Kim Carney

Wild Woman Adventures of PA

Growing up in an agricultural town, there were dairy farms for miles. I had not experienced the true beauty that has now become my hobby...no my passion...hiking and exploring new trails with my five pups at state parks in the Laurel Highlands. My first introduction to the tranquility of the forest was on a family trip to Tennessee. The Great Smokey Mountains National Park bordered Tennessee and North Carolina. The mountains were so vast and secluded. The mist flowed off the mountain tops and as a child I was scared. I never saw such beauty and never had I been immersed in the wildlife like I saw there. A black bear mom and her three cubs walked right in front of my family's car while we were sitting and eating lunch at the state park. The white-tailed deer were so abundant that you could see them around every curve while my dad drove and the sound of the rapids ran wild in the distance and to me, time felt like it stood still, almost careless. I had forgotten about that thrill for years. I stumbled upon a picture of that day in the Smokey Mountains when I was surrounded by beautiful trees that had delicate water droplets on their leaves, wild life, and family. I could not shake that feeling of exhilaration remembering exploring the woods around our camping area, getting my hands dirty and breathing in the air that only being in a forest can explain. Now in my life today, there is no place my dogs and I won't go to explore. Being in the woods is like being transported to a very tranquil out of your head kind of experience.