“Most people need love and acceptance more than they need advice.” ~ Unknown
I’m spending the week taking a compressed course in Sociology/Appalachian Studies. The course focuses on resilience, particularly in Appalachia. Today, we went to – and are still in as of this writing – Robinson Forest in Perry County. The Forest is 16,000+ acres of old-growth owned and maintained by the university. It’s been a cold, windy, misty day, which I personally love, but it has been long. To get to Robinson Forest, we came up through 15 in Jackson and Quicksand, past Lost Creek, and then followed Troublesome to Buckhorn. All of these areas were the center of the devastating 2022 floods. I mean, just look at the house above. The truck is still on its side, the house is gutted, and trash is strewn everywhere. People who haven’t been here can’t really imagine how horrible that flood was for these people and this area. Pictures don’t do it justice. I love Eastern Kentucky with all my heart, and if there’s any place on this Earth that’s resilient, it’s right here; people and nature alike.
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