Planes, overlooks and quarries: Ruffner Mountain
Hidden in the backdrop of downtown Birmingham, next to I-59 and the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International airport, is Ruffner Mountain, a public…
Lost Creek: Caving in the Southeast
When I say the word “cave,” a person could pull from an endless amount of imagery from the world. From…
Room to breathe
In last month’s article, I talked about the poet Mary Oliver’s question, “What are you going to do with your…
Exploring Alabama’s tallest peak at Cheaha State Park
I’m not sure how I haven’t written about this park yet. I’m talking about the tallest point in Alabama, the…
Wild and Precious
My decisions in the last year or so have largely been guided by a question Mary Oliver posed in 1990,…
Adventuring outside Alabama: The Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains, found in the Southeast, are some of the oldest mountains in the world. They’re a seemingly…
How we want to be seen
I have recently considered learning to scuba dive. I’m about to start graduate school, will be located several hours from…
June at the 4H Center
This Longleaf Hiker is a little different. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of time to explore Alabama during June.…
The rest will follow
In a few months, I’ll be starting graduate school and embarking on a new adventure. As I’m leaving the job…
Fly fishing the Alabama Sipsey Fork
Fishing in Alabama is as synonymous with the state as football. Fishing for bass, catfish, brim, bluegill, crappie in Lay…
