be found today in a place that is called Joe's Valley.

Monday, May 04, 2009

The Trip

So I wrote my Will because I am going on a trip up to MD to go fishing and then we are flying from there to SLC. I am worried that something might happen and I want to make sure everything is in order so no one gets what they do not deserve. Call me a realist.

MD, SLC, New River

Super excited...