The Mohican Outdoor Center
I drive past fields full of rocks. I’ve never been to Ireland, but I expect Ireland to have fields full of rocks. It’s all very pastoral. I see some Jersey cattle grazing in them. All of this is nice, but I am lost. I spot a woman raking leaves in front of a house. “Excuse me, where is the Mohican Center?” I plead. She nods, as if she had been asked this question hundreds of times a day. “Just keep going down until you see a dirt road going up the mountain,” she says. Thank you, my guide.
The road is not so much a dirt road as a pile of rocks. As I bump my head a few times on the roof, I gaze on a stream flowing parallel to the road. It takes my mind a bit off the headache. After about half a mile going up through the woods, I spot a humble log building. In front is a sign pointing one way to Georgia and one way to Maine. A few sweaty hikers are heading down from the Maine direction. They, like me, are relieved to find the oasis on the Appalachian Trail.
The Mohican Outdoor Center offers camping sites and cabins for hikers on the Appalachian Trail, a hiking trail over 2,000 miles long stretching from Maine to Georgia. The Center also offers a getaway for city slickers who want a breath of fresh mountain air for the weekend. “Oh, we’re just here Saturday night,” say a pair of athletic middle aged women in expensive hiking boots. I met them as I met one of the staff for the Mohican Outdoor Center, Matthew Bruce.
Matt comes from Guyana, and he is proud to let me know that. “The nature there is a bit different from here, but I still love all nature,” he says. He looks at me apologetically through glasses while he argues with the women about prices for a campsite ($16 a night, or $14 for Appalachian Mountain Club members, the parent organization for the Mohican Outdoor Center). “Have a seat in the visitor’s room,” says Matt. While he sells Gatorade to the women, I step into a cozy wood paneled room. A large banner for the Appalachian Mountain Club hangs over the fireplace. In the corner, sits a piano with Peter, Paul, and Mary sheet music. On a coffee table, sits a dog-eared copy of Vietnam: A History by Stanley Karnow.
Matt steps into the room and takes a chair. “I’m so sorry about that. We’re starting to get a seasonal rush of hikers coming in.” He has a calm voice, suitable for a person dealing with tired hikers. He then briefs me on the mission of the Club.
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) promotes the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of the Appalachian region. Members believe these resources have intrinsic worth and also provide recreational opportunities, spiritual renewal, and ecological and economic health for the region. Because successful conservation depends on active engagement with the outdoors, the Club members encourage people to experience, learn about, and appreciate the natural world.
“So what that means,” says Matt, “is that even though we collect money from visitors, that money is for non-profit use.” Money made at the Mohican Outdoor Center goes to the parent organization AMC. The money is then used to fund newsletters highlighting environmental issues in each chapter, in this case the New York/New Jersey chapter of the AMC. The money also helps maintain free shelters along the Appalachian Trail in addition to the official lodges such as the Mohican Outdoor Center.
“If I were to give anyone credit, though, it would be the volunteers,” says Matt. These volunteers form the backbone of the AMC. They help maintain the trail so hikers can enjoy the scenic beauty of the Appalachian Mountains with relative ease. As for Matt, he is the assistant manager at the Center, along with Dave Simpson, the manager. “I love it here,” Matt says. “I came here a lot when I was little. I was always the outdoors type. It really instilled a conservationist spirit in me, to protect the outdoors.”
An old border collie pops into the room. Matt chuckles softly. “That’s Mohican,” he says. “I guess you could say she’s our mascot. She’s got a lot of arthritis, though. I say she’s around 15 years old or so.” The dog sniffs around for a bit and then slowly trots back into the register area. This prompts a voice to shout out, “Boat rental?” Matt jumps to his feet. “We also have a lake,” he explains as he rushes to his station. In fact, Matt has jumped up and down several times to help people. I have rarely seen such a calm demeanor in the workplace.
“It’s the stream, really,” says Matt as I shake his hand and say goodbye. “That stream along the road is perfect for meditation. And did you see those rocks in the field? They remind me of Scotland.” I guess Ireland and Scotland are close enough. “If you want,” says Matt, “we’re doing a music night at 8 p.m. Dave is bringing his guitar.” I decline sadly.
As I’m driving back down the road I feel the air gushing through my hair and ears. One could get used to this. I pass a little girl holding a sign by the side of a street. The sign simply says SNACKS. It’s very Norman Rockwell. A little cynical voice starts whispering in my head. If one wants to get away from the tourist bonanza of the Poconos, the bustle of Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg, and the clogged artery they call I-80, one must first venture into New Jersey.
For more information about the Mohican Outdoor Center, visit www.outdoors.org/lodging/mohican/index.cfm.
James Swider is a senior at East Stroudsburg University and hails from Mount Cobb, PA. He is a double major in Communication Studies and English. James worked on ESU’s student newspaper, The Stroud Courier, as a copy editor for two semesters. He enjoys writing fiction and hopes to attend graduate school for a Master of Arts in English. As a former Boy Scout, James loves the outdoors and has hiked on the Appalachian Trail in the Delaware Water Gap for many years.
