Last month I went to see the last showing in Oklahoma city for the film “Into the Wild.” Amazing. Absolutely amazing!!! The story of Chris McCandless is remarkable. I would give anything to be able to take a leap of faith as Chris did. Transforming himself into Alexander Supertramp. I have the utmost respect for him and the legacy of leather-tramps that have followed him. I dream of being able to make the trek to what has become a mecca in it’s own right. A mecca for those searching and testing themselves as they hit the road, of bus 142. To be able to see where he became himself, Alexander Supertramp. His final place on earth. I travel, hike, and explore with the utmost respect for you, Alexander Supertramp!!!!
“Two years he walks the earth.
No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, ’cause “the West is the best.” And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the Great White North. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild.”
— Alexander Supertramp
May 1992
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
— Chris McCandless
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
To: Jacquelyn Farris
“Girl vs. Wild”
From: Neil Garrison
Naturalist
Martin Park Nature Center
Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department
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Jacquelyn –
I read the news story that was published in the 12/23/07 edition of The Oklahoman. (….i.e., about your Girl vs. Wild blog…). You asked for input for places to go in Oklahoma for hiking and nature exploration. Here are some suggestions:
(a) “Rock Mary”
This is a large rock outcrop. It is made out of sandstone. It is shaped like a large, round marble…..but is about the size of a high school gymnasium. It is this huge, round rock that is out in the middle of a wheat field. It is west of Hinton, OK. It is located on private property…..but the landowner allows people to hike out to this geological feature on his land. The rock got its name back in the 1840’s. That was back when gold had just been discovered out in California……and when Oklahoma was not yet a state…….. There were some pioneers in Arkansas who wanted to go west to California…..but they were concerned for their safety if they were going to be traversing across the land that was Indian Territory. They ended up deciding to tag along with a military escort that was accompanying a road survey crew. ….i.e., a group of surveyors that were figuring out a wagon road route to California…. Mary Conway was a teenager. She was in this group of Arkansas pioneers. When the group arrived at this huge rock…….one of the young military men scrambled up on top of the rock……unfurled a U.S. flag……and christened the geological feature with the name “Rock Mary.” Today, it is a nice hike out to this interesting geological feature.
(b) The stone obelisk at the Oklahoma-Kansas state line.
Back in the 1870’s, the state of Oklahoma did not exist. This was Indian Territory. Kansas was a state. Oklahoma was not. People up in Kansas were entering Indian Territory by going downstream on the Arkansas River……and……if they were caught in this act of trespassing……..they would claim that they did not realize that they had strayed from Kansas. The Native Americans demanded that the U.S. government help them solve this problem. In response, the U.S. government sent out a survey crew and figured out the exact location of the boundary between Kansas and the Indian Territory. Up where the Arkansas River flows south out of Kansas, this survey crew chiseled an obelisk out of limestone…….and installed it on the boundary line. That stone marker is still there. It is interesting to go up there nowadays and see that stone with the “I.T.” chiseled into the south side of that stone. That is a fun trip.
(c) Giant ocean snails.
There is a place down in southern Oklahoma that has huge ocean fossils. It is on public land. You can hike back into this area to see these interesting fossils. The fossils are Ammonites……i.e., kind of like snails that are the size of automobile tires. These creatures lived in the shallow inland sea (i.e., salt water) that covered the area that is now southern Oklahoma. It is an interesting hike.
(d) Antelope Hills.
This is out in western Oklahoma. It is northwest of Cheyenne, OK. The Antelope Hills are on private property…..but the landowner will let you hike out to these hills if you treat his land with respect. It is interesting to go to the Antelope Hills at sundown……and get up on top of the hills……and wait for the sky to go dark……..and then watch the stars. It is quite a sight. You just have to make sure that you have a couple of good flashlights with you (….so that you can safely get back down off of the hills after dark). The Antelope Hills were the boundary between the Louisiana Purchase (…i.e., land owned by France….before the U.S. government purchased it)……and……those lands owned by Spain…..
(e) Chief Black Kettle.
The U.S. Forest Service has some land out in western Oklahoma. They are part of the National Grasslands. It is the Black Kettle National Grasslands. This is public land……and it is a great place for hiking. The national grasslands are named for a Cheyenne chief: Black Kettle.
You can phone my office (755-0676) if you need more information on these sites……and more specific directions on how to get there.
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Thank you so much for this great treasure of a list. Amazing indeed. i hope to be able to check all every one of them off my list for 2008. Thank you for your comments, and I hope you keep following my adventures.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I will soon be on a similar trek but will not be heading that far north. It is a very go story and i will have my own soon. Any one with me? two weeks from now kayaking the west. starting from North Dakota head to Montana, Washington, then stay a few weeks in the Redwood National Park then take the coast down then head to arizona then to pensacola FL. a one year trip will have all the gear and money. mainly kayaking and hiking while I will be doing some chainsaw carving to take care of money Problems. Any takers. Will give you more details if your Serious about going the more the better. watching this post.
bye all.
March 13th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Hi there I am very interested in hearing all about your upcoming adnventure as well as what stirred you to take on such a grand trip. It sounds truly amazing!!!! Please email me at jmfarris@opubco.com
Jacquelyn
March 19th, 2008 at 12:58 am
I’m just glad that Supertramp got to do what the hell he really wanted to do in life…. speaks volumes over most… “those that dare, have more to share” (original quote…BigHowKid) Dat’s me! And I too, have done plenty!