- 16 hours ago
How the people of Appalachia see and interact with nature; a record-breaking hiker; former coal miners raise bees; activists work to make the outdoors accessible to all....
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00:11Every road tells a story about a place.
00:16The twists.
00:20The turns.
00:25And the past falling away in the rear view.
00:37I'm in West Virginia, in the heart of Appalachia.
00:44A region whose magnificent mountains and verdant forests
00:48have shaped an outdoor way of life that goes back generations.
00:54With that much history, you might think this place is stuck in the past.
01:00But travel these roads long enough, and you'll see, just as I have,
01:04what's most exciting is what lies ahead.
01:14My name is Baratunde Thurston.
01:16I'm a writer, activist, sometimes comedian.
01:20And I'm all about exploring the issues that shape us as Americans.
01:24Yes!
01:25This country is wild.
01:28And its natural landscapes are as diverse as its people.
01:32There it is, there it is.
01:34How does our relationship with the outdoors define us?
01:37As individuals, and as a nation?
01:49Appalachia.
01:50It's a region that's best known for its vibrant culture.
01:54One that's rooted here, in the Appalachian Mountains.
02:05In the shadow of these peaks, indigenous groups, European settlers,
02:10and enslaved as well as free black Americans, built tight-knit communities.
02:17Creating a distinctive way of life that's centered on food, music,
02:21and a deep connection to the outdoors.
02:26But the mountains have never been tall enough to keep out change.
02:38And today, a new generation has started to redefine this place.
02:44Locals whose families have been here for generations.
02:48And newcomers who are bringing fresh perspectives
02:51to what the outdoors here can mean for everyone.
02:55So how are people forming that new relationship with these mountains?
03:00That's what I've come here to find out.
03:06As far as where to begin, there is one thread connecting it all.
03:14This is the Appalachian Trail.
03:16The AT.
03:18America's Trail.
03:21Over 2100 miles, traveling through 14 of our states,
03:25attracting 3 million of us every year.
03:28Some of us to hike just for a day.
03:31Others for a section.
03:32A small few to hike through the whole thing.
03:36The whole thing is the world's longest hiking path,
03:40spanning the entire densely forested Appalachian mountain range.
03:45From Georgia all the way up to Maine.
03:50And those few intrepid hikers who attempt to complete the whole trail in one go,
03:55they're called through hikers.
03:58And Jennifer Farr Davis is one of the fastest in the history of the Appalachian Trail.
04:06Hi.
04:07Hello, Jennifer.
04:08Welcome to the shelter.
04:10Thank you. May I join you?
04:11Okay.
04:12You want to hike 2,000 miles?
04:142,000 is a lot of miles.
04:15Well, let's start with coffee.
04:17Okay.
04:17Let's be honest.
04:19I'm not going to be hiking 2,000 miles.
04:21But I feel like I'm still going to need a boost to keep up with Jennifer.
04:25It's like a rocket launch in front of my face.
04:27That's because she's like the Serena Williams of through hikers.
04:30She's hiked the entire Appalachian Trail straight through,
04:34not once, not twice, but three times, and set records along the way.
04:39So how long do you think it would take you to walk that far?
04:42So I would think that I could maybe do 15 miles in a day
04:46because I know how much time it can take and I need sleep and food
04:50and to use the bathroom every now and then.
04:52Yeah, that does happen out here.
04:53So 15, maybe 25 if it's flat.
04:56At the 13 mile per day average, it would take you six months.
05:022,000 mile trail, six months.
05:04You're pausing your whole life for this.
05:06Or are you starting your life?
05:09Oh, snap.
05:14I'm following you.
05:15Alright.
05:17It's a daunting idea, starting your life.
05:21I'll be happy just to make it to the top of this first hill.
05:26Through hikers like Jennifer often plan and train for years before attempting a through hike.
05:31And even then, only about a quarter who start out actually finish.
05:37Okay.
05:37Here we have a trail marker.
05:41So, do you want to go to Georgia or Maine?
05:44This time of year, Maine.
05:45Okay.
05:46It's cooler and they have lobster and I feel like lobster right now.
05:49Alright.
05:49It's farther to Maine.
05:51It's in Georgia.
05:52Did I say Maine?
05:52I definitely meant Georgia.
05:55Because I want to eat lobster.
05:56They have lobster in Georgia too.
05:57Do they have lobster in Georgia?
05:58I'm sure of it too.
06:00I figure you've seen a lot of these on all these trails in your life.
06:04What was the first time you saw a market like this?
06:08It wasn't exactly like this, but I started in Georgia when I was 21.
06:11Okay.
06:14I wasn't a hiker.
06:15I wasn't a backpacker.
06:17I just needed time to figure out my life.
06:21The trail is a time and place where you can think.
06:28So, I got out here.
06:29Right away, I got lost.
06:32It wasn't horrible, but I just thought it was a huge mistake.
06:35Yeah.
06:35Like, you don't get lost.
06:36And then I realized, at some point everyone, even on a well-marked trail, gets lost.
06:43It's just part of any long journey.
06:47I think the Appalachian Trail is so good about reminding us, it's okay to take wrong turns.
06:53Like, it's okay to struggle.
06:55It's okay to not always know where you are.
06:58The important thing is to be able to find your way back and to keep going.
07:05That ability of nature to reorient us in life and challenge us to persevere was a big part of why
07:12Jennifer kept coming back to this trail.
07:15But it was also the seed of the original idea for the AT a century ago.
07:22In 1921, a forester named Benton Mackay dreamed up a wilderness trail spanning the Appalachian Mountains as he was grieving
07:30the death of his wife.
07:33He understood the therapeutic qualities of nature and saw the trail as a way to make them accessible to anyone
07:41who might want or need them.
07:46What's unique about this trail is there aren't the barriers. You don't have to have the ticket.
07:54It's here for all of us.
07:58But while the trail is open to everyone, not all hikers feel equally welcome.
08:06Jennifer's experienced some of that firsthand.
08:11When I started there weren't a lot of single young women doing it by themselves.
08:19There were times when I felt talked down to because just of my gender.
08:25One of the biggest things is like I would make friends with guys on the trail and we'd all be
08:29hiking together.
08:30And they'd have like beards down to here and we would pass someone who's out there for a day.
08:35And they would stop to talk to us and they assumed all the guys were doing the whole trail.
08:40And they would think I was like a girlfriend that was out there for just a few days.
08:48But Jennifer was in it for the long run.
08:53After finishing her first through hike, she decided to raise the bar.
09:00So she set out again.
09:02And this time, she wanted to set the record as the fastest woman ever to hike the trail.
09:07Something that had never been measured before.
09:10There were really good parts.
09:12There were really hard parts.
09:13But something just didn't like feel right when I got to the end.
09:17What do you mean?
09:19I realized that in the beginning, I just told myself that what I do would not be as good as
09:26what the guys did.
09:27And I told myself a really strong women's record would be like 10 days behind the men's mark.
09:34So that is exactly where I finished.
09:37You met your own expectations.
09:39I met my own expectation.
09:45We always think about other people's expectations for us.
09:49Yeah.
09:50But I realized that sometimes the most limiting are what you think that you can do.
09:55I have limited myself.
09:57And I had seen it through a gender lens.
10:00Yeah.
10:00And my body was kind of telling me the whole way that it could do more.
10:06In 2011, Jennifer set out a third time to break the overall speed record on the AT, male or female.
10:15She'd need to average 47 miles per day.
10:19A blistering pace on a course trail with constant changes in weather and elevation.
10:27It's so holistically challenging.
10:30Like the day you feel good physically, it's hard emotionally.
10:34The day emotionally you feel strong, it can be challenging socially.
10:39It just comes at you at every angle.
10:41So it's physical, it's emotional, it's mental, it's spiritual, and it's relentless.
10:49So are you talking about the Appalachian Trail or are you talking about life?
10:53Both. Definitely both.
10:56Good things happen when you can take one more step.
10:59Out here, you're constantly overwhelmed if you think like, I'm hiking to Maine.
11:04So you don't. You just take the next step.
11:07That adds up.
11:10It added up to 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes.
11:16But Jennifer did it.
11:20Completing the entire trail one day faster than anyone ever had.
11:26With nature throwing everything at her every step of the way.
11:31It's rain and cold and snow and heat and bugs and mountains.
11:39And you have to work through a lot of those valleys alone.
11:43And then the next day work through more valleys.
11:48Because the trail does not discriminate.
11:50If it's raining on me, it's raining on you.
11:53Yeah.
11:55Everyone has to climb that mountain, you know.
11:58And so the experience itself does not discriminate.
12:05So this is a big hill.
12:07You know on the Appalachian Trail they call it the Green Tunnel.
12:10I did not know that.
12:11Yeah.
12:12So often you're not in places that are exposed or you get great views.
12:16But you're walking through the forest.
12:17And so.
12:18You get green tunnel vision.
12:19You get green tunnel vision.
12:25But every once in a while.
12:27Oh man.
12:29The dense canopy of trees gives way.
12:32Look at this.
12:34Oh.
12:42Is this it?
12:43Is this the end of the trail?
12:45I did it.
12:47I hiked the Appalachian Trail.
12:50Woo.
12:51Yes.
12:53Life changing.
13:02Looks like lush, thick green carpet.
13:06A blanket, right?
13:08Yeah.
13:08Just want to curl up in the Appalachians.
13:15There's actually this saying that hikers use sometimes.
13:18That it's like the trail gives you what you need.
13:24At different times I've needed solitude.
13:27At other times a friend.
13:28Sometimes a challenge.
13:30Sometimes like a warm rock to sit on.
13:32You know.
13:33But the trail it just like always seems to have a way to like give you what you need.
13:38Yeah.
13:39And I love that.
13:42Me too.
13:45The land gives you what you need.
13:49That idea has captured the Appalachian way of life since well before the trail existed.
13:58When small scale farming, hunting and fishing sustained these mountain communities.
14:07Actually, they still do.
14:11Just ask Mark Lilly.
14:12A native West Virginian who's seen up close how well nature can provide for people.
14:18And also what happens when resources run out.
14:32Go to the beach.
14:33How are you?
14:34Doing great.
14:35How about yourself?
14:35Great.
14:36Mark Lilly.
14:37Baratunde Thurston.
14:38Good to meet you.
14:39Why don't you come up and sit down and let's talk for a while.
14:40I love rocking chairs.
14:44How long has your family been in this area?
14:47Wow.
14:47Wow, 1,700 and something.
14:50They moved to this area.
14:52A lot of them were like Scottish and Irish immigrants.
14:56They just wanted to make a wage.
14:58They weren't looking to get rich.
14:59They just wanted to be able to support a family.
15:01Times were tough there.
15:02They moved here, and I suspect the hills probably reminded them of the hills where they grew up at.
15:08The mountains here weren't just a link to the past, though,
15:11because buried within them was something that would change Appalachia's future.
15:18In the 19th and early 20th centuries, coal transformed this region's economy and culture.
15:25And for over 100 years, mining these deposits pumped billions of dollars into the region.
15:35There was such an economic boom.
15:43And I think everyone in the back of their mind knew it wouldn't last forever.
15:49By the 1990s, the most accessible coal had been mined out.
15:55Many ecosystems have been disrupted or destroyed.
15:58And since then, tens of thousands of jobs have been lost.
16:03I've lived here my whole life.
16:06These communities, I've kind of slowly watched them fade from the 70s and 80s when the coal boom was going
16:14into basically towns where there isn't anything.
16:18Now you're seeing people that just look hopeless.
16:21They didn't know what the future held.
16:24Yeah.
16:24They needed help.
16:25They needed an idea.
16:26Think outside the box.
16:30Actually, in this case, the idea came from inside a box.
16:38A box full of bees.
16:42And more importantly, honey.
16:46It turns out beekeeping is an Appalachian tradition as old as the hills.
16:53When this land was settled, every small farm here, there'd be a cow and some chickens and a couple of
16:59hives for sweetener.
17:01And I think we're just getting back to that now.
17:04And this area's unique natural environment is the perfect setting to create an array of honey flavors unlike any I've
17:13ever heard of.
17:14This is the Appalachian forest, one of the oldest forests in the world.
17:18So we have the different varieties of honey.
17:22Sourwood, black locust, tulip poplar, gaswood.
17:26Each floral season produces a different taste.
17:30Sounds like you're talking about wine.
17:31Yeah, exactly.
17:35Mark is a master beekeeper for the Appalachian Beekeeping Collective, a non-profit dedicated to helping people in former mining
17:44areas earn income making and selling honey.
17:48And while it's not anywhere near as profitable as coal mining, in these communities, we provide them with bees and
17:50equipment and mentors.
17:54So they take care of the bees.
17:56We take the boxes off, bring it back here to our plant.
18:00And then we extract it, and then we extract it for them and pay them immediately.
18:08And then we bottle it and market it and sell it.
18:13And while it's not anywhere near as profitable as coal mining, in these communities, every dollar counts.
18:20For many people, an extra $3,000 or $4,000 a year seems like not a lot of money.
18:26But if you're in some of the poorer areas of the country, that's big.
18:37Mark tells me beekeeping isn't for the faint of heart.
18:41Not because of the bee stings.
18:43I feel like an astronaut.
18:46But because it's hard work.
18:48We're going where no man has gone before.
18:52Lynn Reid first took Mark's class in 2018.
18:55And she's been growing her colony ever since.
18:59How many hives do you have?
19:0113.
19:01Whoa, that feels like a lot.
19:03As someone who has zero hives.
19:07If 13 hives feels like a lot,
19:12it sounds like a lot too.
19:16The buzzing in my head is insane.
19:20Does the buzzing ever drive you a little mad?
19:23No.
19:28Do you hear the hive when you're not in the hive?
19:32No.
19:32No?
19:33Okay, just me.
19:34Cool.
19:39I guess you could say that Lynn lets her bees do the talking.
19:44All three million of them.
19:46I have never just stood among bees like this in my life.
19:52I'm surprised at how calm I am.
19:54But you two are calm.
19:55Yeah.
19:55So I'm like, if you aren't freaking out,
19:57I'm not going to be the one to freak out.
20:02As I pretend to be cool with all this,
20:04Mark and Lynn are looking for full frames
20:06to take back to the collector's processing facility for harvesting.
20:10Whoa.
20:11But while I'm assured that bottled honey is absolutely delicious,
20:15Mark tells me that honey eaten right off the frame is even better.
20:19You're just going to scoop out somewhere here in the middle.
20:22Just like scooping ice cream right now.
20:25Whoa.
20:26Yeah.
20:28All right, let's get it to taste.
20:36You know they make good honey.
20:38That is so sweet.
20:40Oh my.
20:41It is so good.
20:43It is the best honey I've ever had.
20:48Like you don't even have to wash the spoon.
20:49I did it for you.
20:50It's super clean.
20:57Sometimes you just have to slow down and taste the honey.
21:02What have the bees taught you?
21:05Patience.
21:06Above all, patience.
21:11Everything slows down in a hive.
21:15If you're in a hurry
21:17and you're creating a lot of bumping and vibration,
21:22they defend against that.
21:25So as long as you're slow and steady,
21:31kind of move with them,
21:34they're relaxed.
21:36Slow and steady instead of boom and bust.
21:43It's a completely different way of moving with nature
21:46for many of these former mining communities.
21:50But change is hard,
21:53especially in a place where nature and identity
21:56are so tightly knit.
22:01When you start to talk about environmental issues,
22:04sometimes depending on the area you're from,
22:06you feel a little drawback, right?
22:09But I can say this.
22:11Well, don't you want your children and grandchildren
22:13to have every bit of the clean water
22:16and beautiful forest that you had?
22:20What can you do?
22:22And then what can this community do?
22:27What can we accomplish?
22:29So that's what you want to see blossom,
22:33just these communities.
22:36Instead of being covered in coal dust,
22:38we want to see flowers and things blooming.
22:45dusting off the old to make way for the new.
22:50I'm starting to see how Appalachia
22:53is a place of reinvention.
22:57And one case in point is where I'm headed next.
23:02The New River Gorge,
23:04our country's newest national park.
23:08It was created in 2020,
23:10in part to boost the local economy,
23:12but it also seems pretty effective
23:14at raising people's spirits.
23:16The gorge is one of the prettiest places I've seen.
23:21The views are amazing.
23:25It's all about the scenery.
23:27Bridges and mountains.
23:30I think the thing that is really great
23:32about this particular area
23:34are all of the overlooks.
23:36I don't think there's a more beautiful drive
23:39in all of the East Coast.
23:41Come here, Ro-Ro.
23:42Come here, baby girl.
23:43Would you sit down, please?
23:45It seems that original idea behind the AT,
23:48that nature can be therapeutic,
23:50applies elsewhere in this region
23:52and to all kinds of people.
23:55It's also just peaceful
23:57and so relaxing.
24:00It's a great way to de-stress.
24:02Being out in nature, for me,
24:05it just brings me back down to earth.
24:07Sit.
24:09Sit.
24:10Of course, for some of us,
24:11getting outdoors isn't about lowering our blood pressure.
24:15Steborn.
24:15It's about getting our heart pumping.
24:19Appalachia is a playground for everyone.
24:22Mountain biking, hiking.
24:24Running and hiking.
24:25Road climbing, ziplining.
24:27Playing disc golf.
24:28Just even getting in the tubes
24:30and going down the river.
24:32Man, I love it all.
24:34You're a good girl, aren't you?
24:35Are you a good girl?
24:37But if I really want to get a dose of adrenaline,
24:40there's one thing everyone here agrees
24:43I've got to try.
24:47And I'll find that on the new river itself.
24:55But don't let the name fool you.
24:58It's over 300 million years old,
25:01making it, by far,
25:03the oldest river in North America.
25:07It also contains some of the world's
25:09most merciless currents.
25:12But if I was able to handle
25:14three million bees,
25:16surely I can survive these rapids.
25:20With the help of a man
25:22who's learned to master them.
25:24What's up?
25:25How's it going?
25:26Good.
25:27Eric.
25:27Faratunde.
25:28Nice to meet you.
25:29Meet Eric Thompson,
25:31a Class 5 river rafting guide
25:33and outdoor accessibility advocate.
25:39He's taking on
25:40some of the toughest rapids in the U.S.
25:43Today,
25:44he's taking me out on the river
25:46he calls home.
25:48I mean, I've done this once before,
25:49but it's been a very long time.
25:51So this is going to be
25:51a much larger experience.
25:53Everything will be much bigger.
25:54It's going to be fun.
25:55It's going to be splashy.
25:56Just a great introduction
25:57to this river.
25:59Eric was born and raised
26:01in West Virginia,
26:02and he's always been
26:03an outdoor fanatic.
26:07For over a decade,
26:08he traveled the country,
26:10living, working,
26:12and playing
26:13in the best
26:14of this country's wild spaces.
26:17But in 2012,
26:19a car accident changed his life
26:21in the blink of an eye.
26:23Before my accident,
26:24I loved getting outdoors.
26:25I loved teaching outdoor sports.
26:27I worked as a ski patroller
26:28and an EMT in the winter.
26:30Whoa, so you were on water
26:31and frozen water.
26:33That's correct.
26:34The best low-paying jobs
26:35in the world.
26:37When I became injured,
26:39I ended up paralyzed
26:40from the chest down.
26:43I had to start living life
26:44as a T8 paraplegic.
26:49Before,
26:50Eric felt at ease
26:51navigating some of the most
26:53extreme environments on Earth.
26:55Now, back home in West Virginia,
26:58he was in a wheelchair
26:59and challenged by even
27:01the most basic tasks.
27:03I had a whole new world
27:04of accessibility issues
27:05opened up to me.
27:07And so, first things first,
27:09like figuring out
27:09what type of equipment
27:10works for everyday life,
27:11just for, you know,
27:13shopping, you know,
27:13how do you reach top shelves?
27:14You can't...
27:16And the worst place
27:17for accessibility
27:18was Welcome Home
27:18to West Virginia.
27:21The town that I lived in,
27:2222 of 26 businesses
27:24had steps
27:25that I couldn't get into
27:26with my wheelchair.
27:27If getting in and out
27:29of local stores
27:29and restaurants
27:30was difficult,
27:33accessing outdoor spaces
27:35like the national parks
27:36and rivers Eric loved,
27:38that was even tougher.
27:41Eric set out
27:42to change that.
27:44It sounds like
27:45you experienced
27:46partial paralysis,
27:47but you kept moving.
27:49Yeah, I wasn't going
27:49to let it stop me.
27:50You know, it's not
27:51going to be easy,
27:53but it's not impossible.
27:54It's just harder.
28:03While there were
28:03some outdoor activities
28:05Eric loved
28:05that were already adaptive,
28:08getting back on the rapids
28:10wasn't as straightforward.
28:12Those vehicles
28:12that I used to use
28:13and love getting out on,
28:15none of that worked
28:15for my situation
28:16after I was paralyzed.
28:17I'd either be cargo
28:18or I wasn't going
28:19to be able to paddle
28:20effectively.
28:20Describe what you mean
28:21when you say
28:22you'd be cargo.
28:23You could sit on the floor,
28:24you could watch,
28:24you could get splashed.
28:25That's a lot of fun,
28:26but it's more fun
28:27if we can just paddle
28:28effectively.
28:29So I had to figure out
28:30a different way
28:30to do that.
28:34And that led me
28:35to being connected
28:36with the people
28:37from Creature Crafts.
28:38And these rafts
28:39were made for extreme
28:40whitewater,
28:40in the rescue
28:41where you just really
28:42do not want to swim.
28:44The help of all
28:45of my friends,
28:45we brainstormed,
28:47modified it.
28:48So this was the first boat
28:49that I got in
28:50and tried.
28:52And the second
28:53that I got in,
28:54we knew game on,
28:55this was going to work.
28:58This allows me
28:59to run Classified
29:00plus whitewater
29:00solo by myself.
29:02Okay, let's get on
29:03down to the river.
29:04Come on.
29:07The original raft
29:08was designed
29:09like an inflatable
29:10roll cage
29:10to keep someone
29:12completely out
29:13of the water
29:13in the event
29:14it tips over.
29:16You're heading me
29:16those orders
29:17in a second.
29:18Eric's crucial
29:19modification
29:19was the addition
29:20of a high-back seat
29:22which keeps him
29:22upright
29:23and lets him
29:24steer and paddle
29:25using only his arm muscles.
29:29Let's get wet.
29:30You ready?
29:31Yes.
29:31Let's go rafting.
29:38Okay, that's a drop.
29:44Woo-hoo!
29:47Oh!
29:49Yeah!
29:50Oh!
29:53What?
29:55Ah!
29:56Oh!
29:58Yes!
30:00Oh!
30:01Yeah!
30:04Woo!
30:07My man.
30:08Give me some love!
30:09Yeah!
30:10Ha ha ha!
30:13So this is why
30:14you do it?
30:15This is why I do it.
30:19This is our first
30:20step up
30:20and we've got
30:21a lot more to go.
30:26What does it do
30:27for you
30:27being so close
30:29to nature like this?
30:31This puts me at peace,
30:32really.
30:33A little bit of quiet,
30:35chill,
30:36but also get a little
30:37excitement.
30:40A lot of times
30:41we were dancing
30:41with the river.
30:42Dancing with the river.
30:43Yep.
30:44I love that.
30:45It's kind of romantic.
30:48Sometimes,
30:49that dance
30:50is a ballet.
30:54We're going to get
30:56a little bit of splash.
30:59Yeah!
31:01Other times,
31:02it's a little more
31:04avant-garde.
31:08Woo-hoo!
31:09Woo-hoo!
31:10Yee-haw!
31:13Holy shit!
31:15There we go!
31:17There we go!
31:39Both in West Virginia
31:40and across the U.S.
31:41Yeah.
31:42And so,
31:43all the activities
31:44we do here,
31:45be it biking
31:45and climbing
31:46and boating
31:46and caving,
31:47you know,
31:47any of those activities
31:48with a little bit
31:49of hard work
31:50and bubble gum
31:51and duct tape,
31:52there's an ability
31:53to make an adaptive
31:54version of it
31:55that allows people
31:55of all abilities
31:57to enjoy the same thing.
32:02So, how do you feel
32:03right now?
32:03I feel amazing!
32:05I feel like that
32:05for everybody.
32:08There's always a way
32:09to do whatever you love.
32:10So, anybody who's out there,
32:11if you have a deficit,
32:13it doesn't really matter.
32:13At some point in our lives,
32:14we all have deficits.
32:16So, think of what it is
32:17that you want to do.
32:18What is that passion?
32:19If you can't do it yet,
32:19let's figure out
32:20how to do it.
32:24Woo!
32:28Overcoming obstacles
32:28to reconnect
32:29with natural wonders.
32:31That seems to be
32:32what's happening
32:33all across Appalachia.
32:35If you think of Appalachia
32:37as a place that's stuck
32:38in the past,
32:38think again.
32:40Yes, it's steeped
32:41in tradition.
32:42It's old like the mountains
32:43it's named for.
32:44But like this river,
32:46it's not sitting still.
32:48It's moving forward,
32:50carving a path
32:51through seemingly
32:52impenetrable stone,
32:54carrying this old place
32:56into new territory.
32:59At every turn,
33:01Appalachia has struck me
33:03as a place that
33:03defies expectation.
33:06And it's hard not to wonder
33:07what other surprises
33:09it has in store.
33:13Well, hello there!
33:15What have we here?
33:17A gourmet meal
33:18being prepared
33:19to classical music?
33:21No, I haven't been
33:23magically transported
33:24to a high-end
33:25New York City restaurant.
33:26This is The Shack,
33:29a James Beard
33:30award-nominated restaurant
33:32owned by
33:33Chef Ian Bowden,
33:35located in the heart
33:36of the Shenandoah Valley.
33:42And most of the ingredients
33:44in those world-class dishes
33:46he's cooking
33:46come from right here
33:48in the valley,
33:50foraged wild
33:52by this man,
33:53Tyler Tranum.
34:01What's up, man?
34:02How you doing?
34:02Good.
34:03Nice to be here.
34:05Nice to have you out.
34:05Where is here?
34:06We're at Autumn Olive Farms.
34:08It's a family farm
34:09that we run.
34:10We do sustainable
34:10free-range hogs
34:11and we also do
34:12a lot of foraging
34:13naturally on the property.
34:14There's a little combination,
34:15a little everything.
34:16You have everything here.
34:17Yeah, yeah.
34:23How long has the family
34:25been in this area?
34:26We've been in this area
34:27for four generations.
34:29What's been the impact
34:30of being in this region
34:32for so many generations?
34:34How does that affect
34:34your food,
34:35your lifestyle?
34:37There's a lot of history
34:37with it and there's
34:39things that are passed down.
34:40We've always ate
34:42pretty wild growing up.
34:44When you say eating wild,
34:46you mean going out
34:46and getting your food?
34:47Yes, yes.
34:48Not from the store?
34:49Not from the store.
34:49Not in a can.
34:50No, no.
34:51Not frozen, not boxed.
34:54So what's the wild
34:55you're talking about?
34:56Deer, rabbits,
34:59mushrooms, watercress,
35:00different types of garlic,
35:01mustard greens.
35:03It was just really endless.
35:05Foraging is an Appalachian
35:07tradition passed down
35:08from indigenous groups
35:09across centuries.
35:11Now Tyler's helped
35:12to turn that tradition
35:13into a business
35:14with his family.
35:16And while they do
35:16produce some free-range
35:17hogs, cattle,
35:19and fruit trees,
35:20the real crops
35:21are found in the farm's
35:2217 acres of forest.
35:26So you got me hungry
35:27and curious.
35:28Can I see some of these
35:29wild foods you've been
35:30talking about?
35:30Love to show you.
35:32There are trusty steeds
35:33right here.
35:33Oh, this is what you
35:34call a steed, huh?
35:35That's it.
35:36That's a modern horse.
35:38There you go.
35:51I can definitely see
35:52how such lush land
35:54would produce great food.
35:56And the geology
35:57of the Appalachian Mountains
35:58plays a really big part
36:02in the valley.
36:02In these valleys,
36:04the mountains have eroded
36:04down over millions of years
36:06and the soil's so fertile
36:08and there's nutrients
36:08and there's almost
36:09a terroir in our food.
36:11I like that word,
36:12terroir.
36:12What does that mean?
36:14It's a big term in Juan,
36:15but it's a term for a flavor
36:17that the environment creates.
36:21As these mountains
36:23eroded over time,
36:24mineral-rich soil
36:26built up in the valley.
36:27And that unique soil
36:29gives the plants here
36:30flavors found
36:31nowhere else in the world.
36:34This is one of my favorites
36:36because it has a nice canopy.
36:44This has been called
36:46the breadbasket of the south
36:47because we have everything
36:49from apples to pigs
36:50to corn
36:50to all these heirloom things
36:52dating back since
36:53this valley was settled.
36:56These natural ingredients
36:57are the same ones
36:58Tyler's great-great-grandparents
37:00would have foraged
37:01and eaten
37:02a century ago.
37:03A far cry
37:04from the fruits and veggies
37:06at the supermarket,
37:07many of which
37:07have been bred
37:08to extend their shelf life
37:10or improve how they look.
37:11So when I think
37:12about picking food,
37:13I think about what aisle
37:15of the grocery store
37:16I'm in.
37:17Absolutely.
37:18I can sort of find my way around
37:20like a backyard garden.
37:21I have no idea
37:23what I'm looking at here.
37:24Yeah, the grocery store
37:26has kind of taken
37:26that instinct away from us.
37:29Oh.
37:30We have some sassafras.
37:33Sassafras?
37:34Sassafras.
37:34I love the sound
37:35of that word.
37:36It's fun to say.
37:38Okay, between me and you,
37:40I've definitely heard
37:41of sassafras.
37:42I've got one of these
37:43little guys here.
37:44But I have no idea
37:46what it actually is.
37:50Oh, where'd that knife
37:52come from?
37:52Yeah, on the hip.
37:53That was a smooth draw.
37:55Oh, you're processing
37:56it for me.
38:00Whoa.
38:04It's a different,
38:05I think of like
38:06autumn spice.
38:08Like cloves.
38:12Root beer?
38:14Is this root beer?
38:15That's how they used
38:17to make it,
38:17old sassafras root beer.
38:19I'm so stupid.
38:20Root beer.
38:22It's a root,
38:23and then you make
38:23the drink out of it,
38:25so it's literally,
38:26I never thought root beer
38:28came from a root.
38:29Yeah, it's just like
38:29it's a word.
38:30Oh, that's dope.
38:32Can we make some root beer
38:33with this?
38:33It's surreal to realize
38:35that a taste I've known
38:36all my life
38:37comes from this
38:38raggedy brown root
38:39I'm pretty sure
38:40I'd never seen before.
38:41Yeah.
38:42You're going in my basket.
38:43Yep.
38:43All right.
38:44It makes me wonder
38:45what other amazing flavors
38:47are hiding in plain sight.
38:49Oh, nice.
38:49Here's some turkey tail.
38:52Turkey tails, huh?
38:53Turkey tails.
38:55Turkey tail mushrooms.
38:57I'm looking for a bird, man.
38:59Tyler's foraging expertise
39:01feels hyper-local,
39:03thanks to family roots here
39:04that run deep.
39:06All right.
39:06Let's see what else
39:07we got in here.
39:08But he's also part
39:09of a nationwide movement
39:11to recover wild food traditions
39:12that we've lost
39:14in the supermarket era.
39:15A sign that
39:16Appalachia's connection
39:18to its past
39:18can actually put it
39:20ahead of the curve.
39:22To go out
39:23and harvest something,
39:25have it come back
39:26and give you
39:26health and happiness,
39:28it's just,
39:29it's a feeling
39:30that's very hard
39:31for anyone to understand
39:32until they do it.
39:33To come out here
39:34and to find this wild mushroom
39:36and to saute it
39:37with some butter
39:37and just,
39:38it's just,
39:39it's a euphoric thing
39:39for me.
39:40As more people try it,
39:42they'd find that too
39:43because there's
39:43so many different
39:44types of flavors
39:45and textures
39:46and complex things
39:47that we don't have
39:48in our diets nowadays.
39:51We got some black bears.
39:57What's the best outcome
39:59if we get more of our food
40:00through foraging
40:02in this way?
40:03With the more knowledge
40:04that's out there,
40:05I hope people start seeing
40:06how blessed we are
40:07to live in a place
40:08like this.
40:12That's bountiful for us
40:15and gives to us
40:16as long as we treat it right
40:18and don't take too much.
40:22Foraging this way
40:23is so in sync
40:25with the land.
40:26But here with Tyler,
40:27it also feels like
40:28a way of life,
40:29one where the outdoors
40:30can be a part
40:31of your everyday.
40:34To me,
40:35that's brand new.
40:37Ooh,
40:39very fragrant.
40:40But here,
40:40that's just tradition.
40:43I like that this was
40:45passed down to me
40:46and I've been taught this
40:47and I like to progress it
40:49and be able to share
40:50it with other people.
40:51Hopefully it ignites
40:52an interest in them
40:53like it did me.
40:56Once you get out,
40:58it just puts you
41:00in tune to things
41:01that we haven't been in
41:02for a long, long time.
41:10It's another way
41:12that experiencing
41:13outdoor Appalachia
41:14can feel like
41:15going back in time
41:17while looking ahead
41:18to a better future.
41:23Even as escaping
41:25modern life
41:26gets more difficult.
41:32I'm headed to
41:33Shenandoah National Park
41:35in Appalachia's
41:36Blue Ridge Mountains
41:38to meet someone
41:40finding new ways
41:41to connect to nature
41:42in our evolving world.
41:44His name is
41:46Jared Blake.
41:56Jared hails from
41:57Connecticut
41:58and works as a
41:59landscaper thanks to
42:00his love of being outside.
42:04But in 2018,
42:06he decided to embark
42:08on a side project
42:09that changed the way
42:10he saw nature.
42:12Or rather,
42:13the way he heard it.
42:14When I got started,
42:16I was filming audio
42:17and video of myself
42:18hiking around
42:19with a GoPro.
42:21And when I got
42:22into post-production
42:23and I was editing
42:24everything,
42:24I was really disappointed
42:26with the audio.
42:27So I started researching
42:29how do you go
42:30about recording audio
42:32out in the woods?
42:33And that's how
42:34I stumbled into
42:34field recording.
42:36Jared's recordings
42:37revealed a dimension
42:38of nature
42:39many of us
42:40don't give much
42:40attention to.
42:41What can we get
42:42from the sound
42:43of nature
42:44versus the sight
42:45of nature?
42:46There's an excitement
42:47aspect to it.
42:49Hearing a sound
42:50that you've never
42:50heard before.
42:51And that's something
42:52that really keeps me
42:54motivated in this field
42:55is capturing those
42:56sounds that very
42:57few people
42:58on this planet
42:59have heard
43:01and not a lot
43:02of people
43:02will ever hear it.
43:06Jared is on a quest
43:07to record
43:08unique sounds.
43:10And he won't be
43:11satisfied until
43:12he's documented
43:13the breadth
43:13of nature's
43:14soundscape
43:15all over the country.
43:17So far,
43:18he's built
43:19a sonic museum
43:20of over a thousand
43:21natural sounds.
43:49Communications
43:49of yesterday's
43:50and he starts
43:51knowing
43:52to remember
43:52his way
43:52of surgery
43:52and the
43:59so many of us are living disconnected from the natural world largely and for a lot of people
44:07their only experience with nature is leaving their house getting into their car and then
44:12driving away and that in between time like a shrub in between you know what was really interesting
44:18was that the sounds of most people's everyday life which is cars traffic AC running electrical buzz
44:28exactly buzz is a great word there's always a buzz around you it never stops and what people have
44:36found researching that is that it has a negative effect on the body over time studies have shown
44:45that overexposure to human-made sounds produces a stress response in our bodies wildlife they're
44:53also impacted by the sound for example if there's sound in the same frequency spectrum that a wildlife
45:02species makes its call at and it's human made in it and it never stops it will actually prevent those
45:09species from reproducing in the numbers that they normally would because of the interference at
45:16that same bandwidth of sound we're like jamming their signal exactly in humans meanwhile the sounds of
45:26nature seem to restore us to a better mental state one of the main reasons that I enjoy recording is
45:43that my
45:44collection of sounds is a portable collection of pure peace put the headphones on close your eyes yeah
45:53and then just really tune in and that's really what it's all about is slowing way down
46:08tuning into the sounds of nature
46:15and just allowing whatever comes to you to come
46:23so in a lot of ways it's very meditative yeah
46:30today Jared's excited to record in the park's big meadows located at the top of a mountain and
46:38surrounded by dense Appalachian forest
46:43it features a unique combination of mountain forest and meadow ecosystems that Jared has never captured
46:49before what I'm really hoping to capture in the meadow is really biodiverse landscape of sound
46:58because all those pollinators are out there pollinating the plants yeah all those birds are
47:02out there eating the pollinators so we're gonna see what it sounds like listen to the circle of life
47:15welcome to the big meadow let's see why it has a name yeah right now the sun is starting to
47:25go down which
47:26is actually a really good time to start recording because wildlife is starting to wake up people are
47:33starting to go to sleep those roads are quieting down yeah so it's like rush hour yeah it may be
47:38pretty busy out there even in this high mountain meadow it's impossible to escape human-made sound
47:51but it should quiet down enough at night for nature to rise above the din so let's pull off to
48:00the side
48:01here and set up our mics great as I scan the meadow different sounds slide in and out of the
48:22silence
48:29it's like a radio with thousands of different stations so I pointed up I don't hear much and then right
48:38at
48:38the tree line there's like a cricket right there nope yeah there it is
48:56this is creepy that good way and this is just the opening act what can we expect to change sound
49:06wise as the sun goes down
49:08the birds are gonna really quiet down as they come back home and go to sleep and the insects are
49:15gonna
49:15really come alive I think there's gonna be a ton of crickets and we may hear even some moths with
49:22that
49:23buzzing around then it may even be really really loud with the insects they tend to be very high decibels
49:34as the daylight makes its exit sound takes center stage
49:51all right so uh
49:55and then now let me just go through the sand when the wind is out there
50:10okay then this is from the Buddyee
50:28My ears are open to sounds I have never experienced before.
50:36From small creatures with so much to say.
50:41What do you want people to know about sound?
50:43I think people are really like feeling the effect of missing nature and one of the things
50:49that I use my collection of nature sounds for is to bring me back to that connection
50:55with nature so that when I don't have the time to get out here in the woods I can still
51:00experience it and it just is another way to bring my body into being connected with planet
51:09earth.
51:10Yeah.
51:10Which is really where we're meant to be that's where we came from.
51:14There's a memory associated with sound too just as there are with photos.
51:20So I look at a picture from a trip and it kind of takes me back to that trip and
51:23sometimes
51:24I hear a sound I hear a song I hear a sound I'm like oh it takes me back to
51:27that moment
51:28but what you've just described feels like a deeper memory almost like a species level
51:32memory.
51:33Yeah.
51:33Right.
51:34In sync with in tune with the environment.
51:44In tune with the environment.
51:47It means more than just how we hear.
51:52It's how we stay connected to all the facets of outdoor life.
51:58I look out over these blue ridges and I listen to the sounds of nature I usually tune out and
52:08I see people adapting physically adapting economically adapting which is hard to change and to grow
52:17and to prepare for a future while staying rooted.
52:20That's a difficult trick on the one hand.
52:25But on the other it might be the only way to grow.
52:29To be rooted and reach up at the same time.
52:35This really is a place rooted in outdoor tradition.
52:39But the Appalachia I've seen isn't stuck in the past.
52:44It's a place that's inspired by it and is moving ahead.
52:51Whether it's age old ways of life being rediscovered, ancient landscapes inviting trailblazers to break
52:58down barriers, or natural wonders drawing in new people and new perspectives.
53:08Sure, this place has seen its ups and downs, but the Appalachia I've found is full of hope.
53:15Always when、Eth
53:18Didn't
53:192
53:19und
53:19ils
53:192
53:193
53:21Und
53:222
53:221
53:50Transcription by CastingWords
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